William M. Whitney moved to Winfield in 1858 and was elected DuPage County Circuit Clerk and Recorder two years later.

Whitney immediately returned to his home town and gained the required signatures for a petition to incorporate Hinsdale, which was approved in 1873.

Whitney lost a substantial sum of money in the Panic of 1873, and was forced to sell his house in 1879 to cover overdue taxes.

The house was featured in a national television commercial for Hallmark Cards, earning the residence its nickname.

The house is on a 177-by-170-foot (54 m × 52 m) lot at the southwest corner of First Street and Park Avenue in Hinsdale.