the Pumpkin Fest, the lawn of the DeKalb County Courthouse is filled with carved, decorated and otherwise enhanced pumpkins, many of them created by children and families. William McAllister House The William McAllister House is located in the 200 block of South Main Street in Sycamore. It was constructed in 1906 and remains much the same today as it was 1912. McAllister was a successful dry goods dealer whose longtime business in the Daniel Pierce Building evolved into the later Henderson's Department Store in downtown Sycamore. William Robinson House The William Robinson House was constructed in 1874. It stands in the 400 block of South Main Street in Sycamore is designed in a mostly Gothic Revival style. Robinson was an entrepreneur, dealing in threshing equipment and farm implements. On New Year's Day, 1897 he turned over his successful business to his son George E. Robinson. Ellwood family There are three houses within the district that were owned by various members of the Ellwood family, famed for their affiliation with barbed wire through Isaac Ellwood. The Abram Ellwood House is in the 400 block of Somonauk Street. Further down the street, in the 700 block of Somonauk, is the James Ellwood House. The James Ellwood House was constructed in 1859. It was moved from its original location, about a block away, in 1989. Since that time the home has been fully restored. The home is designed in Shingle style, a subtype of Queen Anne Style architecture. James Ellwood worked in the pharmacy and grocery business in Sycamore for 23 years. Before he became Sycamore Postmaster from 1898-1908 he also worked for 17 years as treasurer of Reuben Ellwood Manufacturing.The 1859 Chauncey Ellwood House, a prominent Italianate home, is in Somonauk Street's 800 block. Other houses The Charles O. Boynton House is an 1887 Queen Anne style home which stands along Main Street, north of the DeKalb County Courthouse. Its distinctive red brick facade has aged fairly well and the porch is nearly exactly as it was in the late 19th century. Boynton was a dry goods dealer. On the adjacent property is the Frederick B. Townsend House. Townsend helped found the DeKalb County Farm Bureau and was a native of DeKalb County. At least two other contributing houses are found south of the Boynton and Townsend Houses. The D. B. James House is a circa 1860 home located on Exchange Street