oscar taylor home

The Oscar Taylor home itself is a neat place to visit. It dates to 1857and is decorated more to the Victorian era with a number of items actually owned by the family. They have a chair Abe Lincoln sat in during a visit to Freeport (for a Lincoln/Douglas debate), and a photo of Sarah Bush Lincoln, Abe's stepmother. The house has a connection to the underground railroad, and the basement houses a secret "chamber" where escaped slaves were hidden. They have a relocated log cabin and schoolhouse on the property, and a building that has a display of toys, specialty vehicles/carriages and other products that used to be manufactured locally. The guide was great, and the tour was longer that expected at two hours. Just a note, take an antihistamine before your visit or avoid the toy museum, which has a strong damp, moldy odor to this temporary building...they are seeking funding for a new building for this collection.

This is a nice little museum. There's the Taylor home with historic settings, a military dedicated room, a one room school house,an actual log cabin, historic cars, and a room full of historic toys. Our tour guide was excellent and very patient with all of our questions. The kids got to sit at old school desks, draw on slate, and ring the school bell. We even saw a room rumored to be part of the underground railroad. I highly recommend a stop if you're in town.

I really enjoy going through this home. The main floor is 1800's period. The upper level is local history.... Arcade toy factory, Stover windmills, and other items. Nice displays. The lower level is items from just about every war. The two big draws in the home is 1) an original picture of Abe Lincolns stepmother. Only 2 or three known to exist.2) The home was on the underground railroad. You get to go into the area the run away slaves were kept. The grounds are beautiful. It also is home to an old one room school house, an original log home and a great display about early farming. The cost is only a few dollars. Expect to spend a couple of hours. If you are like me you will get hooked on a few of the rooms and spend more time than you thought you would.