Governor Oglesby Mansion

04/29/2026

04/28/2026

We are sure Governor Oglesby was thrilled yesterday! His mansion and museum hosted our first 5th grade classes for the day which revisits 1880 when President Grant visited.

04/27/2026

Thanks so much to our great volunteer docents and the visitors who attended our open house yesterday.
Our next open house is on Saturday, May 16th from 2-4pm. See you then!!

04/27/2026

THIS DAY IN LINCOLN HISTORY On April 26, 1865, Lincoln's assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was captured and killed at a Virginia farm.

While Lincoln's funeral train was in New York City on April 24, Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty was dispatched from Washington at 2 p.m. with a detachment of 26 Union soldiers from the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment to capture Booth in Virginia, accompanied by Lieutenant Colonel Everton Conger, an intelligence officer assigned by Lafayette Baker.

The detachment steamed 70 miles (113 km) down the Potomac River on the boat John S. Ide, landing at Belle Plain, Virginia, at 10 pm. The pursuers crossed the Rappahannock River and tracked Booth and Herold to Richard H. Garrett's farm, about 2 miles (3 km) south of Port Royal, Virginia.

Booth and Herold had been led to the farm on April 24 by William S. Jett, a former private in the 9th Virginia Cavalry, whom they had met before crossing the Rappahannock. The Garretts were unaware of Lincoln's assassination; Booth was introduced to them as "James W. Boyd", a Confederate soldier, they were told, who had been wounded in the Siege of Petersburg and was returning home.

Booth refused Conger's demand to surrender, saying, "I prefer to come out and fight." The soldiers then set the barn on fire. As Booth moved about inside the blazing barn, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot him. Booth, fatally wounded in the neck, was dragged from the barn to the porch of Garrett's farmhouse, where he died three hours later, aged 26.

Etching is of The killing of Booth, the assassin—the dying murderer drawn from the barn where he had taken refuge, on Garrett's farm, near Port Royal, Va.

Info and photo from Wikipedia.

04/26/2026

Last tour begins at 330 today! We are at 421 West William street.

04/26/2026

We are open.

04/26/2026

Today!!!

04/26/2026

Thanks to Dr Devin Hunter and all of our attendees yesterday. What a fascinating topic …. We learned more about the historic 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago!!

04/25/2026

Stop in tomorrow.

04/25/2026

The Governor Richard J. Oglesby Mansion and Museum, located at 421 West William Street in Decatur will be offering a pop-up history presentation on Saturday, April 25 at 2pm. The event will take place in the parlor inside the mansion. Suggested donation is $5 per adult and $2 for children.
Dr. Devin Hunter will be the presenter for this unique event. He is an Associate Professor of History at UIS and currently serves as Chair of the Department. The program topic is: The 1893 World's Fair and the Lynching that Shocked the Globe.
“We are always happy to embrace opportunities to share stories of the era of Governor Oglesby and his family,” said Oglesby Mansion Board President Dave Davis. “This is a fantastic opportunity to stop in and learn about a World event that captured the attention of our country and Illinois. We are grateful for the opportunities to tell these stories, especially during the anniversary of the 250th year of our country,” Davis continued. More information about the Mansion is available at www.oglesbymansion.org