John Patton Cabin, The

The John Patton Cabin, originally situated 3.5 miles southeast of this site, is a structure intimately linked with the relations of whites and Indians on the Illinois Frontier. Built with the assistance of the Kickapoo Indians from a nearby village, it was home to John and Margaret Wiley Patton and their 12 children. Three years later these peoples’ friendly relations were completely disrupted by the panic associated with the Black Hawk War of 1832. An addition on Patton’s cabin was left windowless and dubbed “Fort Patton” by the white settlers. In 1984 the cabin was restored to its 1829 appearance.