Zachariah N. Garbutt House - Pittsfield Historic District - Pittsfield, IL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 39° 36.416 W 090° 48.007
15S E 688862 N 4386444
Rev. and Mrs. Zachariah Garbutt became John Nicolay's foster parents when he was 16. This is building number 2 on the NRHP list.
Waymark Code: WMVD8J
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/04/2017
Views: 0
County of house: Pike County
Location of house: 500 E. Washington St., Pittsfield
Number: 2
Built: 1841-46
"2. ZACHARIAH N. GARBUTT HOUSE
500 East Washington
Built ca. 1841-46
"Z. N. Garbutt settled permanently at Pittsfield in 1840. a man of considerable influence in the city's earlier days,
in 1846 he founded The Free Press, an early and important newspaper with strong anti-slavery and temperance
inclinations. A graduate of the legal course at Illinois College (Jacksonville), Garbutt served as Justice of the
Peace and Master of the Chancery and twice ran unsuccessfully for County School Commissioner (1841, 1843).
"John George Nicolay, associated with Garbutt in The Free Press and, to a large degree, his protege, lived here with
Garbutt from 1848 and remained in the house after the latter's death in 1855. A native of Germany, Nicolay learned
the printer's trade in Pittsfield and succeeded Garbutt as editor of The Free Press. In 1857, when O. M. Hatch
of Griggsville was elected Illinois Secretary of State, Nicolay removed to Springfield as his clerk. After two years
in that capacity, he read law in the office of Abraham Lincoln and, upon Lincoln's election to the presidency, became
one of his private secretaries. Nicolay subsequently served as U.S. Consul to Paris and Marshall of the
Supreme Court of the United States." ~ NRHP Nomination Form
Historic marker on site:
Marker Text:
Zachariah N. Garbutt House
Built ca. 1841-1846
Presidential Secretary John Nicolay's Home All 3 of Lincoln's Presidential secretaries came from Pike County. John George Nicolay was one and lived here, 1848-1855. Nicolay started his career when he answered Zachariah Garbutt's advertisement for a printer's devil in the Free Press: "Wanted-an intelligent boy, from 14 to 17 years of age, who can read and write, to learn the Printing Business." Nicolay walked Pittsfield, spent the night sleeping on sacks of wool in the "Carding Machine" and got the job the next morning. Mr. and Mrs. Garbutt, who founded the newspaper in 1839, took a liking to Nicolay and took him into their home. Nicolay succeeded Garbutt as editor. Thomas Shastid (house on Jefferson St.) introduced Lincoln to Nicolay. Nicolay later moved to Springfield where he served as clerk to Illinois Sec. of State, Oziah M. Hatch of Griggsville. On a visit back to Pittsfield in 1860, Daniel Bush, editor of the "Pike County Journal", asked him to write an article advocating Lincoln as President of the United States on the Republican ticket. This editorial is believed by some to be the first to suggest Lincoln for President. Nicolay served as U.S. Consul at Paris, France, edited the Chicago Republican newspaper and served as Marshall to the Supreme Court of the United States, 1872-1887." ~ Abe Lincoln's Pike County