When Stephen Bigolin came to DeKalb in 1967, the Ellwood House Museum had just opened for tours.

“When I came here for freshman orientation, I thought that would be something I might like to see,” Bigolin said. “Five years later, in the spring of 1972, I finally made my first visit. By the fall of 1972, I took my ninth tour.”

Bigolin is a Victorian architecture researcher whose focus is on history of the DeKalb area. He credits his profound interest in DeKalb to the Ellwood House, where he began his career.

Born in Oak Park, Bigolin grew up in “the shadow of Frank Lloyd Wright,” he said.

“I should have known that I was destined to be interested in history and architecture,” he said.

After graduating from high school in McHenry, Ill., Bigolin came to NIU to complete a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in education in 1971 and 1975, respectively.

“After I got my master’s degree, the high school teaching market was so tight that I decided to just stay on in DeKalb,” Bigolin said. “After I took a tour of the Ellwood House, I was hooked on DeKalb history.”

Bigolin’s fascination with DeKalb history interested him enough to learn everything he could about the area.

“Initially, I decided to spend six months learning about the area by talking to the older people in the area,” he said. “I underestimated. I am still learning today.”

As a local history enthusiast, Bigolin’s career has involved him in several area organizations.

He has been an Ellwood House member since 1972, and was president in 1977 and 1984, as well as the mansion committee chairperson from 1983 to 1990 and from 1991 to 1993.

Some of his other involvements include positions on the City of DeKalb Landmark Commission, the Land of Lincoln Barbed Wire Collectors Association and the Illinois Historic Sites Advisory Council.

In many of his involvements, Bigolin has been honored with several distinguished service and appreciation awards for his long-time involvement with the area.

His experiences with these organizations, and his countless relationships with the DeKalb community elders, have led Bigolin to write several books. His most recent, “A Journey Through DeKalb County Volume I,” was on the local best-selling list this summer at DeKalb’s Borders Books and Music.

Some of his other publications include “Sycamore: A Walk Through History,” “City of DeKalb: Six Self Guided Walking Tours,” which printed more than 1,200 copies in 1998 and still is in print today and several articles published in the Daily Chronicle.