Galena ยท Prospect Street
The Steamboat House
Steamboat captain Daniel Smith Harris's 1855 Gothic Revival mansion. The inn says his wife, Sarah, aided the Underground Railroad.
- Built
- 1855Built 1855 for steamboat captain Daniel Smith Harris; the inn says it is structurally unchanged since 1855.
- Style
- Gothic Revival
- Architect
- Andrew Jackson Downing (per the inn)
- Type
- B&B
- Rooms
- 5
- Area
- Prospect Street
- Credentials
- Inside a National Register historic district
The story
Captain Daniel Smith Harris, who built the first steamboat launched in Galena and was known as the ‘King of the Upper Mississippi River,’ built this Gothic Revival mansion with his wife Sarah in 1855. Sarah Harris became one of the first women physicians in Jo Daviess County and, per the inn, took part in the Underground Railroad; a tunnel runs under the house. The couple hosted receptions for General Grant, and Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Blackwell were guests.
Good to know
- No pets
- Adults only
- Address: 605 S. Prospect Street, Galena, IL 61036
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.