John Armstrong, a native of Cincinnati, settled at this site after coming to Peoria in 1836, and he and his wife raised thirteen children here. The original homestead was destroyed by fire, and the house now at this site was built in 1857 by Alexander Armstrong, John Armstrong's third son. The Armstrong family held a prominent place among Peoria's pioneer families: several sons engaged in brick manufacturing, several daughters married prominent merchants, and a number of Peoria streets reflect the family's influence on the city's early development. Armstrong Street was donated to the city by John Armstrong and bears his name; Bigelow Street honored his first son's wife, Sarah Bigelow Armstrong; Linn Street was named for one of his grandchildren; and Chambers Avenue, now Columbia Terrace, was named for Governor Chambers of Kentucky, who married a sister of John Armstrong. Alexander Armstrong's first daughter, Mary, lived in this home until her death in 1940, when the property passed from the family, and the house has remained in its original condition, virtually unchanged in appearance, since its construction more than one hundred twenty-five years earlier.