We are operated by the William Butterworth Foundation, est.1956, at the bequest of Katherine Deere Butterworth. - Butterworth Center/William Butterworth Foundation -
Katherine Deere Butterworth's community involvement and philanthropy led her to establish the Butterworth Trust in memory of her husband, William. Upon her death in 1953, her home-formerly known as Hillcrest-became Butterworth Center, a community center used to promote cultural and educational activities. In 1976, Pattie Southall Wiman (widow of Charles Deere Wiman), donated her nearby home, Overlook, to the William Butterworth Foundation. Known today as the Deere-Wiman House, it also serves as a community center. Both homes are located in the hilltop neighborhood known as the Overlook District in the heart of Moline, Illinois. The William Butterworth Foundation supports community outreach for education and the arts and provides free meeting space for over 200 not-for-profit organizations each year.
- Deere-Wiman House -
In 1872, John Deere's son, Charles, built the Deere-Wiman House for his wife, Mary Little Dickinson Deere, and their daughters, Anna and Katherine, born in 1864 and 1866, respectively. The family named their Swiss Villa style residence Overlook because of its desirable hilltop location above the growing city of Moline, Illinois, and the family business, the John Deere Plow Works. In the late 1800s, Deere-Wiman House was originally Victorian in architecture. However, after a fire in 1899 caused extensive damage, its roofline was changed. Overlook served as home to four generations of Deere descendants. After the death of Mrs. Pattie Southall Wiman in 1976, it was donated for public use. Today, tours of Deere-Wiman House offer visitors an authentic glimpse into Victorian family life and architectural innovations of the past century. Points of interest include an elevator believed to date from the 1890s, a Kimball pipe organ (c. 1910 - 1920) in the library, and a multi-nozzle spa shower reminiscent of the healing hot spring resort waters popular during the Victorian era. The home's seven acres of formal gardens and walkways, as well as a child-size playhouse and three-story carriage house, beckon guests to explore the same lovely setting enjoyed by residents more than a century ago.
