Site Infomation

The Sheldon Peck Homestead is open Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday from 12 - 4 pm.

Groups - Looking to book a tour for a group? In-person tours are ideal for groups up to 20. Virtual tours are also available. Please contact Rae Slowik, Education Coordinator, or call 630.629.1885.

School Groups & Home Schoolers - In-person field trips and virtual presentations are available. Topics include Lombard’s early history, African American history, and the Underground Railroad. Individualized presentations can be arranged as well. Please contact Rae Slowik, Education Coordinator, or call 630.629.1885.

Map

The Museum is FREE.
Suggested Donation is $5 per person.

Located at the southwest corner of St. Charles Road and Grace Street in Lombard, Illinois. Parking is located off of Parkside and additional parking is across the street at Lombard Commons. See below for more parking information.

**Address**
355 East Parkside Avenue
Lombard, IL 60148

Sheldon Peck, Tin Type, c. 1850s-1860s courtesy of the Peck Family descendants. — Sheldon Peck, Tin Type, c. 1850s-1860s
courtesy of the Peck Family Descendents

The Peck Homestead is registered on the National Park Service Network to Freedom as a verified stop on the Underground Railroad. Sheldon Peck was an abolitionist and an itinerant folk artist. This home tells the story of folk art through the eyes of Sheldon Peck. Visit the gallery telling the story of the abolitionist movement in the Chicago area.

About Sheldon Peck and Family

Sheldon and his wife Harriet moved to Babcock’s Grove (Lombard) in 1837 and finished construction on their home in 1839. The family lived in a covered wagon until the house was livable and family members continued living in the house until 1997 when it was donated to the Village of Lombard. Learn more.

The Sheldon Peck Homestead Over the Years

Sheldon Peck Homestead-1879

1879-The central part of the house was built first with a complete cellar underneath and then the two end wings were added in the following decades.

The house as seen here is what Sheldon and Harriet Peck would have recognized.

Sheldon Peck Homestead-1979

1979-

1979-Frank Peck inherited the house after his mother Harriet passed away in 1887. In 1910, Frank remodeled the home by removing the west wing, raising the roof and adding stucco to the entire house.

Sheldon Peck Homestead-Today

Today-The Lombard Historical Society received a grant from the State of Illinois for the restoration of the house in 1998. The full second floor was brought back to the original pitch, stucco removed and the west end was reconstructed on the original foundation piers.

Sheldon Peck Homestead Restoration Explained

Learn more about the restoration process from Pat Poskocil, former president of both the Lombard Historical Society and the Lombard Historic Preservation Commission.

Additional Parking Information

Parking onsite is very limited.

Cars and small buses or vans can park in the lot in front of the Homestead (yellow box on map). Additional parking is also available along the east side of the house on Grace Street (blue box on map).

Overflow parking is available across the street at the southeast corner of Grace Street and St. Charles Road in the Lombard Common lot.

Accessibility: The Sheldon Peck Homestead building, garden, and property is ADA accessible. There is designated parking in the front lot onsite. Please contact LHS if you require assistance or have any questions or concerns regarding accessibility.