Elihu B. Washburne House
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Elihu Benjamin Washburne House
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| Location | 908 3rd St., Galena, Illinois |
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| Coordinates | 42°24′50″N 90°25′54″W / 42.41389°N 90.43167°WCoordinates: 42°24′50″N 90°25′54″W / 42.41389°N 90.43167°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1844 |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| NRHP reference # | 73000708 |
| Added to NRHP | July 5, 1973 |
The Elihu Benjamin Washburne House, also known as the Washburne-Sheehan House, is a 1 1⁄2-story Greek Revival house located at 908 Third Street in Galena, Illinois. Constructed in 1844–45, the building was built for and owned by Elihu Benjamin Washburne, a prominent Galena lawyer who served in Congress during the American Civil War, and as Secretary of State and Minister to France under President Ulysses S. Grant, another famous Galenian. The Washburne House was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Born to a prominent political family from Maine which played a major role in founding the Republican Party, Elihu Washburne moved to Galena to practice law in 1840, and the success and social standing he gained became reflected in his house, the design and construction of which was supervised by Washburne himself. The house was enlarged to its present size in 1859, while Washburne was serving in Congress. Washburne and his wife, Adele Gratiot Washburne, owned the house until 1882, when they moved to Chicago. Washburne died in Chicago in 1887, and is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Galena.
At some point after the Washburnes moved to Chicago, the house was purchased by the Sheehan family, which owned the house until 1968, when it was sold to the State of Illinois.
The Elihu B. Washburne House represents a good example of late Greek Revival architecture. The house was built in the style of Greek temples and features a 2-story porch with four fluted Doric columns.
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