The childhood home of one of Peoria's most famous residents is for sale

PEORIA – Terri Sheets felt like it was meant to be when she saw the childhood home of feminist crusader Betty Friedan was for sale in the summer of 2023.

“We had been looking for homes for quite a while and nothing was a good fit, then 1011 N. Farmington Road popped up. I love that part of town, and when I saw the Betty Friedan tie-in, it was a no brainer," said Terri Sheets, who moved there with her husband, Bill. “Bill and I moved from Austin, Texas, and were huge political activists. We marched at the capitol on many occasions, fighting for teachers’ rights, women's productive rights... I became an organizer for healthcare rights and held many meetings at my home... We even had our photo as the main photo on the Obamacare website for a while.”

Caretakers of Peoria history

In the summer of 2023, the couple was up against a competitive housing market when they decided to move back to Bill’s hometown to support his aging parents. Terri Sheets watched the market obsessively until the day the Friedan house showed up online.

“Renae Dietrich, our REALTOR, did a video tour with me and then we put in an offer that day and got the house,” said Terri Sheets.

Though they have enjoyed living in the home, they decided it’s just too big and are downsizing to a bungalow in Peoria Heights. Though they lived in Friedan’s former home for less than a year, they took their job as caretakers of a piece of Peoria history quite seriously.

“The guy we bought it from had actually done a lot of the painting. He spent a lot of time filling cracks and the painting is beautiful, so we did more of the underbelly stuff – the plumbing and bathroom remodeling, and updating the kitchen, stuff that really needed upgrading,” said Terri Sheets.

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A home filled with history

Built in 1924, the two-story brick house faces Farmington Road near Main Street and has more than 2,500 square feet of living space. When the home was built, Farmington was not the busy thoroughfare it is today.

“Back in the day this was just a two-lane road out front. I can imagine it was a very lovely, quiet place to live," said Sheets. “The park has been the most lovely thing that I’m really gonna miss – when you look out the front windows that’s your view, Laura Bradley Park.”

Terri Sheets thinks the house may have been divided into two apartments at one point because it has two HVAC systems, but many original features remain.

“There’s original hardwood from 1924 in here, it’s kind of special. A lot of the built-ins and trim around the windows are all original. It’s got 12-inch baseboards which are beautiful.”

With four large bedrooms, two and a half baths, a spacious attic and a dry basement, there is room to roam.

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A famous Peoria native

Friedan was born Bettye Naomi Goldstein in Peoria in 1921. She graduated from Peoria High School in 1938. Friedan left Peoria to attend Smith College in Massachusetts and later trained to be a psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley.

Like most women of that era, she gave up career ambitions to raise a family, a choice that didn’t suit her. Friedan began a research project by surveying her classmates about how satisfied they were with their lives, and the results led to her first book, “The Feminine Mystique." Published in 1963, it became one of the most influential non-fiction books of the 20th century, and helped ignite the women’s movement of the 1960s and 70s.

Living in Friedan's house inspired Terri Sheets to research Friedan. She proudly displays the newest book about the famous feminist, Betty Friedan: Magnificent Disrupter, on the fireplace mantle.

“If anybody wanted to take a deeper dive into Betty’s history in Peoria and this house, they can buy that book. It’s very informative,” said Terri Sheets, who made contact with the author, Rachel Shteir, and invited her to visit the home.

“I wanted to try to do something here to honor Betty, to have a fundraiser for the Peoria Historical Society or a brunch or something and have Rachel come from New York. We were trying to make that happen, but we just couldn’t pull it off with Rachel’s schedule,” said Terri Sheets.

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It’s the one thing she wishes she could have made happen before selling the house. Now she has hope that the house will go to someone who appreciates it.

“We’ve loved living here, it’s a beautiful home,” said Terri Sheets. “We love the history of the place and hope the new people can continue to respect the legacy and keep it going.”

Leslie Renken can be reached at (309) 370-5087 or lrenken@pjstar.com. Follow her on Facebook.com/leslie.renken.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Built in 1924, Betty Friedan's childhood home is for sale in Peoria