104 S. Broadway Street
James H. Cox had this stately house built by prominent Bloomington architect George H. Miller (1856-1927) in the 1880’s. The original plans have remained with the house for over 135 years.
James H. Cox was born in Norway, Maine in 1822, the 12th child of William and Elizabeth Phipps Cox. James married Mary Chadbourn in 1846 and they were the parents of five children. In 1851, the Cox family came to Bloomington, Illinois in hopes of purchasing land and engaging in farming. Plans changed as he was persuaded to open a general store in Hudson. That same year, Cox opened a general merchandise store, the first “real” store to serve Hudson. Besides being the proprietor of the store, Cox was also elected the first Hudson Township Supervisor on April 6, 1858. In 1860 he was appointed the first Postmaster of Hudson.
Robert A. Ensign and his wife Grayce Marshall were the next owner of the house. “Ensign, the grain dealer, has bought the O’Hara granary and moved it near his Hudson elevator to fill it with oats.” Mr. Ensign was the cashier of the newly formed Hudson State Bank in 1907, a position he maintained for 30 years. On April 4, 1916 Mr. Ensign was one of five men appointed to oversee the building of the new Hudson town hall. Ensign served as trustee of the Village of Hudson from 1923 to 1930. The Ensigns moved to Bloomington where he retired from the Bloomington real estate firm of Ensign and Philabaum.
The house has been home to numerous families over the years. The Don Smith family lived in the house from about 1952 until 1957. He was the owner of Don Smith Paint and Wallpaper in Towanda Plaza in Bloomington.
In 1988 the 3rd floor attic area, which was being used as an art studio, caught fire causing extensive damage. The house was repaired and became home to the Wolfe family. In 2019 the house was purchased by the Dereu family and began a full, down to the studs renovation. The renovations took a year to complete and kept the historic integrity of the house in mind.
