The homestead property, a 5.5-acre (22,000 m2) site, includes an 1840s era Federal style house, a Pennsylvania-style barn, and the remains of John H. Addams' mill complex.

On September 6, 1860, future Nobel Peace Prize recipient Jane Addams was born in the house.

Addams completed further alteration during the 1870s when he added a chimney and bay to the southern portion of the house, and a porch over the central front entrance.

[2] His daughter, Nobel Peace Prize winner Jane Addams, was born in the house on September 6, 1860.

[2] During the 1970s the Illinois Historic Sites Survey noted the house for its significance as Jane Addams' birthplace.

[3] The U.S. National Register of Historic Places noted the house for its significance to industry and politics/government, and added it to its listings on April 17, 1979.