The James S. Thompson house is a historical home located just outside of New Boston IL, in Mercer County IL. The home was built by James S. Thompson in 1862 as a private residence for himself and his family. An article from the Aledo Weekly Record cites the home as mostly completed by September 23rd 1862, and describes it as one of the finest houses of the county.
Following the death of James S. Thompson in 1868, his wife Nancy and their 5 daughters moved to Evanston IL. The property stayed with the family until 1885 when it was formally purchased by Stanton V. Prentiss also of New Boston. The Prentiss family owned the home until 1999 when it was purchased by the McCullum family. The McCullum family sold the home to a Mr. J. E. Olson of New Boston in August of 2012. Mr. Olson is the current owner of the property.
The home is built in the Italianate style, and is in the shape an almost perfect cube. The floor plan is the same from basement to second floor, with the same 4 rooms (2 rooms on each side separated by a central hallway) on each floor. The 3rd floor observatory was used for ventilation well before homes had air conditioning.
The home as a few unique features in that it is built of solid brick inside and out. The only hollow walls inside the home are where the dining room pocket doors are enclosed. Otherwise the same interior walls go from basement to attic. The home is also unique in that it has 6 foot walls in the basement allowing light to be shown in the upper 4 feet. The basement is also finished and has the same wooden trim and millwork as the upper floors. The basement also has plaster walls and was once occupied full time by a servant staff.
The property is unique in that it has several original outbuildings including (brick) a wash house, a wood house, and the a 4 seat outhouse. The outhouse is also very unique in that it has it's own ventilation system. There is also an original barn and carriage house, and also the Thompson family girls play house.
Very minor alternations have been made to the home during it's 153 years. In around 1904 a servants staircase from the basement to the 2nd floor was removed. This freed up interior space and also allowed another closet to be installed off the master bedroom. Bathrooms were also added at this time, and the house also received new oak hardwood floor skins, and also central heating. The heating was hot water gravity fed by a coal boiler and 14 radiators. Newer windows were added at this time but no record exists on when they were replaced. Many of the original windows are still located on the property. The house also received a new front porch in 1906.