Jarrot Mansion State Historic Site
A Confluence Attraction

Contact
Molly McKenzie, Illinois Association of Museums
(618) 332-1782

Hours
By appointment

Location
107 Elm Street
Cahokia IL 62206

Directions
(By car) From I-55/70 in Illinois (reached from downtown St. Louis via the Poplar Street Bridge), exit Illinois Route 3 South and proceed three miles to Illinois Route 157. The Mansion is located near this intersection.
(By bike) From the Cargill Road Terminus of the Metro-East Levee Trail, proceed East on Cargill Road to the intersection with West 1st Street. Proceed East on West 1st Street past the intersection with Route 3 to the Mansion.

History and Features
The Nicholas Jarrot Mansion, built between 1807 and 1810, is the oldest brick building in Illinois. It is an early and rare example of the Federal style of architecture in a region that was, at that time, a territorial wilderness. Jarrot, a French immigrant, settled in Cahokia in 1794 and established a small retail store. Jarrot’s real estate holdings eventually reached 25,000 acres, including the land now occupied by the Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site and property at Wood River, on which he permitted Lewis and Clark to establish their pre-expedition Camp DuBois during the winter of 1803-04.

Professional restoration of the Mansion was begun in 1999, overseen by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Emphasis was placed on minimal, reversible intervention that focused on ADA access and the heating system, in order to preserve the building’s historic integrity. The Mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2001.

The mansion is located within easy walk of two other French colonial sites in Cahokia, the Cahokia Courthouse and the Church of the Holy Family (both have entries on this website).

For more information about nearby French Colonial sites, see
http://www.illinoishistory.gov/hs/jarrot_mansion.htm
http://www.ste-genevieve.com
http://www.greatriverroad.com/frchome.htm
http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com

For more information about other nearby attractions, see
http://www.thetourismbureau.org