merchant and associate of George R. Wild. Wild's House is another of the Sycamore Historic District's notable homes. Later in his dry goods merchant career he worked without Wild. His circa 1890 home is a blend of Queen Anne style and Romanesque Revival architecture. The distinctly Queen Anne turret on the home's northwest side is offset by the distinctly Romanesque arch over the front doorway. J.H. Rogers/Bettis House The J.H. Rogers/Bettis House, also known as the John Gathercoal House, is located in the 500 block of Main Street. The house began its existence in 1863 attached to the Charles A. Bishop House, which currently stands next door to the Bettis House. In 1887 the Bishop house was moved, by mule, from its original location. That property became the site for the c. 1890 J.H. Rogers House. When the Bishop House was moved the Rogers-Bettis House was split off from it and planted next door. The property the house stands on today was part of the original purchased by Ellzey P. Young from the United States government by an act of Congress. In 1902 a music professor, Frederick B. Bettis purchased the house. Stephens House The Stephens House, in the 800 block of Somonauk Street, is an Italianate structure and considered to be architecturally significant in a historic district where 75% of the buildings are contributing properties to the historic integrity of the district. Wally Thurow House The Wally Thurow House is a 1917 American Foursquare with a brick exterior and oak interiors. The Four Square style was a reaction to the complexity and excess found in Victorian and Revival style homes that were popular in the later half of the 19th century. Incorporating elements of the Prairie School, pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright, and American Craftsman styles the two-and-a-half-story house exhibits the classic boxy shape, a mostly hipped roof, and a central dormer. The front facade is dominated by a brick porch supported by two large pillars. Yet the house is as historically important as it is architecturally significant. The events surrounding the founding of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival occurred at the house in 1956. Wally "Mr. Pumpkin" Thurow is considered the founder of the Sycamore Pumpkin Festival. The festival essentially started as Thurow's personal Halloween celebration; he filled his lawn with decorated pumpkins. Thurow pushed the Lions Club to expand on his idea and every year since 1962, during