Galena’s Living History Alliance
Galena’s Living History Alliance is a local non-profit organization focusing on the history of Galena honoring it by researching the history of our participating homes, placing plaques identifying the date of construction, name and occupation of the original owner and telling the stories of the first owners.
Showcasing Galena’s historic homes
Architectural style
Over 200 homes in the GLHA plaque program showcase many exquisite architectural styles. From Italianate to Gothic Revival, Victorian, Federal and more these homes offer a glimpse into the past that cannot be experienced anywhere else.
Notable residents
Discover the many influential figures who once called our plaqued homes their own. Miners, generals, farmers and shopkeepers all called Galena home and shaped it into what it has become today.
Living history
Experience the past come to life as you explore each home’s unique story and the role of its owners in Galena’s history. Today we honor and recognize those pioneers with the beautiful plaques on their homes.
Plaque Program
Historic House Plaque Program
The Galena Living History Alliance (GLHA) is dedicated to preserving and celebrating the architectural heritage of Galena and Jo Daviess County. Our primary initiative, the Historic House Plaque Program, increases public awareness and appreciation of the area’s historic homes and buildings.
Is my home eligible for a historic plaque?
Any home built before 1930 is eligible for inclusion in the program. Over 200 buildings are currently in the GLHA plaque program. They range from log cabins, commercial buildings, stunning Italinates, and cozy miners’ cottages to stately Victorians.
A few examples of the architectural styles in the GLHA program.
William Reinwald House, 1847, Log cabin home
Charles Lowes House, c.1852, Miner’s cottage
RIchard seal house, 1871, Italianate
August J. Millhouse House, 1899, Victorian
Latest news from our blog
See our latest Facebook posts.
We update our Facebook page regularly with information about our homes, businesses and churches participating in the GLHA historic plaque program. Scroll down on the posts to see the latest posts.
Galena's Living History Alliance
A window into Galena's historic truth
Galena's Living History Alliance and Galena Center for the Arts invite you to join us for the first ever Galena Living History walk: A STROLL THROUGH TIME.
As you stroll along historic Park Avenue, you will meet the men and women who helped shape Galena's story. Standing in front of ten of the homes they built and lived in, local performers will bring these early residents to life through short first- person portrayals based on months of historical research.
You'll meet merchants, immigrants, craftsmen, business owners, mothers, fathers, dreamers, and pioneers. Some arrived with little more than hope and determination. Others built businesses, raised families, and left a lasting mark on our community. Together, their stories helped create the Galena we know and love today. This isn't a house tour. It's a chance to walk through history and meet the people who lived it on the sidewalk in front of their homes.
Tours will begin at the Grant Park pavilion (Park Avenue and Jackson Street) at 10:00 a.m., and continue throughout the day until 4:00 p.m. . Admission: $10 donation, with children under 18 admitted free. History isn't just found in books. It lives in our streets, our homes, and the stories left behind by those who came before us. We hope you will join us on October 17th, and take A STROLL THROUGH TIME.
A little piece of Galena history is looking for its next caretaker.
Several of our historic homes bearing Galena’s Living History Alliance plaques are currently being offered for sale, and we would love to help spread the word.
We are so grateful to the homeowners who chose to recognize and honor the original owners of these special homes, by participating in our historic plaque program. Their willingness to preserve and share the stories of those who came before them helps keep Galena’s history alive for all of us.
We’re sharing these beautiful homes here in the hopes that each one finds a new owner who will love and appreciate not only the home itself, but the history held within its walls.
There is something very special about becoming part of the continuing story of a historic Galena home. ❤️
www.zillow.com/homedetails/107-N-Prospect-St-Galena-IL-61036/113791457_zpid/
1855, James Spratt House
www.zillow.com/homedetails/311-S-Dodge-St-Galena-IL-61036/105620289_zpid/
1850, Peter Specht House
www.zillow.com/homedetails/209-S-West-St-Galena-IL-61036/105619519_zpid/
c. 1860, John Heinlan House
www.zillow.com/homedetails/209-Park-Ave-Galena-IL-61036/105622106_zpid/
c. 1872, Otis S. Horton House
www.zillow.com/homedetails/908-Park-Ave-Galena-IL-61036/113791912_zpid/
1821, Nehemiah Bates House
107 N Prospect St, Galena, IL 61036 | MLS #202605748 | Zillow
www.zillow.com
This 2528 square feet Single Family home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. It is located at 107 N Prospect St, Galena, IL.
Another piece of Galena history has found its way home. ❤️
Mike and Milly Jones recently delivered the completed William Fiddick binder to homeowner Carter, adding another wonderful chapter to our GLHA project.
William Fiddick’s story begins in Cornwall, England. At just 22 years old, he sailed to America in 1835, arriving in New York before making his way west to the lead-mining region of Mineral Point, Wisconsin, where his older brother James had already settled. By November of that same year, William had moved on to Galena.
Here he built not only a life, but a legacy.
William married Philippa Bastian in 1841 at her family’s East Galena farm. He went on to serve Galena as a Fourth Ward alderman, became a partner in the W. & J. Fiddick hardware and dry goods store on Main Street, and later served as a director of the Galena Woolen Mill.
The Fiddick family weathered fires, rebuilt businesses, raised their family, and became an important part of Galena’s early story. William died in 1886, and both he and Philippa are buried in Greenwood Cemetery beneath the Fiddick family monument.
And perhaps the most wonderful part of the story is that their stately home and former carriage house still stand today at 129 S. High Street, continuing to turn heads more than a century later.
Thank you to Mike and Milly for the tremendous research and care that goes into preserving these stories, and thank you to Carter for helping us keep the history of this remarkable Galena home alive for generations to come. ❤️
This is exactly why we do what we do.
We are so incredibly grateful to Ted and Robyn for jumping in and joining the cast of our Galena Living History Walk this October. ❤️
It means so much to us when people who already share such a love for Galena, its stories, and its history are willing to step up and help bring this event to life. We are very lucky to have them!
And if you’ve never been on one of The Haunted Galena Tour Company's tours, here’s our suggestion: make a whole weekend of it!
Ghost Tour on Friday night…
Galena Living History Walk on Saturday.
Thank you, Ted and Robyn. We’re so grateful to have you with us!
We’re on YouTube
See our latest YouTube videos here for insights into Galena’s history and more from our historians.
