Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House

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Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House

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The Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House honors our heritage by supporting service, culture and education in the Quad Cities community.

We are operated by the William Butterworth Foundation, est.1956, at the bequest of Katherine Deere Butterworth. - Butterworth Center/William Butterworth Foundation -

Katherine Deere Butterworth's community involvement and philanthropy led her to establish the Butterworth Trust in memory of her husband, William. Upon her death in 1953, her home-formerly known as Hillcrest-became Butterworth Center, a community center used to promote cultural and educational activities. In 1976, Pattie Southall Wiman (widow of Charles Deere Wiman), donated her nearby home, Overlook, to the William Butterworth Foundation. Known today as the Deere-Wiman House, it also serves as a community center. Both homes are located in the hilltop neighborhood known as the Overlook District in the heart of Moline, Illinois. The William Butterworth Foundation supports community outreach for education and the arts and provides free meeting space for over 200 not-for-profit organizations each year.

- Deere-Wiman House -

In 1872, John Deere's son, Charles, built the Deere-Wiman House for his wife, Mary Little Dickinson Deere, and their daughters, Anna and Katherine, born in 1864 and 1866, respectively. The family named their Swiss Villa style residence Overlook because of its desirable hilltop location above the growing city of Moline, Illinois, and the family business, the John Deere Plow Works. In the late 1800s, Deere-Wiman House was originally Victorian in architecture. However, after a fire in 1899 caused extensive damage, its roofline was changed. Overlook served as home to four generations of Deere descendants. After the death of Mrs. Pattie Southall Wiman in 1976, it was donated for public use. Today, tours of Deere-Wiman House offer visitors an authentic glimpse into Victorian family life and architectural innovations of the past century. Points of interest include an elevator believed to date from the 1890s, a Kimball pipe organ (c. 1910 - 1920) in the library, and a multi-nozzle spa shower reminiscent of the healing hot spring resort waters popular during the Victorian era. The home's seven acres of formal gardens and walkways, as well as a child-size playhouse and three-story carriage house, beckon guests to explore the same lovely setting enjoyed by residents more than a century ago.

10/25/2026

Historic Details in Open Spaces
The Deere family homes are resplendent with architectural details. Guests always remark about their craftsmanship. Both the Deere-Wiman House and Butterworth Center have remarkable features such as these carvings at the bottom of handrail posts going from the main floor to the Oak Room.
Over the years of the family's residency in the homes, many notable architects worked on the design and renovations. In 1917 the firm of Marshall & Fox instituted a Spanish Gothic Revival decorative scheme in Butterworth Center. This was a major renovation of the first floor and lower level which added the octagonal library and porte-cochere entrance to the home.
We invite you to register for one of the many Historic House tours available through out the month to visit the homes in person. Registration is free, compliments of the William Butterworth Foundation through our website:
https://ow.ly/Bwls5100lzF

10/23/2026

Neil Dahlstrom, Manager of Archives and History, Deere & Company
Evenings at Butterworth features many different speakers for our programs. This past Thursday, Neil gave us an insider's perspective of the research he is doing for his newest publication which is a few years from print. Our docent team have read his books to learn more about the history of the company and the family's role in shaping it.

10/19/2026

Neil Dahlstrom at Evenings at Butterworth - October 22nd - 6:30pm
Neil Dahlstrom is an archivist, writer, and speaker. He grew up and lives in the Quad Cities, once known as the farm implement capital of the world. Today the Quad Cities is a vibrant community of cities on the Illinois and Iowa sides of the Mississippi River with an exciting history of innovation in the farm equipment and automobile industries.
Neil works at Fortune 100 company John Deere, as the archivist and historian. He is a member of the Kitchen Cabinet, the Food and Agriculture Advisory Board at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and Visit Quad Cities. Neil’s research and speeches have taken him to historical societies and museums, abandoned factories-turned-coffee shops, and state-of-the-art research centers across the country.
This program is brought to you free of charge through the generosity of the William Butterworth Foundation.

10/11/2026

Butterworth Center Library - October 12th at 6:30 pm

Kim Sigafus is an award-winning Ojibwa author and speaker. Her family is from White Earth Reservation in Minnesota. An author of over 20 books, Kim writes Native American fiction and nonfiction, YA (young adults), and children’s books, and travels throughout the Midwest to give presentations on her culture. Kim is the CEO of Quiet Souls Events and Education, a nonprofit organization that promotes native culture through educational programs and special events. When not working, Kim enjoys crafting Talking Feathers and singing and drumming.

Captivating audiences with her stories, knowledge, and Native regalia, Kim will discuss what was happening in the country regarding Native Americans at the time the Declaration of Independence was signed. Kim will emphasize the impact the document had on the lives of the Native people, including how Native people viewed their land, the loss of which negatively impacted them. She will discuss how they once lived, and explain what was lost of their culture as western expansion moved forward. Kim will tell about the lives of the Native people through traditional story and song; native foods will also be discussed. An audience Q & A session will conclude the program.

This complimentary program is brought to you by the William Butterworth Foundation and the Illinois Humanities. Refreshments will be served following the program.

10/09/2026

We were stunned to learn the total raised at this year's John Deere Classic through Birdies for Charity! It was a new record – the largest year-over-year increase in JDC Birdies history – $20,119,898 for 492 participating local and regional charities! And on top of that, each of those charities, including Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House, received an 8.85% bonus to add to their individual charity totals—the largest bonus fund amount paid out in John Deere Classic history!

With tremendous thanks to generous donors, $8360 was raised through pledges to Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House. With the bonus of $739.86, the total raised to support meeting space for community groups, tours telling the Deere Family story, and preservation of these beautiful and historic homes, and more, is $9,099.86!

We are so grateful for you! The generosity by current and former Quad Cities community members is inspiring and truly awesome and enables such good work in the Quad Cities!

Photo of Micaela Booth, Director of Birdies for Charity and Andrew Lehman, John Deere Classic Tournament Director

10/09/2026

Evenings at Butterworth - Butterworth Center Library
Beating the Big Seven: John Deere and the New Generation of Power
Join Neil Dahlstrom as he shares his latest research on the 1950s farm tractor industry and the fierce competition among the companies Fortune magazine called the Big Seven. Against the backdrop of the Cold War, John Deere launched a secret program that led to the largest product introduction in its history: the New Generation of Power. Learn how it happened, who was involved, and how it forever changed farming.

Neil Dahlstrom is an archivist, writer, and speaker. He grew up and lives in the Quad Cities, once known as the farm implement capital of the world. Today the Quad Cities is a vibrant community of cities on the Illinois and Iowa sides of the Mississippi River with an exciting history of innovation in the farm equipment and automobile industries.

Neil works at Fortune 100 company John Deere, as the archivist and historian. He is a member of the Kitchen Cabinet, the Food and Agriculture Advisory Board at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History, and Visit Quad Cities.

Neil’s research and speeches have taken him to historical societies and museums, abandoned factories-turned-coffee shops, and state-of-the-art research centers across the country.

Doors open at 6pm and refreshments will be served immediately following the program in the dining room of Butterworth Center. No registration is required to attend. This free program is brought to the community through the generosity of the William Butterworth Foundation.

10/04/2026

Thank You
The staff and board of the William Butterworth Foundation thank you for attending the 2026 Porch Party. Despite the rain, the food trucks served, the musicians played, and the community ate over 450 pieces of anniversary cake.
Mark your calendars for next year's event on September 19th. Until then, invite you to visit us for the many events that go on throughout the year.

Address

1105 8th Street
Moline, IL
61265

Telephone

+13097432700

Website

http://www.butterworthcenter.com/

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