John Shaw Cabin
| John Shaw Cabin | |
|---|---|
 Front view | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Log cabin |
| Address | 15852 N Mississippi River Rd, Hamburg, Illinois |
| Completed | c. 1822 |
| Renovated | 1973 |
The John Shaw Cabin is a log cabin in Hamburg, Illinois built c. 1822. It is the oldest building in Calhoun County and one of the oldest in the state.
History
[edit]Tha cabin is believed to have been built around 1822, meaning that it predates the breakaway of Calhoun County from Pike County in 1825. It served as a store room for locals who would leave food and livestock that would be sold to vendors in St. Louis via the Mississippi River. Around 1836 a man named Colonel John Shaw (b. 1783) acquired the cabin along with nearly 100 other plots of land in the area.[1] John was a private security contractor during the War of 1812 and possibly served breifly as a private for the Missouri Rangers in the dying days of the war. Including the Battle of the Sink Hole in 1815.[2][3] It is said on August 6, 1838 President Martin Van Buren signed a deed to the land in Hamburg.[4] John would later become the founder of St. Marie, Wisconsin in the early 1840s.
When Hamburg was selected as a temporary county seat in 1847 following a fire at the first Calhoun County Courthouse in Gilead, it is known that a house formerly owned by John was used as a store, voting place, and business hall. This "house" mentioned may have been the cabin, but it is unknown.[5]
John passed away on August 31, 1871 aged 88. He was buried in the tiny La Cote Sainte Marie Cemetery in Princeton, Wisconsin at W4590 Huckleberry Rd that now sits largely abandoned on private property. Not to be confused with the public Sainte Marie Cemetery a quarter mile north.
The cabin underwent a large renovation in 1973. The cabin and homestead are now in the hands of a private owner.
References
[edit]- ^ "100 Lots in the town of Hamburg". nebula. July 22, 1836. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ Roger Bartel (June 21, 2021). "FACT CHECK: COL. SHAW". Bartel's History of Princeton. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ John Shaw (1888). "Indian chiefs and pioneers of the Northwest". Wisconsin Historical Society. State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "Hamburg History". Village of Hamburg. Village of Hamburg. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
- ^ "History of Calhoun County Chapter 5 ~ Early Villages and Communities". ILGenWeb. 1934. p. 18-27. Retrieved March 16, 2025.