The C.H. Little Building

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

The C.H. Little Building is the former home of C.H. Little & Company, one of the original businesses of Freeport’s downtown, and what may be the longest continuously operating gift shop in Illinois. The original business was established in the mid-1850s, while the building became home to Little's business shortly after the Civil War.

Images

An ink illustration of the C.H. Little Building, commissioned in 1896 by General Smith D. Atkins, editor of the Journal-Standard, for the book "Illustrated Freeport." Note the large second floor window, which was replaced with a row of distinctive half-moon windows after the devastating 1928 fire.

An ink illustration of a three story brick building. Each floor has large windows displaying home goods. A sign across the first floor reads "C. H. Little & Company". and a caption below the illustration reads "C. H. Little & Co's Store." To the right of the building is a tall, thin black tower with rows of white plates attached to it.

A view of Stepehenson Street and State Street in 1910. The C.H. Little Building is the second from left and the plate tower is clearly visible. The large building is The Brewster House, a local hotel where abraham Lincoln stayed in 1958.

A black and white photo of a street scene. A row of buildings is seen, with carriages and a . Second from left is the C.H. Little Building. Our view of it is partially obscured by a telephone pole, but the plate tower is clearly visible. At right is the Brewster House, and on the corner in front of it are an early bicycle leaning against a rail, and two men in dark coats. Nearby are a horse-drawn carriage and a parked wagon.

Another 1910 street scene. Downtown businesses are decorated with flags and bunting for a gathering of The Grand Army of the Republic, a veteran's group for Union soldiers.

A black and white photo of a street scene. A row of buildings is seen, all decorated with flags and patriotic bunting. We see the C.H. Little Building and its plate tower. In the foreground the entrance of a large building, The Brewster House, has a sign that reads "Department Headquarters."

This street scene in the early 1920's shows a bustling downtown. The C.H. Little Building and it's tower are clearly visible, second from left in the row of buildings.

A black and white photo of a street scene in the early 1920's. A row of buildings is seen. Second from left is the C.H. Little Building. A number of period cars and bustling shoppers are seen.

A view of a bustling Stephenson Street looking from East from Chicago Avenue. The C.H. Little storefront and plate tower are clearly visible.

A black and white photo of a street scene at the turn of the 20th Century. A row of building is seen on the opposite side of the street from us. At left are a police officer, a group of men in suits, a carriage, and a woman riding toward the camera on a bicycle. At center and right, men are crossing the street or crowding the sidewalk.

A carriage, decorated for a special event, on the streets of Freeport around the turn of the 20th Century. Note the brick streets and the hitching post in the foreground. Displayed on a nearby building is an advertisement for the C.H. Little shop. Velocipedes were an early type of bicycle.

A black and white photo of a street scene at the turn of the 20th Century. Two men with straw hats travel in a carriage decorated for a special event with floral wreaths on the horse's necks and a large G on the front of the carriage. The street is paved with bricks and we see an iron hitching post in the foreground. A man in overalls and a straw hat is crossing the street behind the wagon. On the wall of a building in the right background is an advertisement for C.H. Little & Company's baby cabs, velocipedes and tricycles. Velocipedes were an early type of bicycle.

In this street view circa 1914, a man is about to get his shoe shined in front of The C.H. Little storefront.

A black and white photo of Stephenson Street circa 1914. At left, a group of four men in winter coats is walking down the sidewalk, passing under a sign for the entrance of The Brewster House hotel. At center a man in a long dark coat is about to get his shoes shined by a man kneeling with a shoeshine kit. Behind them is an early motor car, and another car is passing through the intersection in the background.

A sales postcard showing just part of the store's vast china inventory.

A sales postcard. At left is a large black and white photo of a narrow, deep room, filled with displays of fine china. At upper right are the words "Compliments of C.H. Little and Co., Dinner Set Department".

An interior view of the store from a postcard, depicting a large array of fine Haviland China.

A black and white photo, which is a view store displays of fine Haviland China.

An interior view of the store from a postcard, depicting a large inventory of cut glass items.

A black and white photo, which is a view of a large inventory of cut glass items.

An employee on duty in the toy department, 1925

A black and white photo of a store interior circa 1925. The room is narrow and deep and contains many toys and books on shelves and table displays. A young woman stands at center in a blouse and skirt cut just below the knee.

Freeport firefighters pour water into the C.H. Little Building and other structures on the same block, February 21, 1928. The fire destroyed most of the buildings on the block, but forthunately no lives were lost. The Little building's interior floors collapsed into the basement and all inventory was destroyed.

A black and white photo of Stephenson Street in 1928. Firefighters pour streams of water on several buildings as they fight a major fire that affected every building on the block. At lower right are the handwritten words "Hartmann's, Freeport, ILL in white letters.

The store's famous plate tower today.

A three story brick building. We are looking up from the street into a bright blue sky. The building has cyan window trim. To the right of it is a 40 foot black tower frame that is covered with white china plates.

