A 1.2 mile walking tour of six sites in the Christian Hill Neighborhood. This route can be traveled on foot or by bicycle-depending on your tolerance for hills. Remember "Alton" means "hills," steep hills, so take it slow and stop often to enjoy the views. Please don't litter, and do have consideration for our neighbors who are not on the tour.

First, find C on your map, the wall of the first Illinois State Prison on William Street. Next to it is a large parking lot, called the Uncle Remus lot. Park here. This lot was originally a Civil War prison where several thousand soldiers died. Then oddly enough it was turned into Uncle Remus Park, a children's park. Later the park was paved over.

Second, from the parking lot, walk up William Street to Site Number 1, 512 William, The Carroll House.

Third, backtrack one-half block down William Street to West 4th Street and make a right, heading uphill. Jog to your left at the top of the hill and turn on Summit Street. On Summit you will go up and down a big hill. The Mississippi River is on your left. At the top of the hill, walk out to the end of Prospect and enjoy the view of the mighty Mississippi. Going down the hill, there are more views of the Mississippi River Valley and Missouri.

Fourth, stop at Site Number 2, 632 Summit, the Lupercio Home. Then continue the short distance to the end of Summit. For a side trip, take the stairs to the left to Riverview Park to catch more panoramas of the river. Then at the foot of the stairs turn right on Belleview. The Sunken Garden on your left is a part of Riverview Park. Continue up Belleview to State Street and turn right.

To take an additional one mile loop, turn left on State Street from Belleview. At West 9th Street, go right several houses to Site Number 7, 1243 West 9th Street. The Coppinger-Booth Home. Retrace your steps to the comer of State and Belleview.

Fifth, on the right several houses down is Site Number 3, 908 State Street, Burton Art Works. Take a break on the Burton patio. From here, it's all downhill, State Street Hill. These are some of the most beautiful houses in Alton.

Sixth, the next stop is Site Number 4, The State and William Street Fountain. Sit on the bench, or sit on the rocks and enjoy the view--it hasn't changed much for 100 years.

Seventh, just two houses down and on the right is Site Number 5, 510 State Street, The Todd House. More downhill travel takes you through the "Little San Francisco" part of Alton. The Hayner Children's Library on your left was designed by the same architect who designed the St. Louis Union Station.

This house, a brick Federal style, was occupied by Michael Carroll who came to Alton in 1832 and opened a harness and saddle shop. He was a saddler for over 30 years and a leading member of his trade. The house was known for years as the "Carroll Mansion" not only for its considerable size for the time but also due to the extra adjacent lots surrounding the property. Mr. Carroll's descendants occupied the building until the 1930's.

The original structure consisted of the living room, dining room, kitchen and second story. A "lean-to" was added in the 1870's to the rear of the building. (A lean-to is defined as a structure with a single pitch roof attached to the side of a building.) It could not be saved at the time of restoration. The bricks were salvaged and reused in the front garden wall. The open original porch on the south side was later replaced and enclosed to provide additional floor space. The house's five fireplaces provided beating.

The Matters purchased the house in 1992. It was in ramshackle condition, with holes in the roof, porches falling off and vines growing in through the broken windows. They have been restoring the structure since that date. 'ne kitchen, bedroom and bath on the rear of the first floor of the house replaced part of the old lean-to. Seventy percent of the woodwork throughout the building was saved and reused, including the ceiling beams in the new kitchen. The garage, constructed in style complementary to the house, was added in 1992-93.

The home is decorated with 18th and early 19th century furnishings, including a collection of authentic treenware - wooden dishware and utensils. Many of the linens and quilts date 100 to 200 years. Noteworthy are the tin light fixtures, 19th century reproductions.

The original limestone structure is estimated to be 150 years old. This assumption is partially based on the fact that the brick streets were laid at the same time thereabouts making the house accessible to and from the existing downtown Alton community. Moreover, in front of the home there is an enormous silver maple that is also roughly 150 years old, most likely planted around the time the house was built.

The house was originally a simple, one-story structure. Eventually an addition was built on the right side and second story was added. The stone construction is a unique feature as well as the interior windows and archway that are inset in the eighteen inch walls. This old house has a lovely river view, visible from the kitchen as well as the upstairs bedrooms. The house also has a complete dirt basement, which is common in homes of this age and in this location.

