Society to Host An Art Deco Evening Fundraiser to Finance Renovation of Cheney Mansion Room
The Jersey County Historical Society is excited to host An Art Deco Evening, a fundraising semi‐formal event that will be held Saturday, March 1, 2025, in the Westlake Country Club Banquet Room.
The evening will begin at 5 p.m. with a cocktail hour. A meal catered by George’s Grill and Pub will be served at 6 p.m.
The event will also include a live pie auction (each basket auctioned off will include a homemade pie and larger ticket items). The widely acclaimed Gatsby Gang Jazz Band of St. Louis, which has performed for Google, Macy’s, Budweiser, and S&P Global, will provide live entertainment. Tickets are $50 per person.
All funds raised will be used to restore a room in the Cheney Mansion tower, an area previously closed to the public. The room dates back to 1872, when the home’s south wing was added.
The man who designed the addition, William Embley, was also the architect of St. Francis Xavier Church, Hazel Dell, and the Charles Brainard home in Grafton.
What makes the tower room unique is that it has been largely untouched for the past century.
The room’s original use – if it had one – is unknown. Nonetheless, the tower room is remarkable, as Board Member Connor Ashlock, who is organizing the event, explains.
“Today, the interior of the tower is one of the most unique spaces in the Cheney Mansion,” Connor says. “It’s one of the few areas of the home that has been largely untouched over the years.”
Renovations will include lathe and plaster repair and floor work, but the primary focus will be reproducing the room’s wallpaper, which appears to be Edwardian.
The ceiling is papered with an intricate geometric pattern. The walls are papered, as well, and are topped with an oversized border.
As Connor explains, “The wallpaper is beyond repair, so we’re looking into how to best reproduce this extraordinary feature of the room.”
Once the renovation is complete, the room will be open to the public during tours. The Society hopes to complete the project in time for the Cheney Mansion’s 200th anniversary in 2027.
Proceeds from the Art Deco Evening fundraiser will hopefully provide a substantial monetary foundation for the project. We’re already off to a great start, thanks to the generous sponsors listed below.
A limited number are available, so please call Connor Ashlock at (618) 946‐0767 soon to order tickets.
This event promises to be one of the most fun evenings for the Historical Society in recent memory, so we hope you’ll join us and help us with this exciting renovation project.
Corporate and Individual Sponsors of An Art Deco Evening
Thank you to following corporate and individual sponsors of An Art Deco Evening.
$1,000 Preservationist Level
- Hardin Financial (Paul and Kim Hardin)
- Jerseyville Banking Center
- Jerseyville Carpet and Furniture
- Sinclair’s Food
- Wittman and Lorton, P.C.
$800 Historian Level
- Elias, Kallal and Schaaf Funeral Home
$500 Curator Level
- CNB Bank & Trust
- First Cut Media LLC (Chris and Brenda Lorton)
- Grafton Technologies, Inc.
- Miles Accounting
- Royal Banks of Missouri
- Strang & Parish Ltd., Attorneys at Law
- Turman Contracting
$300 Archivist Level
- Ashlock Family (Gib and Connor Ashlock)
- Ben Goetten, Jersey County State’s Attorney
- Craig Hudson, State Farm Insurance
- Dennis Ford, State Farm Insurance
- Farmers State Bank
- Heneghan, White, Cutting & Roentz Insurance Agency
- Marshall’s Plumbing/JL Nash Sanitation
- Nick and Robin Manns
- Pointer Electric
- Tri‐County FS/GrowMark