April 24, 2025 – The Governor Richard J. Oglesby Mansion and Museum, located at 421 West William Street in Decatur, will host an Open House on Sunday, April 27, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. A $5 donation is requested for adults and $2 for children. Guests are encouraged to take photos inside the home during guided tours led by volunteer docents and current and former members of the board of directors.
The mansion is located in the Millikin Heights historic district and is the only museum dedicated to preserving the life and legacy of Governor Richard J. Oglesby. Owned by the Macon County Conservation District, the building’s contents are managed by the board of directors of Governor Oglesby Mansion, Inc.
This month’s Open House will feature the mansion’s dining room, which includes an original fireplace, a petticoat mirror table, and a cut glass punch bowl gifted to Governor Oglesby by his staff at Camp Lincoln in 1888. The room also features custom wallpaper that replicates the original design found during restoration work in the 1970s.
“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. We are aware fewer and fewer people have ever seen a formal dinner table set. This is a great opportunity to see the china, serving pieces from that era and the lovely silver.” says Pelz.
The Governor Oglesby Mansion will continue to open to the public on the last Sunday of each month through November. Additional information can be found on the mansion’s Facebook page or at www.oglesbymansion.org.