The home had been virtually untouched for the past 35 years until 1996 when Joe and Amy Lupercio acquired the home from E. Marie Weiss, grandmother of Joseph Lupercio, It has been in the Weiss-Lupercio family since 1947 when it was purchased contract for deed for $7,000. The home has been completely renovated. Unfortunately none of the original doors or woodwork were salvageable. However, many treasures acquired by Allen Weiss, Joseph's grandfather, were discovered within, such as an antique telescope, train sets, steam engines, and magazines. The found trains and steam engines will. be on display.

From the street it looks like a tiny house. From the inside, ifs a much bigger house. And from its 170 year history, it is a house which spans the entire history of Alton.

This three-story structure, two below street level, has a long history as either a residence or market. It is located in the Christian Hill Historic District on the National Historic Registry. The original lower two stories of this 38' by 17' dwelling were built in the 1820s. The structure cascades down the hillside creating a treehouse effect. The street level story was added on top, decades later, at the time State Street was paved with bricks.

One pre-Civil War entry at the Recorded of Deeds showed the sale of the property for the sum of 64 cents to satisfy a lien for back taxes. An early store owner was prison guard Billy Gilleland. Mr. Gilleland delivered tobacco and other sundries to Confederate prisoners incarcerated down riverside. From 1923 to 1963, the Hom family ran the Home Grocery Store here. Old-timers remember the store's street front open-airiness with slanted fruit vender's display shelves extending over the sidewalk.

The present owner first rented the house in the 1980s and fell in love with it. Now she lives and works here. She is planning to remove the vinyl siding to expose the original clapboard siding. When the front sidewalk was recently replaced the workers discovered a handsomely crafted old limestone staircase which was used before the top floor addition.

A geyser-style fountain dedicated in 1972, it is a favorite stopping place for walkers and bicyclists and children traveling up State Street from downtown on hot summer days. Likewise, on warm summer evenings, the lighted column of water offers cool relief

Pride, Inc., motivated the Alton Community Service League to donate funds and the Alton-Godfrey Jaycees to provide the labor to build the fountain. The League also helped with landscaping.

Restoration is ongoing, tours are guided and for safety small children are not allowed.

Never the home of a grandee, this home is of humble origin, a vernacular house. . Local legend says it was the "summer kitchen" of the Mansion House Hotel (506 State St.). The origin of the name is not known, but a Mr. Todd was the business associate of the builder of the Mansion House. Though the exact date of construction is not known, construction techniques and material confirm that original structure, the present living and dining rooms, predates the 1939 estimated date and probably closer to, or older, than, the Mansion House (c. 1834).

Of composite construction, an architecturally unusual style, it has a frame second floor built upon a masonry structure. The original building was one room and progressive additions added rooms and the second story. The last major addition was the second floor rear room in the early 1900's. Architecturally the building was constructed during the Greek Revival era. Since little of the original design survived, a house in Connecticut from the same era and of similar design was researched as the basis for the front facade interpretation. Rooms, when complete, will be decorated as a representation of the various design eras of the house during construction.

In 160 years substantial structural failure resulted because of original construction techniques, remodeling, fire, and termite infestation. This required reconstruction of virtually all structural systems, Whenever possible original material and techniques were reused such as the windows facing State Street, handmade in Nauvoo, Illinois using original tools and designs.

This imposing structure, a solid stone Greek Classic design,was created by U.S. Spencer and Son of Chicago, Illinois, architects of Masonic buildings. The cornerstone dates June 15, 1918. The site's earliest records show conveyance from the Federal government to settlers of Alton, amongst them Rufas Easton, Alton's founder and Benjamin Godfrey, a wealthy riverboat captain. These lots 5 and 6 of the "Penitentiary Plot" were part of the Civil War prison complex, housing at one time Confederate soldiers. The foundation appears to be stone from the prison building.

The original building on Lot 5 was built by J. B. Hibbard and was the site of a printing shop for the Alton Courier, and the Sentinel Courier newspapers. Lot 6 to the South was added and the existing building was erected on those two lots plus a small portion of Lot 4 to the North. The cost for building and equipment was $65,664.32.

The present 12,000 square foot structure allows the Masons and their appendant bodies to have three floors of dining and meeting space. Morrissey's Shoe Store and Western Union Telegraph Office operated from the first floor until 1959-60, when the building was renovated to include air conditioning and an elevator, and the dining room and kitchen were moved from the second floor to the first floor at the cost of $123,500.

