Peterstown House - Waterloo, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 20.536 W 090° 09.045
15S E 749013 N 4247634
Historic stage coach stop on the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail in Waterloo, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WM890R
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2010
Views: 3
"The Peterstown House is a two-story saltbox that was built in two parts. The original building was constructed in the mid-1830's. In the early 1860's, or possibly earlier, a larger section was added to the northern end...
The Peterstown House is significant because it served as a state inn on the Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail and served as a focal point of community activity in the area of Waterloo throughout most of the ninetheenth century.
The Kaskaskia-Cahokia Trail was the earliest overland link between Kaskaskia and Cahokia. The French settlement of Kaskaskia dates from 1695 while Cahokia began in 1699. The location of the trail determined the establishment of many other settlements along its route. The trail also had a role in the American Revolution; the day after George Rogers Clark captured Kaskaskia on the night of July 4, 1778, he dispatch his Captain Bowman with some of the men who came with him to Kaskaskia and Kaskaskians up the trail to Cahokia which they captured without difficulty. After the war the importance of the trail increased as the population increased.
The Peterstown House is the only intact structure along the entire sixty mile lenghth of the trail that was used as a state inn and tavern." - National Register Nomination Form
The Peterstown Heritage Society operates a museum in the house. The museum is open Saturday - Sunday: 1 pm - 4 pm .