Magnolia Manor, Illinois, United States

5Taylor B 5:00 PM May 2, 2021

See the magnificent mansion that U.S. Grant partied in
As a native Chicagoan and a historian, I've learned that there are many interesting historic sites in Illinois...from Galena to Springfield to Cairo. Yes, there is more to southern Illinois than the Shawnee National Forest. Cairo, the southernmost point in the state, located at the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, is a footnote compared to what it was in the mid-1800s. The town has fallen into disrepair but Magnolia Manor is one of the most magnificent post-Civil War mansions you'll ever see. Located at 2700 Washington Avenue, the four-story, 14-room red brick Victorian house was built in 1869 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1969. Built by Cairo businessman Charles A. Galigher, the manor features double walls intended to keep out the city's famous dampness with their 10-inch airspaces. Inside, visitors can observe many original 19th century furnishings. From the cupola, you can view the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Interestingly, from the time of the house's completion in 1872 to 1952 only four private owners held deed to Magnolia Manor. In 1952, the Cairo Historical Association was formed and decided to undertake the preservation of the house as its initial project. For trivia buffs, it is worth noting that Galigher befriended U.S. Grant when Grant commanded the Union Army in Cairo during the Civil War. Later, when Grant retired after two terms as president of the United States, Galigher hosted a lavish celebration in Grant's honor at Magnolia Manor. The house is an outstanding example of Italianate architecture and typifies a luxurious southern Illinois home of the period. In the 1870s and 1880s and 1890s, during the Gilded Age, Magnolia Manor was located in the vicinity of several other beautiful postbellum mansions. Today, only Magnolia Manor survives. Open for public tours on a daily basis, visitors have a wonderful opportunity to see the master bedroom with its original bed, armoire and dresser, where Mrs. Julia Grant and nine of her 19 trunks stayed during the Grants' visit in 1880. Also see the library with its hand-carved bookcase, Galigher's original desk and paintings of Mr. and Mrs. P.T. Langan, who owned the house from 1912 to 1948. The dining room, with the largest door in the house, features the original table, chairs and sideboard and two built-in china cabinets filled with antiques and Mrs. Galigher's Haviland China. In the drawing room, the scene of Grant's reception in 1880, gaze upward at the room's most dominant feature, the ceiling, marvel at the mantles made from Carrara marble and not the portraits of Charles and Adelia Galigher, the builders of the house. Don't miss Grant's bedroom, where Grant slept in the walnut Renaissance bed under a unique, hand-stenciled ceiling. Finally, the kitchen features a large stove that was floated down the Ohio River from Zanesville, Ohio, and a large butcher block that was made from a 400-year-old tree and obtained from a Cairo grocery store. It is a shame that the rest of historic Cairo isn't as well preserved as Magnolia Manor.

4Joyce E 5:00 PM Nov 1, 2021

It's a gem
It is been quite kept up, and the docent knew a lot about it. We enjoyed the tour, even though it was a bit awkward to know where to go, ring the bell, etc. I can't imagine the amount of money it takes to keep up this property. Thanks for the tour! Too bad the town is so run down. There are other beautiful homes in the neighborhood--they ought to open them for tours too!