History
The Oscar Taylor House was built for Freeport banker and attorney Oscar Taylor in 1857. Taylor, the son of Speaker of the House John W. Taylor, opened Freeport's first bank in 1852. The house became a social and cultural center in Freeport, hosting many prominent guests. During the American Civil War the house was used as a station on the Underground Railroad. Fugitive slaves were hidden in the basement behind a secret door fronted with shelving. The door still remains. The house was in the Taylor family until 1944 when it was gifted to form the Stephenson County Historical Society and turned into a historic house museum.
Read more about this topic: Oscar Taylor House
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“There is no example in history of a revolutionary movement involving such gigantic masses being so bloodless.”
—Leon Trotsky (1879–1940)
“Gossip is charming! History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“To a surprising extent the war-lords in shining armour, the apostles of the martial virtues, tend not to die fighting when the time comes. History is full of ignominious getaways by the great and famous.”
—George Orwell (1903–1950)