Collins House, a National Register of Historic Places Site. The house is open to tour every Saturday from 11:00 a.m. excluding holiday weekends. Daniel Dove Collins, the first President of the
Collinsville Village Board, built this Greek
Revival architectural style house in 1845 at the
corner of West Main and Center Streets. As
business grew in the 1890s, the house was moved to 621 West Main Stree
t. In 2015 the house was relocated once again a half block to the west, at the corner of West Main and Combs Avenue. In 1998 the late Irving Dilliard purchased the
house and donated it to the City of Collinsville. The house was in considerable disrepair at that
time, and the Cityโs Historic Preservation
Commission (HPC) was given the task of the
restoration of the house into a museum house and the preservation of lifestyle in Collinsville from 1845-1880. The HPC also had the D.D. Collins House placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today the restoration of both the interior and
exterior has been completed. Out buildings,
including a drying shed, well and privy have been added; and work has begun on furnishing the house with period appropriate furniture and
accessories. Flower, herb and vegetable gardens have been
planted and are maintained by the Collinsville
Garden Club. The gardens will serve as a continuing education project to teach about plant life in Collinsville in the mid-1800s. The Daniel Dove Collins House and adjacent Collins Park provide a beautiful entrance into Collinsvilleโs Uptown Business District. Although the City funded its move and final
restoration, over the years the HPC has applied for and been awarded several grants, including county, state and federal, to help with the restoration of the house. In addition, many private donations have been received, all of which have enabled the preservation of the museum house as well as the acquisition of period appropriate furnishings.
