Bowman house

Captain Francis H. Bowman built this Gothic Revival residence in 1852, seven years after he arrived in St. Charles from his native Vermont. Soon after his arrival, he opened his hardware store. Later, he and John Lloyd established the Bowman and Lloyd foundry. Bowman held many political positions, established the Kane County National Bank, and served in the Fifty-Second Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry during the Civil War, participating in the Battle of Shiloh.

Except for an addition to the back of the house, the Bowman House has changed little since its construction. Gothic Revival architecture, which was popular between 1840 and 1880, features a steeply pitched center-gabled roof with elaborately decorated vergeboards. Inside, the house boasts a spiral staircase. The Bowman House has been greatly admired over the years; this is underscored by its designation as "House of the Year by Better Homes and Gardens in its November 1942 issue.