The House that Learned to Hold: A Biography of the Riggin-Pesold House

The Riggin-Pesold House has stood in Lebanon, Illinois, for nearly two centuries, shaped by those who built it, altered it, abandoned it, and chose to return.
In The House Learned that to Hold: a Biography of the Riggin-Pesold House, Michele King Hellstern weaves documented history with a lyrical narrative voice, tracing the home’s evolution from its earliest foundations through its many lives - as family residence, gathering place, institution, and near ruin.
Through these layers, the house itself emerges as a quiet witness, holding the imprint of each generation. The result is both a deeply researched account and a meditation on memory, place, and endurance.