The Lodge room on the third floor is dedicated to ritual. The entrance doors are a stunning four feet wide permitting two men to enter side by side in ceremony. The great room has recently been restored with original color. The ceilings are twenty five feet high, grand by Alton standards.

On the second floor the men's lounge lies to the north and the ladies to the south with the old dining room to the rear south. Beautiful hardwood trim is contained throughout but particularly striking are the rich beams on the ceilings of the lounges and the toll doors partitioning the dining room. Note the portrait of Nelson G. Edwards on the wall in the men's lounge. He was the first Master Mason made in Piasa Lodge No. 27 AF&AM, raised October 15, 1944. He was also Worship Master 1849-1850. Some say his presence can still be felt in the northwest corner of the old dining room.

The first floor contains the currently used dining room which houses the Temple Association four main fund-raising activities: a spaghetti dinner in February or Match, a chicken dinner in June, a ham and bean dinner in September and a beef dinner in November. Note the history of the building and the old photographs of Past Masters on display in the northwest comer of the room.

Damage of approximately $65,000 was sustained from the "Great Flood of 93." Water rose through the doors to eight inches in the first floor dining room. Repairs of that damage were extensive and included some additional renovation.

John E. Coppinger, born in Galway, Ireland, February 2, 1822, came to Alton by way of Chicago in 1837. He was Sheriff of Madison County, and Alderman of the Third Ward "Middletown" from 1854 to 1860 and from 1862 to 1866. He had extensive landholdings and formed business arrangements with Thomas Biggins, the Alton Gas Company and Coppinger and Biggins Quarries. His son, John W. Coppinger, was a graduate of Notre Dame University and a member of the Illinois Bar. He was Mayor of Alton.

John Booth married Ann Coppinger, daughter of John E. and they lived in the home until 1953. John Booth operated a jewelry store. It is rumored that Eleanor Roosevelt was once a house guest of Ann Coppinger Booth.

The exterior architecture is Federal, and is symmetrical in design. It is solid brick masonry with solid stone window lintels, curving to the arch of the windows.

The interior is basically unaltered. The only known addition is the glassed-in back porch and recently renovated kitchen. The bricks for the sun porch were obtained as payment when the City of Alton defaulted on a municipal bond held by Booth. The center entrance hall has a simple Federal curved staircase with double parlors on each side. All ceilings are 12 feet. The exquisite ten foot single doors with transoms are a definite influence of the Federal Period.  All four parlors have the original marble
fireplaces. 

The YWCA was founded in 1915. Its first meetings were held on the third floor of the Laura Building, 9 East Broadway where it had recreation facilities and a gymnasium. In the year, 1918, the Alton YWCA became affiliated with the National YWCA of the U.S.A. and was granted a charter by the State of Illinois. In 1919, the Alton YWCA leased the Madison Hotel at 120 East Broadway. It used the hotel to house girls and women who were drawn to Alton from throughout the state to work at at the Illinois Glass factory while the men of Alton fought in World War 1.

Camp Talahi, the gift of Charles Levis to the YWCA, was dedicated on October 10, 1926, and a campaign for funds in 1930 resulted in this new building which would better fit the need of the changing status of women and girls. The building, which consumes almost an entire city block, was dedicated on April 26, 1931. The interior lobby was renovated in 1981 as a result of a generous gift of Mrs. Harriet Forbes Aldous, a board member from 1922 to 1933. Note the beautiful wood trim and the lentil on the crown molding.

The remainder of the building has been reworked over the past several years, preserving the original woodwork, molding, brass door numbers, swimming pool, and other architectural features from the 1930's. The gymnasium and rooms on the first and second floors were added in 1964, designed by Merkel Architecture. The lobby was refinished again in 1994. This most recent project was instigated by the ceiling falling in from blasting done on the Mississippi River.

This old stone house dates to the early 1800's. It was a part of the first City Limits laid out by Rufus Easton, Alton's founding father in 1830. The south end of the lot was subdivided in 1852 and sold to Henry G. McPike, also a notable Altonian. It was home to Henry Sien and his wife in the 1950's to 1870's, a local barber and hair dresser, whose shop was located on Piasa Street between 2nd and 3rd Street. In the 1890's it was owned by Victor Bruch, a bachelor who owned a saloon on West 2nd Street.

