VHS Preserves the Past for Our Future

May 5, 2021

The Vandalia Historical Society exists to maintain and promote the rich history of Vandalia, IL.

Thanks to the efforts of the group, Vandalia’s Little Brick House, located at 621 St. Clair Street, has been preserved and remains open to the public by appointment. Visitors to the site are given a unique glimpse into the past.

Antiques within, such as furnishings, china, engravings, and books, pay tribute to former state officers, legislators, and artists.

"You wouldn't know it to look at the place from the street," says John Hagy, who helps to tend and lead tours of the site, “But it’s much larger inside than it appears and really tells the story of how Vandalia has changed over time."

The structure was once owned by James William Berry, one of the earliest known artists of considerable talent in Illinois. Berry made his name painting portraits of powerful Illinois statesmen, such as Gov. Edward Coles, Gov. Shadrach Bond, Gov. Joseph Duncan and state Treasurer Robert McLaughlin.

Berry’s most well known portraits are those of George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette, both of which are displayed at the Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, IL.

The Little Brick House’s library, known as the Berry-Hall room, pays tribute to Berry along with Judge James Hall, who helped to establish Vandalia as the first literary center west of Cincinnati. Contained within are letters, manuscripts, and mementos of Hall.

The Little Brick House was also owned at one time by Charles Prentice, the first shopkeeper of Vandalia, and Joseph C. Burtschi, a prominent financier, historian, author, banker, title man, and community leader.

Burtschi is credited with editing the Documentary History of Vandalia, Illinois (1819-1839), the first major book regarding the history of the early Illinois capitol.

His two daughters Josephine and Mary continued their father’s work of preserving Vandalia’s history. Mary was a member of the Illinois Sesquicentennial Committee in 1968.

Mary Burtschi is also the author of the book “Vandalia: Wilderness Capital of Lincoln Land,” which includes drawings by her sister Josephine. It was published in 1963.

For several years, the Burtschi sisters lived in the Little Brick House, adding to its contents and securing its status as a historical site. The two ensured notable treasures connected to Vandalia’s founding and Fayette County’s heritage were preserved.

The Ferdinand Ernst Colony, for example, is well-represented within the house. Ernst was a wealthy German agriculturalist, who conducted a group of nearly one hundred colonists from Hanover, Germany to Vandalia, IL in 1820.

Items in a room dedicated to Ernst within the Little Brick House include his rope bed, a Yerker chest with hand-forged hardware, and a horse-side flat trunk fashioned to fit under the seat of a wagon. Many of the items came over with colony on their original voyage from Germany.

Fredrick Hollmann, who came to Vandalia with Ernst also has a room dedicated to him within the Little Brick House.

Inside visitors will find his bed as well as a cup and saucers he once owned. Other items in the room include an antique candle stand that once belonged to Vandalia merchant Ebenezer Capps and a cradle built by Belle Lichtenwalter's father. The wax doll within it is from the late 1890's.

“The Burtschi sisters collected a lot of items tied to Vandalia and Fayette County’s history,” explains Hagy. Even the wallpaper in the rooms was specially ordered to ensure it would be period appropriate.

The exterior of the historic site is an example of preserved Italianate architecture in the Tuscan Villa style, which earned it a listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

The Little Brick House possesses national significance inasmuch as it is identified prominently with literary, cultural, and social history from which an understanding and appreciation of our American heritage may be gained. Secondly, the house itself represents the work of a master craftsman as well as an architectural type specimen.

The Vandalia Historic Society became the keepers of the Little Brick House and its historic legacy in 2007, when the Burtschi sisters willed it to the group.

The nonprofit historical society also helps support the Vandalia Statehouse State Historic Site, a point of pride in the Vandalia community.

“Vandalia is rich with historical significance,” shares Susan Williams, President of the historical society’s Board of Directors. “We have one of the oldest state capitol buildings in the country.”

Built in 1836, the Vandalia Statehouse is in fact the oldest surviving capitol building for the State of Illinois. Famous politicians including Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas both served as representatives there while Vandalia was the second capitol.

Steeped in history, the statehouse is a federal-style white building with impressive high ceilings, tall windows, and vintage furnishings.

Located at located at 316 W. Gallatin St., the site is open five days a week (9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday through Saturday), drawing 30,000 visitors annually to Vandalia, IL to walk the same wooden floors where Lincoln once worked.

On the second weekend in December each year, the Vandalia Historical Society invites the community to their annual gala at the statehouse.

Each ticket to the annual party affords an attendee access to the after hours event and its commemorative hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, and holiday ornament, as well as a one-year membership in the historical society.

“Events like this help sustain our organization and its aims to preserve local history,” shares Vandalia Historical Society member and Board Treasurer Mary Beth Young.

Another annual event that the historical society champions locally is the Wine & Ale with Abe Street Fest. Scheduled for September 28, 2019 this year, the festivities celebrate the historic spirit of Vandalia with spirits.

This year the event will take over a section of Gallatin St. in Vandalia’s historic downtown area as well as make use of the recently constructed Charter's Patio at the corner of Fourth and Gallatin Streets.

Local business owner and Vandalia Historical Society member Amy Gaffney is excited for the Blind Society to be involved in this year’s street fest because of all the visitors it brings to downtown Vandalia.

“It really lets people see all the exciting changes that are occurring!”

Gaffney, who is currently involved in a project to re-open the Copper Penny this fall is enthusiastic about the relationships she’s built through the historical society too.

“I’ve made great friends in the Historical Society and suggest others get involved in community programs, not only to help our town, but to also meet new people and help Vandalia grow!”

Historic preservation is an investment in the community that benefits not only a community's culture and identity, but also its businesses and local economy.

The Vandalia Historical Society preserves the past in the present for the future. Supporting them through annual membership or attendance at the unique local events they coordinate help them do just that.

"Everyone benefits when we take pride in our community and its history," enthuses Williams. "The historic sites we help preserve provide a sense of stability and a tangible link with the past that everyone can experience.”