SAVE THE DATE!! MERRY CHRISTMAS IN JULY!
An annual Christmas Tradition will continue at the Oglesby Mansion and Museum! Governor Richard J. Oglesby’s Mansion located at 421 West William Street in Decatur will host their annual Christmas Tea Sunday, December 6 from 1pm to 4pm. No reservations are necessary. The public will be able to stroll the mansion with an informal tour and see the many decorations. There will also be tea, Oglesby punch, and cookies available. Donations are accepted but not required.
“Gorgeous harp music will fill the mansion from 1:30 to 2:30! The Garden Club of Decatur will be decorating the mansion in the appropriate festive attire! The Decatur Quilters Guild will also provide some Christmas Quilts displays to add to the holiday décor,” says Dave Davis, Oglesby Board Chairman. Davis continues, “our board likes to think the Governor and his family enjoyed entertaining their friends and family during the holiday season and we are honored to continue that tradition.”
Visitors will experience a piece of Decatur, IL history with a tour of this amazingly restored mansion. The Mansion was built in 1875-76 after his second marriage. The original plans for Oglesby Mansion were by William LeBaron Jenney, a Chicago architect who was best known for designing the first modern skyscraper.
The Oglesbys modified the plans a great deal and hired a local contractor to build the home for them. Two of their four children were born while they lived in the house. In 1882 they moved to Lincoln Illinois. Governor Oglesby was elected to three nonconsecutive terms as Illinois Governor.