Durant House
Also known as: Durant-Peterson House
Why it's listed
Built around 1843 by bricklayer Bryant Durant, this two-story brick farmhouse sits in the Le Roy Oakes Forest Preserve near St. Charles, Illinois. Durant, a Massachusetts-born tradesman, used locally made brick and lumber cut from his own land, and the walnut woodwork came from the property. Walls were laid in an interwoven pattern for strength and insulating airflow. In 1881 he sold the farm to Godfrey Peterson, who added rear wooden rooms, so the house reflects both the 1840s and the 1880s. The Kane County Forest Preserve District acquired the farm after the Sheldon family's thirty years of ownership, and restoration volunteers furnished and reopened it as a museum. It is valued as an example of a very ordinary, modest frontier home rather than a grand mansion, and it is described as the only house museum in its region representing that period and social position.
Significance in brief: The house is presented as a typical, modest home from the late frontier period of Illinois, before the area industrialized. It shows two periods, the 1840s and the 1880s. The nomination says it is the only house museum in the region representing this period and social position, apart from a few reproduction log cabins.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 76000714, listed June 18, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NW of St. Charles off Dean St., St. Charles |
|---|---|
| County | Kane County |
| Listed | June 18, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76000714 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Bryant Durant |
| Architectural style | Vernacular |
| Areas of significance | Exploration/Settlement |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored and operated as a house museum by Kane County Restorations, Inc. for the Forest Preserve District; restoration about 85% complete at the time of nomination; open free on Sundays in season. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.92725, -88.34736 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 76000714.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5316246
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.