The David Davis Mansion Celebrates 150 Years with Commemorative 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 has published a new, limited-edition book entitled The David Davis Mansion 1872-2022: 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.

This hardback book is now available! Order your copy today for $100 at http://clover-lawn-museum-shop.square.site/. 

A few $1,000 copies of The David Davis Mansion: 150 Years at Clover Lawn are still available as well. This version is leather-bound, gold foil embossed, slip-cased, and signed by the author. To inquire about purchasing this version, please contact the foundation’s program coordinator Adrienne Huffman at [email protected].