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Jarrot
Mansion
The Jarrot Mansion is a two-story brick house that dates to the early 19th century and is considered to be the oldest brick building in Illinois. The home was built by Nicholas Jarrot who was born in southeastern France in 1764 and immigrated to America in 1791, presumably to escape the French Revolution. After a brief stay in Baltimore Jarrot headed west to New Orleans and up the Mississippi River arriving in Cahokia in the mid 1790's. Jarrot was a shrewd land speculator and his real estate holdings eventually reached 25,000 acres. A leading citizen of Cahokia, Jarrot worked as a lawyer, served as a judge, and as major of the town militia. He managed a general store in Cahokia and built and operated several mills. Jarrot died in 1820 after catching a fever while tending one of his mills.
By the time Lewis and Clark arrived in Cahokia in
1803, Nicholas Jarrot had had considerable success as a land speculator
and owned large tracts of land in the region. After the Spanish refused to
Lewis’ request to base the Expedition in territory west of the
Mississippi, Jarrot allowed Lewis and Clark to
build their winter
headquarters on property he owned along the River Dubois, near present
day Wood River. During this time, Jarrot likely lived in a typical
post-on-sill house located somewhere near the mansion site and when
Lewis stayed overnight in Cahokia he probably was a guest at the Jarrot
home, as Jarrot was the wealthiest man in the Cahokia.
Brickwork
of on the mansion began in 1807 and was finished by 1810. The Jarrot
Mansion is an early example of the Federal style of architecture in the
Middle Mississippi Valley. At the time this style was rare in an area
Americans considered a wilderness and in an area dominated by the French
Creole type of architecture. It is thought that the immigrant Jarrot may
have been seeking to not only demonstrate his prosperity but also his
identity as an American citizen.
The Jarrot Mansion was purchased by the Village of Cahokia in 1976 and the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency acquired the property in 1980. Professional restoration of the mansion was begun in 1999 and the mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001. The Jarrot Mansion is part of the Colonial Cahokia State Historic Sites complex that also includes the Cahokia Courthouse, the Martin-Boismenue House, and a Visitors Center. Information can be obtained at the Visitors Center about the Holy Family Log Church and other area attractions.
The Jarrot Mansion - Site maintained by the Jarrot Mansion Project, Inc. a citizen-based, not-for-profit organization. |
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The
Lewis and Clark Connection
Because
the Jarrot Mansion has had only five owners, the building remains
remarkably intact. The interior is well preserved and retains almost all
of its entire original features, including plaster, pine flooring, woodwork,
and even some panes of glass. The dominant room of the first floor is a large central
room that was used as a reception area, as a dining room, and as a
breezeway. This central room was flanked by two bedrooms, a room Major
Jarrot used as an office, and what was probably a multipurpose room. A
large ballroom was the focus of the second floor which also held two small
guest bedrooms and a drawing room (photo right,) where Jarrot and his
friends could be found playing games of chance. Fireplaces provided both light and heat during the winter,
while cooking was done in a basement fireplace or in later years a summer
kitchen located in the back yard. The doors, windows, and chimneys
aren’t evenly spaced because at the time the mansion was built capturing
the best light, ventilation, and heat was more important than symmetry.
The Jarrot Mansion holds two annual houses
Learn more about the 
