Lucius Read's stepsons and stepdaughter are notable for their roles in the events leading up to and during the American Civil War.

[4] Some freedom seekers who came to the Read house were taken to the basement where they were provided food, a fresh set of clothing, and shelter.

[5] Lucius Read's second wife Tryphenia was the mother of Sam and Luke Parsons who fought with John Brown.

[2][6] Her brother Sam and a nephew enlisted in the 92nd and she received permission from the captain of the regiment to travel with them and serve the unit.

She fulfilled requests to mend clothing and write letters, and was soon busy working with physicians and hospital stewards to care for soldiers with typhoid fever, malaria, and other illnesses or injuries.

Addie M. Parson's name appears with the soldiers on a monument to Company B of the 92nd Illinois Infantry in Byron's public square.

The house has been used as an inn, tavern, restaurant, Byron Express newspaper business, and a meeting place for the Congregational church.

Since it was a crime to teach slaves how to read, symbols on the quilt provided codes for how to escape to the north.