Mansion to host 200th birthday celebration in honor of Governor Richard J. Oglesby

DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - The Governor Richard J. Oglesby Mansion in Decatur will be hosting a 200th Birthday Celebration in honor of the Governor.

The event will be Thursday, July 25 from 6 to 9 p.m. at the mansion at 421 West William Street.

Tickets are $25 and available online. A limited number of tickets will be available at the door on July 25.

To purchase tickets online, click HERE.

Tickets include a raffle entry for a door prize. Historical costumes are encouraged with a prize for the best costume.

Hors d’oeuvres, desserts, and Oglesby Punch will be served, and guests will be able to tour the mansion.

There will be a silent auction with proceeds going to support the mansion’s preservation. Auction items will include two tickets to Toast at the Lincoln Square Theater, Avon Theater Movie Tickets, pottery pieces from Hedgerow Pottery in Monticello, a variety of Decatur and Macon County limited edition/print books and a private in-home wine sampling experience.

Richard J. Oglesby served as a U.S. Senator, a Civil War Union General, and a three-time Governor of Illinois.

He was born July 25, 1824. He was a close friend and confidant of Abraham Lincoln. He nominated Lincoln for the presidency in Decatur and ultimately accompanied his body back to Illinois after the assassination.

Oglesby Mansion Board President Carol Pelz said, “All proceeds from this event will go to maintain the mansion. Our board is grateful for a good working relationship with the Macon County Conservation District which owns the physical structure. Our board maintains the contents. This is the only remaining home which Governor Oglesby lived in.”