Peterstown House

This evening, we had the pleasure of hosting the Millstadt Historical Society for their monthly meeting! It was great meeting several of their membership and discussing the history of Peterstown House, early Waterloo history, and our organization's background, as well as how we operate.

The Millstadt Historical Society recently opened the Millstadt History Museum in late 2025! They are located at:

5 E. Washington Street
Millstadt, Illinois

Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

They are in the back side of Central Bank at the four-way stop (across from Spikes).

Check them out soon! They have a very nice museum!

We are open for Father's Day! Bring Dad in for a step back in time! Open until 4p.m.

On Sunday, we had the privilege of meeting this great couple from Southern Illinois! Leann is the fifth-great granddaughter of David H. Ditch and Hannah Forquer (Farquhar) and fifth-great niece of George Forquer.

In the late 18th C., David Ditch acquired a large amount of land by entry from the government. The land was later purchased by his brother-in-law, George Forquer in 1818. The Village of Waterloo was laid out on this land by Forquer and Daniel Cook, who began selling lots as early as 1818.

David Ditch and his wife, Hannah, owned a two-story log house along North Main Street, known as Ditch Tavern. This was Waterloo's first hotel and was said to be a picturesque property. It had three rooms on the ground floor and three rooms above with large stone fireplaces on each end. The kitchen and dining rooms were in the rear and sleeping rooms were upstairs, accessed by an outdoor stairway.

When the county seat was moved from Harrisonville to Waterloo in 1825, the first court sessions were held here until a courthouse was constructed at the corner of Main and Third streets in 1832 (approximately where the bandstand is today).

Many other Ditch Family members owned other properties near Waterloo, including the Ditch Farmstead, which is Ella K's Bridal, across from Rural King.

It was great to have a descendent of Waterloo's projectors visit Waterloo. Leann was able to see the merchandise her ancestors purchased from Emory Peter Rogers, through his store ledgers (dating from 1829-1836).

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Other facts about Ditch Tavern is that Judge Silas Bryan, father of William Jennings Bryan, used this as his headquarters when he was presiding as circuit judge in Waterloo. This log cabin was also the boyhood home of Thomas Ford, eighth governor of Illinois. Ford is half-brother to George Forquer.

Source: A Cameo Collection of Historic Waterloo

We have a lot of exciting projects in the works for this year! Work has begun on the preservation of our 1850s log cabin, known as the Frederick Schatte Cabin. This cabin was originally located just outside of Maeystown and moved to this site in 1975. We are framing the outside walls for siding to prevent the wood from deteriorating. The interior walls will remain exposed. Once this work is complete, visitors will once again be able to go inside this cabin!

Also, we are nearing closer to the roof replacement on our main building, back porch and summer kitchen! More to come on that construction project!

Rain has started to fall in Waterloo's old Peterstown neighborhood - don't let that deter you from coming in! We have new displays focusing on the American Revolutionary War and the American Civil War! You don't want to miss out before the displays leave later this year!

We will be closed for Memorial Day weekend! We hope you have a fun and safe weekend! We'll be back on Saturday, May 30th.

Did you catch the full rainbow after last night's rain?

Are you heading to Firebird Fest in downtown Waterloo later this afternoon? Stop by and see us beforehand -- we're on the way! We'll be here until 4p.m.

Good morning, Waterloo!