At the tower's base, a historical marker commemorating the building's construction in 1867

A black iron structure next to a brick wall. On the structure is a bronze plaque reading "Built 1867, Downtown Freeport Century Building"

The front of the building today

The front of a three story building built with sand-colored brick. The windows have cyan colored frames, and a sign on eht e first floor reads "Twice As Nice Home"

A view of the distinctive semi-circular windows on the front of the building.

The upper two floors of a three story building built with sand-colored brick. This view shows the distinctive semi-circular windows on the front of the building, which have cyan frames.

The rear of the building

The rear of a three story building built with sand-colored brick, with window frames and hatches in cyan.

A view of the distinctive semi-circular windows from inside the 2nd floor showroom.

The 2nd floor showroom. At right, the original brick of the building from 1867 is visible.

A narrow, deep showroom space crowded with furniture for sale. The walls are made of sand colored brick.

The main stairs. The mosaic tile seen here dates from 1928 and was the height of style at the time.

A flight of stairs, seen from the top of the stairs. They have black edging and the steps are covered with white hexagonal mosaic tile.

The 1st Floor showroom, looking South

A bright showroom, with the glass front door at center. Many colorful houseware items are displayed for sale.

The 1st Floor showroom, looking North

A bright showroom, with the glass rear door at center. The space is narrow and deep. Many glassware items are displayed for sale, and the face of a grandfather clock is in the left foreground..

The 1st Floor showroom, looking North

A bright showroom, with the glass rear door at center. The space is narrow and deep. Many glassware items are displayed for sale.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

C.H. Little arrived in Freeport from Massachusetts in 1855, part of a generation of emigrants that were building the frontier town into a true city. He opened C.H. Little & Company in 1859 at a location across Stephenson Street from the current building, before moving to the currnt location in 1867. The firm dealt in china, crockery, and glassware, but soon expanded its offerings to gifts, housewares, art, and toys. Products were offered on three floors and in a basement showroom. The company was also one of the largest dealers of sewer pipe in the Midwest in the latter half of the 19th Century, and also the first and most successful kerosene dealer in our region.

The store featured a wood and steel tower covered with china plates. The tower is 40 feet high, and dozens of fine Syracuse plates are riveted to the tower. A 1910 history of Stephenson County noted it was “the only one in existence.” It was even featured in Ripley's Believe it or Nor, a syndicated comic panel that was viewed by tens of millions worldwide.

Until 1932, the C.H. Little building was a next-door neighbor to another landmark: The Brewster House hotel is also where Abraham Lincoln stayed when he came here for his famous 1858 debate with Stephen Douglas.

The store’s prime downtown location and his business acumen made Little a big success. He used his wealth and skills to establish several Freeport institutions, including the First National Bank, a local telephone company, and the Parkview Home, a nursing home that still operates today. After his passing, his partners continued the business.

In May 1909 a minor earthquake struck Northwest Illinois. The stock of china and glassware at C.H. Little & Company survived the quake, but the Freeport Journal-Standard reported that “Clerks were treated to a ‘musical performance’” as thousands of items shook, rattled, and knocked together. One employee compared it “to a performance from Swiss bell-ringers.”

The inventory and building did not fare as well in the early hours of February 21, 1928. Around 3 o’clock, a huge blaze engulfed all the buildings on this block. The fire was so massive that Freeport firefighters—and units that had raced over from Rockford—were still fighting it at noon. Over 2.2 million gallons of water were used while extinguishing it.

Most buildings on the block were destroyed. Miraculously, no one was seriously hurt, even though there were a number of residences on the block and the fire cooked off ammunition from a sporting goods store. Total damage was estimated at $750,000, the equivalent of $13 million today. The interior floors of the C.H. Little building had collapsed into the basement and the inventory was completely destroyed. Amazingly, not a single plate on the china tower was chipped or cracked.

The store reopened temporarily within days at a location down the street. Soon this building was rebuilt and then expanded east when the Brewster House was torn down in 1932.

In later years, as the business passed into the hands of other owners who kept the C.H. Little name. The C.H. Little store closed in 2013, but the building has remains and is currently the site of Twice Is Nice Home, a popular family-owned gift and furniture consignment shop.

Sources

Freeport Journal-Standard (Freeport, Illinois) February 21, 1928

Freeport Journal-Standard (Freeport, Illinois) February 27, 1928

Lena Weekly Star (Lena, Illinois) February 23, 1928

1896: Illustrated Freeport, published by The Freeport Journal/Journal Printing Company, Freeport, IL

1910: History of Stephenson County, by Addison L. Fulwider, published by The S. J. Clarke Publishing Company, Chicago, IL

1970: History of Stephenson County 1970, published by the County of Stephenson, Freeport, IL

1994: Looking Back by Harriett Gustason, published by the Stephenson County Historical Society, Freeport, IL

1999: People and Places of Stephenson County, published by The Freeport Journal-Standard, Freeport, IL

2000: A Postcard History of Stephenson County, edited by Fred and Connie Solberger, published by The Boone County Journal, Belvidere, IL

2005: The Lost Freeport Photos, published by the Freeport Community Foundation and Freeport Public Library Foundation, Freeport, IL

2009: Images of America: Freeport, published by Arcadia Publishing, Chicago, IL

Image Sources(Click to expand)