main gable once contained the same decorative elements as the smaller gable. Byers eventually served two terms in the Illinois state legislature, though before he held that office he was active in DeKalb County politics. Byers' youngest daughter, Jane, married native German Johannes (John) Faissler. Faissler became a successful lawyer in Sycamore. Captain R.A. Smith House The Captain R.A. Smith House, also known as the F.W. Partridge House is another contributing property to the Sycamore Historic District. The house was built sometime before 1871 by Captain R.A. Smith. The Smith House is designed in a Gothic Revival motif by R.A. Smith. Besides the military Smith was elected treasurer in DeKalb County, little is known about him other than the fact that he designed his home in the 200 block of Sycamore's Somonauk Street. F.W. Partridge was an attorney who began his legal career in the DeKalb County city of Sandwich, Illinois. Later, when he moved to Sycamore, he achieved some notoriety in that profession. During the Civil War Partridge was a breveted Brigadier General. Toward the end of the war he served as DeKalb County Clerk and Recorder; from 1864-1867. President Ulysses S. Grant appointed him as ambassador to Siam. Chappell-Whittemore House The Chappell-Whittemore House also known as the H.C. Whittemore House, is a historic home in the 200 block of South Main Street in Sycamore. The house was completed sometime 1867 and before 1873. The home is noted for its architectural and historical significance. Henry C. Whittemore came to Sycamore at a young age, brought by his parents in 1848. He served during the Civil War and after the conflict ended remained a government employee during Reconstruction. As a government employee Whittemore was tasked with helping to reorganize the postal service in the South. He returned to Sycamore in 1867. Upon arriving back in Sycamore he went into the tanning business but after a few years, in 1873, shifted focus to the hardware business. He stayed in hardware for most of life, taking on several different business partners in the process. Whittemore was politically active, after he left hired government work, both locally and at the state level. In DeKalb County he served as a Sycamore alderman as well as a member of the County Board of Supervisors. At the turn of the 20th century he headed up the building committee which oversaw the construction of the third, and