Bryant Cottage State Historic Site

Bryant Cottage State Historic Site Preserves the middle-class, mid-19th century home of F.E. Bryant where Lincoln & Douglas Met in 1858. Douglas’s senate seat.

Bryant Cottage State Historic Site preserves and interprets the home of businessman and politician, Francis Everett Bryant, his wife Sarah, and their children. Built in 1856, this Bement, IL cottage is furnished with period appropriate furniture, including pieces owned by the Bryant family. The house museum helps demonstrate what life was like during the settling of this region of Illinois. It foc

uses on the middle-class life of the Bryants in the mid-to-late nineteenth century. The cottage is also important for the role that it played in the Illinois Senate Race of 1858, when Abraham Lincoln challenged Stephen A. On July 29, 1858, Douglas and Lincoln met in Bryant’s parlor and negotiated the seven joint discussions that would famously become the Lincoln-Douglas Debates. These debates drew national interest and helped shape political ideas of the time. They also introduced Lincoln to a national audience, which helped launch his presidential candidacy two years later. Bryant Cottage strives to connect visitors and the surrounding community to the important history of the site. Bryant Cottage puts on school programs, presentations to groups, hosts field trips, and special events throughout the year. Bryant Cottage was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in September 2017 for its preservation of a hall-and-parlor style home and the historical meeting between Lincoln and Douglas.

Saturday, June 6 at 2pm: Bement Lions Club!
05/29/2026

Saturday, June 6 at 2pm: Bement Lions Club!

05/26/2026

The Cottage will be closed today!

First Book Club for Kids of the season! 📕
05/23/2026

First Book Club for Kids of the season! 📕

05/23/2026

We had a great time at our first Book Club for Kids!

05/21/2026

The Cottage will be closed today, Thursday, May 21! See you all tomorrow!

05/09/2026

Mother’s Day Button Bouquet success!

We had a great time at our first event of the season!
05/09/2026

We had a great time at our first event of the season!

Happy Early Mother’s Day! 🌸💐💕
05/09/2026

Happy Early Mother’s Day! 🌸💐💕

05/09/2026

Mother’s Day Button Bouquet!

Saturday, May 9: 10-12pm 🌸💐

Happy Halloween! 👻 🎃
11/01/2025

Happy Halloween! 👻 🎃

Address

146 E. Wilson Street
Bement, IL
61813

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

(217) 678-8184

Website

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