The Governor Richard James Oglesby Mansion located at 421 West William Street will be hosting a special Quilt Exhibit in August. The Mansion will be open each Wednesday and Saturday. A $5 per adult and $2 per child donation is requested. The doors will open at 2pm and the Mansion will close at 4pm. Members of the Board of Directors and community volunteers act as docents during the tours. The home is also open the last Sunday of the month (August 31) (2pm-4pm).

The Governor’s Mansion invited the talented members of the Decatur Quilters Guild to display some of their quilts in the patterns of Governor Oglesby’s time at the Mansion. The guild will have over a dozen quilts on display during the August Open Houses at the Mansion. Visitors will see various patterned quilts displayed including The Log Cabin pattern and crazy quilt. The displayed quilts are of the patterns of the 1880s during Oglesby’s time in Decatur. “This quilt display will help fulfill our mission. We appreciate the partnership with the Guild members. Our mission is to educate about the Governor’s life and what life was like when he lived in Decatur, these types of quilts are definitely part of the story” says Dave Davis, board president for the Governor Oglesby Mansion.

The Decatur Quilters Guild was created by nine women in 1979. Over the past forty years the group has grown to 65 members strong. The Guild’s mission statement is to preserve, educate, promote and share in the art of quilting. They host a large Quilt Show every other year, provide lessons in beginning quilting, do trunk shows for nursing homes and senior living centers, donate lap quilts and neck pillows to Hospice and Cancer Care and to veterans. Members have also provided programs for school children. The Guild is a not-for-profit organization made up of quilters who enjoy sharing our love for quilting with the community.

Guild meetings are held on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month from 10:00 am -2:00pm at Grace Baptist Church, 3770 N. Water St., Decatur, Il.