Benjamin Stephenson House - Significance

Significance

The Benjamin Stephenson House is the oldest brick house in Edwardsville and considered significant for its architectural beauty, and association with important historic Illinois figures. Architecturally, the house is representative of an era. Most of the house's importance comes from its association with the family of Benjamin Stephenson. The Stephenson family played a prominent role in Illinois politics. Benjamin Stephenson served as a colonel during the War of 1812 and later held several political offices including U.S. representative from the Illinois Territory and delegate to the first Illinois constitutional convention. In 1836 the Illinois legislature named Stephenson County, in northern Illinois, after him. One of his sons, James W. Stephenson, also played a prominent role in Illinois politics as the Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1836.

Commonly, and mistakenly, the house is often referred to as the "Edwards House". This is due to the close association of the Stephenson family with that of first Illinois territorial Governor Ninian Edwards. The historical record shows that Benjamin Stephenson and Edwards were close personal friends and political allies. The pair led the Edwardsville Jacksonian Democratic Party and when Edwards' house burned he and his family took up residence in the Stephenson House for a time. The Benjamin Stephenson House is the remaining piece of architecture which intertwines the two men's personal stories.

For its architectural style and political affiliations the Benjamin Stephenson House was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on May 31, 1980. As early as 1972 Illinois State Senator Sam Vadalabene sponsored a bill meant to authorize the state to purchase the Stephenson House and open it to the public as an Illinois State Historic Site. Though the bill passed the Illinois House of Representatives, then-governor Richard Buell Ogilvie vetoed the legislation. The Illinois Historic Sites Inventory was ongoing during this period, 1971–1975, and it also noted the Stephenson House for its architectural and political significance.