May the holiday season find you and yours enjoying each other and the joys of the season. This post is to share some concerns with you. The Duncan Mansion continues to be a mission of joy for myself and I hope others as well. Over the past ten years, the improvements made to the Mansion have been numerous: the replacement of all knob and tube wiring; the installation of an alarm system; the removal of the pink carpet in the central hall; the acquisition of oriental rugs appropriate to the home; the restoration of the dining room, parlors, Governor’s office, all three levels of the central hall; the removal of the stage in the north parlor; revamping the galley kitchen; the installation of a handicapped ramp; the repair of the third floor storage room; a culling of furniture not period appropriate to the house; and the building of an inventory of all Mansion holdings…quite the list of accomplishments which we should all be proud of.
The Mansion fund is currently approaching a negative balance, due in part to the reduction of rentals caused by Covid 19 and the two-year restrictions on meeting in groups, the rise in electric rates and a huge increase in our insurance coverage. During this “Season of Giving,” I would like to ask you to consider the Mansion if you are donating funds for a potential tax write-off purposes (the Mansion has 503c donation status), to suggest the Mansion as a place for Memorial Gift for loved ones upon their passing, and to ask you to consider a gift to the Mansion in your wills. I thank those families who have already gifted in any of these manners and hope others will do the same. The Mansion’s need for funds is dire and requires the attention of all…please consider a gift if you are able. Checks should be made to the Mansion Fund, 4 Duncan Place, Jacksonville, IL. 62650.