The David Davis Mansion was home to The United States Supreme Court Justice, David Davis, in 1862. Davis was a good friend, advisor, and campaign manager for Abraham Lincoln, who chose Davis to be The Supreme Court Justice. His Victorian-style mansion was designed by Alfred Piquenard, a popular French architect in the mid-west. The mansion was built mainly for Davis’s wife, Sarah Davis, who didn’t want to move to Washington D.C., but wanted to stay and live in Bloomington. The mansion includes thirty-six rooms and has very modern technology for the time period in which it was built.

Davis’s mansion also includes a garden designed by his wife, Sarah. She designed the garden after classical Italian gardens from the 17th century and 18th century formal English gardens, which really caused the garden to stick out in the mid-west. The garden features around seven original plants that were created in 1872.

Tours of the mansion are given on Wednesday thru Sunday, every half hour, between 9:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., each tour lasting around 45 minutes. Reservations will be needed for a group of ten or more people. The tours are free, but there is a recommended donation of $4 for adults and $2 for children. Large groups can make special reservations for tours on days that the mansion is not open to the general public. This will cost $5 a person, and a minimum of $100 will be needed.

Since 1975, the David Davis Mansion has been a National Historic Landmark.

Address: David Davis Mansion State Historic Site 1000 East Monroe Drive Bloomington, IL 61701

Phone Number: 309-828-1084