Money Built Basements Bigger Than the County Norm
Monticello became the Piatt County seat in 1841, and the wealth that later lined State Street's 'Millionaires Row' also built the Allerton estate -- grand homes constructed with more elaborate below-grade systems than the area's typical farmhouse. Robert Allerton's own mansion, built 1899-1903 before the estate passed to the University of Illinois in 1946, reflects that same era of ambitious construction.
Older, Larger Basements Need Their Own Read
A basement built to the scale of Monticello's historic-district homes often has more complex drainage and foundation-wall systems than a standard county farmhouse, and age alone doesn't predict how it will handle water. Waterproofing plans there should account for the property's construction ambitions, not just the decade it was built.