The First Congregational Church, located at the corner of 6th and Henry Street was built in 1903. The original cost of the building was approximately $28,000.00. Of architectural significance are three elaborate stained glass windows. Installed in 1908, the windows cost only $50.00 each. No significant modifications have been made to the structure, aside from interior changes such as modern restrooms, kitchen facilities, and office space.

The streets of Alton offer such surprises; a beautiful home reminiscent of a French cottage on five acres with a pool and gardens in the middle of Alton!

Built in the late 1920's or early 30's, the house is filled with treasures. The first owners, the Marsh family, placed the decorative tiles around the fireplace. Legend is that the tiles depict the Marsh family history. The decorative molded plaster ceiling in the living room was hand painted by the present owners in 1993.

The three story house, approximately 3,330 square feet, is masonry construction with slate siding and roof. Interior walls are six inch solid masonry. Hardwood floors and custom cabinetry with matching shelving are throughout the house. The iron window framing has solid brass hardware and handmade screens. Note the unique interior doors with automatic draft protection. A built-in full length mirror is coordinated with the medicine cabinet mirror.

The house has had only four owners, one of them a short-term owner. After the Marshes, Dr. Robert and Nan Elliott purchased the house, raised their family and lived there until his death. Stephen and Patsy Taulbee owned the house from 1987 to 1993.

The present owners say many people recognize the house as "Doc Elliott's house" and reminisce of swimming parties in the "Esther Williams" swimming pool and of ice skating on the pond, (now largely filled in).

This house was built in October 1908 according to the inscribed corner stone in the basement. The date was confirmed by the 1910 Alton City Directory which listed Henry J. Benson as the first resident at this address. Mr. Benson, a foreman for the Beall Brothers Tool and Metal Company, apparently lived here only a year. Charles H. Keyser, a carpenter and contractor, was an early long term resident.

When Norman and Judy Swick first saw the house it had long been neglected and was in need of major renovation. It's simple lines and unpretentious style influenced the couples' decision to purchase the building in 1974.

At that time the significant changes were in the interior of the house. In the process of creating one large living room, the previous owners removed the original staircase landing. The remaining staircase is presently entered at the back of the house. The old pantry and back porch had been turned into a bathroom and laundry room.

Judy redesigned the front entry using part of the original porch as a foyer. In the large room, the Swicks altered the window placement, added beams and a false fireplace to complete the look of a earlier keeping room. A master suite was also created from two smaller bedrooms.

The Jackson House, well known as a Bed and Breakfast since 1993, is a beautiful home in a lovely, peaceful setting. Three generations of women have preserved and maintained the house and grounds. Just recently renovated, what was once a horse and buggy barn is now a guesthouse, BARTH'S BARN AGAIN. Although the Jackson House will be open for visitors, featured this year is the Barn Again.

Before renovation began the barn was dark and lacked plumbing, wiring and insulation. Painting the walls white, taking out half the second floor, and installing a sky light over the two story space dispelled the darkness. Removing the old shingles to reveal the original exterior, restoring the tin roof, preserving the existing ceiling beams, floors and stairs all aid in the retained rustic quality of the place. Hundred year old boards were gleaned from all over the area to supplement the existing wood. In addition to basic insulation, plumbing, and wiring, a large whirlpool tub, king size bed, air conditioning and carpets have brought the barn into the twentieth century. From the deck built of weathered lumber guests have a view of the woods and creek.

The perspective of a Preservationist is sometimes broader than a single structure. The eye sees more than a solitary structure. Sometimes the building is a part of something larger that must be protected. The view of this block from across the street reveals its amity in the design. The building's size, height and style are a working streetscape. Save for the English Tudor masking a neighboring building this block has the pedestrian appeal that typifies "Downtown Hometown U.S.A."

This building, constructed at the beginning of this century, has a 90 year plus history of serving the downtown Altonians. The foundation is dated to the 1840's or 50's. The history of the building that predates this one, on this spot, is sadly lost.

The Riverview Inn is one of many restaurants to occupy this space. Richey's and the Rives Cafe held the same venue in the recent past. Also a staple for 29 years was Blanches Beauty Salon which occupied the west half

The first Block's Ice Cream Parlor was in this spot from the 1920s to the late 1940's. Mrs. Marthadell Block recalls going to the movies at the Princess Theater on Broadway and then over to Blocks for an ice cream. "It always smelled like vanilla". Blocks is now a famous drive-up diner in Godfrey, Illinois.