DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - An Open House will be held at the Governor Richard J. Oglesby Mansion and Museum Sunday.
The mansion, located at 421 West William Street in Decatur, will host the open house from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
“This will be the premier open house for our 2025 season,” said Board President Dave Davis.
A $5 per adult and $2 per child donation is requested.
Tours are hosted by volunteer docents, current and past members of the board of directors of the mansion.
The Mansion is in the historic district in the Millikin Heights neighborhood in Decatur.
The mission of the board of the Museum is to educate citizens of all ages about the legacy of Governor Oglesby. The Governor Oglesby Mansion and Museum is the only museum dedicated to the life legacy of Richard J. Oglesby. The Governor’s mansion is owned by the Macon County Conservation District and the contents are maintained by the Governor Oglesby Mansion, Inc board of directors.
“Tourists will be able to see many of the original features of the home as they were when the Governor and his family lived in it,” said tours chairman, Carol Pelz.
The March 30 open house will feature the dining room. The room includes an original fireplace, petticoat mirror table, a cut glass punch bowl presented to the Governor in appreciation for his service by his staff at Camp Lincoln in 1888 and replicated wallpaper that is believed to be an exact match from the original sample found in the mid 1970’s.
“We will have set the dining room table set with china donated to the mansion from Nany Fritz. The china set belonged to her great grandmother and is period appropriate for the Governor’s mansion. It is Royal Worchester china and the table is set for 12 dinner guests,” said Pelz. “We wanted our tourists to see the china and silver set on the dining room table for a formal dinner. It is very breathtaking,” Pelz added.
The Mansion will be open on the last Sunday of each month through November. More information about the Mansion is available at their Facebook page or at www.oglesbymansion.org.
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