Reddick Mansion Association

Visit the Reddick Mansion if you have a chance. And bring a box lunch.
My wife and I were spending a weekend at Starved Rock State Park and looked for an afternoon day trip. We drove to Ottawa, IL, and we were glad we did.
The Reddick Mansion gives you an architectural taste of the highly affluent of the 1800’s in Ottawa, IL. Our docent Farley was incredibly friendly and traded stories with me about the Reddick family, Abraham Lincoln (no, he never stayed at the mansion), and photography.
Ask the docent if you can sit on the same sofa Abraham Lincoln once sat upon. It’s up on the 2^nd floor.
After your tour, walk across the street to the park. It’s the site of the first Lincoln — Douglas debate of 1858. There are two larger than life statues of Lincoln and Douglas debating. Carl Sandburg once wrote that 12,000 gathered in that little park to hear Lincoln and Douglas debate on a hot summer’s day on August 21, 1858.
Bring a box lunch as you sit in this tiny park reflecting on its place in history. If you’re like me, you’ll get a few goose bumps when you visit the Reddick Mansion and the site of the first Lincoln — Douglas debates of 1858.