Yes, many cities and town and villages across the nation, particularly east of the Rockies, are primarily built with aid of the mason's trowel, but few, particularly in the rolling prairies of the midwest, have the distinctive inventory of architecture and picturesque American small town grandeur as does Galena, Illinois.

Galena was established on the Le Fevre river just after the beginning of the 19^th Century. The town was surrounded by a wealth of lead and mines began springing up all throughout the area. Galena?s profitability ? and population ? exploded. The mines provided an important resource to a growing nation.  During the Civil War, the demand for lead was enormous; many families made great fortunes and built stunning homes on the hillsides overlooking the river.  During the 1860s, Galena actually was growing larger and faster than Chicago. 

As happens, the boom times eventually spiraled down.  Many millionaires left Galena when he demand for lead dwindled.  Many simply abandoned their massive homes and left them behind.  As luck would have it, Galena did not go through a major re-development period throughout the 20^th Century.  While some towns felt that old structures needed to come down to make way for new business, Galena, by both design and sheer fate, had a large number of stunning structures ready for renovation.

Almost 90 percent of Galena?s downtown area is a National Register Historic District.  The Main Street area is visually appealing.  The street curves gently and there is a wonderful sense of brick continuum. Rather than straight line with regimented 90 degree intersections, the downtown marketplace turns a bit here, bends a bit there.