James Butler "Wild Bill" Hickok was born on May 27, 1837, in a house on this block. His parents, William A. and Polly Butler Hickok, settled in Troy Grove, then called Homer, in 1836 after living for a time at Tonica, then called Bailey's Point. William operated a store there until it failed, then moved his growing family to a farm north of town. After William's death in 1852, the family moved back into Troy Grove. James worked to help support the family until about 1856, when he left Troy Grove for Kansas Territory and began the course that brought him fame. William A. Hickok supported antislavery efforts, and his homes were said to have served as stops on the Underground Railroad aiding African Americans fleeing bondage.