Dunham Hunt House

Bela T. Hunt was one of the first settlers in St. Charles, then known as Charleston. He built this house of local bricks from Penny's Brickyard, now the location of Baker Memorial Park, in 1836. 

Hunt was attracted to the new settlement when he heard of plans to build a new dam and mill on the Fox River. Upon his arrival in Charleston, Hunt purchased a half interest in the town site, which included a saw mill and a general store. Hunt quickly became a successful businessman. He was involved in operating a mercantile store, hotel, paper mill, tannery, lumberyard, and grain business. Hunt was also elected to the office of Kane County Treasurer in 1841.

The Hunt House has great significance in local history. When Hunt built his residence, most settlers were constructing frame buildings and log cabins. This was the first brick house in Charleston. It is also the earliest example of Greek Revival architecture in town.

The Hunt family owned the house until 1980, and left much of the original flooring, trim, windows, doors, siding, and hardware intact. The only significant change made over the years was the addition of a clapboard structure to the back of the house. Miss Effie Hunt and her sister, Mrs. Eva Lacy, were the last Hunts to reside in the house. The house was threatened with demolition when Baker Memorial Methodist Church sought to expand its parking area. Jane Dunham, who had a passion for historic preservation, bought the building in order to save it from destruction. Dunham was also helped to get the Hunt House listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Image credit: The house went through a restoration period and opened in the early 1980s as the Dunham-Hunt Museum. Jane Dunham displayed family heirlooms of the Ward and Dunham families at the museum. One room was furnished as Dunham Castle, her childhood home, would have looked at the height of the Victorian Era.

Dunham donated the museum to the City of St. Charles in 1986, but remained a powerful force behind its operation. Miss Dunham herself served as an attraction at the Dunham-Hunt Museum,capturing the attention of many museum visitors with her lively stories.

The museum closed following Jane Dunham's death in 1995. Rumors of hauntings at the museum began to circulate at this time. In her 1997 book, Chicago Haunts: Ghostly Lore of the Windy City, Ursula Bielski wrote that "mysterious noises and sensations abounded in the parlors and bedroom of this landmark overlooking the Fox River."

In May of 1998 the Dunham-Hunt Museum reopened under the direction of the St. Charles Heritage Center. The St. Charles Heritage Center staff continued to conduct tours of the Dunham-Hunt Museum through 2009. The City of St. Charles sold the house on November 7, 2013 to a private party with an interest in turning the house into a bed & breakfast inn. The Hunt House remains one of the most historic structures in St. Charles.

Architecture Notes

Built in 1841, the Hunt House is credited as being the oldest brick dwelling in St. Charles. It is prominently sited on the northwest corner of Third and Cedar. The bricks came from the nearby Penny Brickyard.

The original house was in the Greek Revival Style, characterized by the simple, rectangular plan, and the strong gable roof. The front and rear entrances are both excellent examples of Greek Revival doors, sidelights, and transom. The asymetrical aspect of the front facade is original, resulting from the chimney placement. Prior to 1855, the side and rear additions were built. This is substantiated by the Survey of St. Charles prepared by S. Bethel Architect/Surveyor, dated April 25, 1855. It indicates that in 1855 the form of tl1e house was comprised of the original house (a 2 story brick element), a 2 story frame addition directly behind the original house, and a one story brick addition flanking the 2 story addition on the north, east, and west sides. 

The fascia detail on the first floor addition suggests a change in  architectural thought from the stoic simplicity of the Greek Revival to the more carefree bJrgeboard detailing of the Gothic Revival cottage. The second floor was added to the west ~ide of the original one story addition bet0ecn 1855 and 1920. Building permits can be accurately traced back to 1920 substantiating that no addition has been made since then. It is assumed that this addition· was made in the 1870 1 s when the Frank Hunt family lived in the house with the Bela ~:unt family.

The front facade has changed at least twice. First, the Eastlake Style porch was added .. Later it was converted to an enclosed brick porch. The porch was removed, as part of the restoration carried on by Jane Dunham in 1980. The porch removal revealed that the doorway to the porch was originally a window. The window has since been restored.

The interior of the house has seen a form of adaptive use. The second floor has remained an apartment, while the first floor was once the Dunham-Hunt Museum.

Care was taken in the design of the displays not to.alter the spacial interrelationships of the rooms. The original flooring, trim, windows, doors, and door hardware have been preserved. Even the wood plank "kitchen" ceiling and hand .sawn siding in the l"'"lll remain. The furnishing and decorating of each room reflects the period of each of the exhibits.

In the basement., the structure is expressed, and evidence of the different additions can be seen. The foundation walls of the original house are .stone. The foundation wall of the east side of the one story addition is stone on the exterior, with exposed clay on the interior. There is still evidence of shovel marks from the excavation. The floor construction in the original house is 7 inch wide wood planks spanning across 8 inch diameter tree trunks, spaced 24 inches on center. In some places, tl1e bark still remains. The tree trunks then bear along the perimeter of the foundation wall, and on the 7 inch by 9 inch. hand hewn .wood beams bisecting the house. The additions have 2 inch by 7 3/4 incl1 rough sawn joists with a 6 1/2 inch subfloor.

The current restoration uncovered a simple, brick fireplace in the basement. It is believed that this was for the original kitchen. Examination of the first floor framing shows no evidence of headcring for a stair. Access to the kitchen was from the exterior. A partial retaining wall still remains in the basement, which held back the ground allowing entry to the basement 'through a rear door.

Sources

■ Badger, David Alan. St. Charles of Illinois. Havana: David Alan Badger, 1985. (R720.9773 BAD)

■ Bielski, Ursula. Chicago Haunts : Ghost lore of the Windy City. Chicago: Lake Claremont Press , 1998.

■ Carroll, S.R. "A Ghostly Welcome : Dunham-Hunt Museum Reopens and Jane Would be Pleased ." Chicago Tribune 31 May 1998: Tempo DuPage: 17.

■ Celebrating History: A Pictorial Essay of St. Charles, Illinois. St. Charles : St. Charles Historical Society, 1990.

■ Clauter, Hazel. Our Community--St. Charles, IL. 1967. (977.323 OUR p. 187)

■ Clauter, Hazel. Our Community--St. Charles, IL: Units IVI: Historical Information Compile for Third Grade Teachers. 1990. (977.32 CLA pp. 45, 80)

■ "Dunham-Hunt House Highlights History of Two Families." Kane County Chronicle 4 May 1999: A:9.

■ "Dunham-Hunt House Promises Haunting Experience." St. Charles Republican 23 September 1999:24.

■ "Haunting Season--Museum Tour Guides Tell Ghostly Tales About Dunham-Hunt House in St. Charles." Kane County Chronicle 30 September 1999: 1.

■ Jane Dunham Interview Number Two: Tour of Dunham Hunt Museum. (CD recording: 977.323 JAN)

■ Pearson, Ruth. Reflections of St. Charles. Elgin: Brethren Press, 1976.

■ "Restoration on Historic 1800 House Begun." St. Charles Chronicle 20 Aug. 1980.

■ Tolva, Monica. "Museum Stands as Dunham Legacy." Kane County Chronicle 27 March 1992, History Ed:3+.

■ Wallis, Jerry. "Museum Donated to the City." St. Charles Chronicle 24 Sept. 1982.