James Jaquess, the first president of the Illinois Conference Female Academy, now MacMurray College, once lived in this house. Jaquess, a Methodist minister, first met Lincoln when he was preaching and Lincoln was practicing law in central Illinois. During the Civil War, Lincoln entrusted Jaquess with important missions. In 1863, Jaquess met with Confederate officials to discuss ending the war. The following year, Jaquess met with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, who declared that the South would accept peace only if it could remain independent. Jaquess gave an oral report to Lincoln that was transcribed and printed as campaign literature for the Union Republican Party.