The Strevell House
The Strevell House is at 401 W. Livingston in Pontiac, Illinois.
Abraham Lincoln visited Pontiac, Illinois, on five separate occasions. Lincoln visited Pontiac twice in 1840 and was the lawyer who represented William Popejoy on his lawsuits with Isaac Wilson. Lincoln was the lawyer in another Pontiac case with County Sheriff Blue in 1843.
In 1855, Lincoln spent several nights in Pontiac after being rescued from a train stuck in a snowstorm.
Lincoln's last visit to Pontiac was in January of 1860, when he gave a lecture at the Presbyterian Church. After the lecture, Lincoln spent many hours at the home of Jason Strevell before he caught his train to Bloomington. While at the Strevell house, Jason Strevell measured Lincoln's height and put a mark in the doorway at six feet four inches.
Jason Strevell went on to serve in the Illinois State Legislature and Senate. He then moved to Montana and became a distinguished Judge. The adopted son of Jason Strevell became a very successful hardware store merchant in Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah.
The Strevell house in Pontiac has been fully restored by the Livingston County Historical Society and is open to the public for periodic tours.
Open House Days
All three Pontiac historic homes are generally open on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 1 to 3 pm. The houses are open for tours by the public and there is no admission charge. Volunteer docents are on-hand and give an overview of the house history, plus answer any questions.
The Historical Society does try to accommodate special tours schedule by appointment. To arrange a private tour, please contact the Tourism office at 815-844-5847.
Short Video on the Strevell House by WMBD TV in Peoria
In the Summer of 2023, this TV station made a short video about the history of the Strevell House. You can watch this video by clicking on this link.
Strevell House Book
A new book about the history of the Strevell House was published in 2023. Copies of the book may be purchased at the Strevell House during public tours. You can also use this link to purchase a copy from Amazon.com.
