Book Launch Event! The David Davis Mansion: 150 Years at Clover Lawn

Come celebrate the launch of our brand new book, The David Davis Mansion: 150 Years at Clover Lawn by Dr. Marcia Young. Enjoy an evening of hors d'oeuvres and drinks, music, and excellent conversation at the mansion while we reflect on this beautiful new publication.

Remarks from the author will occur at 6:30pm, with a book signing to follow.

A copy of the book will serve as your admission ticket. You may purchase it online in advance at https://clover-lawn-museum-shop.square.site or buy one at the door for $100+tax (cash or check only) on the night of the event. 

Each book owner may bring one guest.

Please click here to RSVP for this event by February 20. Registration is required to attend and capacity is limited to 100 people. 

PLEASE NOTE: The David Davis Mansion State Historic Site will follow all current health and safety guidelines according to the Restore Illinois Phased Plan for Reopening and CDC Guidelines. 

About the Book:

2022 marks the 150th anniversary of the construction of the David Davis Mansion, which is now a state historic site in Bloomington, IL. To commemorate this special milestone, the site’s foundation board is publishing a new, limited-edition book entitled The David Davis Mansion: 150 Years at Clover Lawn.

Written by Dr. Marcia Young, the book includes a detailed history of the mansion, an account of its restoration, and hundreds of high quality, rarely seen photographs. The author is an accomplished historian, former executive director of the David Davis Mansion, and a recipient of the Illinois State Historical Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Known as Clover Lawn, the mansion was originally the home of Supreme Court Justice David Davis - friend, mentor, and campaign manager of Abraham Lincoln. It was also the cherished residence of Davis’s wife, Sarah, who spent her time entertaining family and friends, cultivating her gardens, and traveling to Washington, DC, New York City, and western Massachusetts. Since its construction in 1872, the David Davis Mansion has served as a key example of Victorian life and style and an illustration of the important role Illinois played in America’s history during the 19th century.

Using new archival sources, this commemorative book takes a fresh look at the mansion’s early years and reveals some surprising discoveries. It provides a reassessment of Sarah’s role, a revealing portrait of Judge Davis after Sarah’s death, and a new appreciation for George P. Davis’s significant achievement in preserving the mansion during the more than 30 years he lived there. Dr. Young presents the mansion’s history as a uniquely American story—a story about the country’s westward expansion and its transformation after the Civil War into the most modernized and economically powerful nation in the world.