Full Text of HR1333 98th General Assembly
HR1333 98TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR1333 | | LRB098 22899 MST 61849 r |
|
| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | 3 | | Representatives wish to recognize the Sheldon Peck Homestead on | 4 | | the occasion of the 175th anniversary of its founding; and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, Sheldon Peck was born in Vermont in 1797; he | 6 | | married Harriet Cory in 1825, and shortly thereafter, made his | 7 | | way to Illinois; he completed his homestead (then known as | 8 | | Babcock's Grove) in Lombard in 1839 and became involved in many | 9 | | of the reform movements that started to take hold in the | 10 | | mid-1800s; he established the first school in the area to | 11 | | ensure all children would receive an education; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, Sheldon Peck became deeply involved in the | 13 | | abolitionist movement and supported it to the extent that he | 14 | | became a "conductor" on the Underground Railroad; runaway | 15 | | slaves would make their way to his home, where they would be | 16 | | given food, shelter, and a place to rest, before moving on to | 17 | | the next "station"; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, During the years Sheldon Peck was aiding slaves on | 19 | | the road to freedom, he continued his painting business, | 20 | | producing portraits for many local families; it is believed his | 21 | | art business served as a cover for his Underground Railroad | 22 | | work, allowing him to covertly move slaves between safe houses |
| | | HR1333 | - 2 - | LRB098 22899 MST 61849 r |
|
| 1 | | in his wagon; and
| 2 | | WHEREAS, Sheldon Peck's homestead was sold to the Village | 3 | | of Lombard in the mid-1990s; in 1996, the process of | 4 | | restoration began with historical research, fundraising, and | 5 | | finally physical refurbishing; in August of 1999, a ribbon | 6 | | cutting ceremony was held and Sheldon Peck's home, restored to | 7 | | its 1839 appearance, was unveiled; in 2011, the homestead | 8 | | became part of the National Park Service's Network to Freedom, | 9 | | an organization that catalogs Underground Railroad sites; the | 10 | | homestead will soon be placed on the National Register of | 11 | | Historic Places; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, A 3-day celebration event was held in honor of the | 13 | | 175th anniversary at the Sheldon Peck Homestead on August 22nd, | 14 | | 23rd, and 24th, 2014; therefore, be it
| 15 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 16 | | NINETY-EIGHTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 17 | | we recognize the Sheldon Peck Homestead on its 175th | 18 | | anniversary; and be it further
| 19 | | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | 20 | | presented to the Lombard Historical Society as an expression of | 21 | | our esteem and respect.
|
|