Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Mansion
The Reddick Mansion is located at 100 W. Lafayette Street in Ottawa, IL 61350.
Diagonal parking is available across the street from the Mansion on Lafayette Street. Limited parallel parking is available directly in front of the Mansion and along Columbus Street to the east.
Tours are offered Friday through Monday at 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Tours generally last 60 to 90 minutes.
Tour prices are: Adults – $15 / Students (K-12) – $10.00 / Children 4 and under – Free
Always check the website homepage for special announcements or call the Mansion at 815-433-6100.
No, only paid guided tours are offered to see the Mansion’s interior. The grounds are open to the public from dawn to dusk without a fee.
No, the tour includes the first, second, and third floors. The fourth floor is not open to the public due to accessibility issues.
There is a chairlift from the first floor to the second floor. For those not wishing to walk up the stairs to the third floor, there is an illustrated guidebook of the upper floors and seating available to look at it while waiting for the group to return.
Non-flash photography is allowed.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Mansion’s History
William Reddick was a glass-maker, “a farmer of great consequence”, a tax collector, the sheriff of LaSalle County, a land appraiser, a merchant, and an Illinois state senator. However, it is believed that William Reddick amassed a good deal of his fortune through land speculation.
Reports vary between $25,000 and $60,000. However, it is highly believed that the Mansion cost $25,000 to build.
It is believed that Reddick aspired to become the governor of Illinois or a U.S. senator. He did serve two terms as an Illinois state senator but ran unsuccessfully in 1852 and 1854 for the U.S. House of Representatives. LaSalle County became a Republican stronghold which doomed Reddick’s political aspirations as he was a staunch Democrat.
While Lincoln visited Ottawa at least seven times and was a contemporary of William Reddick, it is highly unlikely that he ever visited the Reddick home as the two men were on opposing sides of the political spectrum. Mr. Lincoln did see the Mansion on August 21-22, 1858 when he was in Ottawa for the first of his seven debates with Stephen Douglas. The Mansion had just been completed and was directly across the street from the debate site. Also, Willliam Reddick was one of the local dignitaries to sit on the speakers’ platform on the day of the debate, a fact which Lincoln mentioned at the third debate in Jonesboro, Illinois.
William and Eliza Collins Reddick had no children. They “took in” Elizabeth Funk shortly after her mother’s death in 1844. She was raised in the Reddick household but never formally adopted. In 1884 Elizabeth legally changed her name to Elizabeth Funk Reddick at the request of William Reddick. By 1887 these members of the immediate Reddick family had died.There are no surviving direct descendants of William Reddick.
In his will, Reddick left his mansion to the city of Ottawa to be used as a public library. The Mansion was opened as a library on September 19, 1888, and continued to serve the citizens of Ottawa until 1974. The Reddick Mansion Association leased the building from the City of Ottawa for 42 years. In 2017 the RMA Board of Directors purchased the building and property preparatory to commencing a $1.4 million exterior restoration of the Mansion which was completed in 2020.
