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The Staley Museum in Decatur, Illinois

The Staley Museum opened its doors to the public during the summer of 2015. We are excited be a full-fledged member of our community. Here you will find updates and news about the museum and exciting events going on.

The Staley Museum and this web site are both works in progress. We encourage visitors to continue to check back with us and see how we are progressing. We would also like to encourage visitors to the site to share any stories or information they may have regarding Staley history.

Photos, documents, articles and memorabilia are all welcome and appreciated.  Anyone wishing to make a contribution to the Staley museum may contact us through via the Artifact Donation Form found on this site. Also, for anyone in our area who wishes to be a Volunteer at the museum and offer their time and/or expertise, please go to the Volunteer Form and fill out your information so that we may contact you personally. We invite you to Contact Us.

Staley Topics

Reserve the Museum

Reserve the Museum

Visit the Staley Museum

The Staley Museum is open year-round
Tuesday – Saturday: 1:00 – 4:00 pm
Last Sunday of the month (March – November): 1:00 – 4:00 pm.

Admission
Adults: $5
Seniors: $3
Child (18 and under): $1

Location
361 N. College Street
Decatur, IL

The Staley Story

A.E. Staley was a big man with big dreams and had the determination to make those dreams a reality.  Although he did not arrive on the scene until the 1900’s, his impact of Decatur was such that he is counted as one of the founding fathers.  The largeness of his dreams and of his civic minded generosity has contributed in major ways to the city we know today.

It was A.E.’s pioneering vision in the area of soy beans, both the cultivation and processing, that gave Decatur the name “Soy Bean Capitol of the World.”

In the period of one decade, 1920-1930, A.E. Staley made significant contributions to the community of Decatur, being the driving force behind the creation of Lake Decatur, the Staley viaduct, the Staley Office Building, and the formation of the Decatur Staleys football club, later to become the Chicago Bears.

The story of A.E. Staley is one in which the city of Decatur has the right to feel great pride. It is a story which forms a major part in the industrial and agricultural history of central Illinois. We look forward to sharing that pride and history as we work toward the opening of the Staley Museum.

The Staley Office Building: Inaugurated in April, 1930
Also known as “The Castle in the Cornfields”
Photo courtesy of the Hieronymus Mueller Museum

Staley office building

The Staley Office Building: Inaugurated in April, 1930
Also known as “The Castle in the Cornfields”
Photo courtesy of the Hieronymus Mueller Museum

Staley Museum Latest News & Happenings

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Get your sweetheart something special from the Staley Museum!

the-staley-museum.square.site/s/shop

Named "Nouveau" after the unforgettable art deco era, the craftsmanship of this necklace speaks to the detail and ornamental artistry of this time. This necklace features an intricately cast brass Blue Heron and crystal drops on a long brass chain that slips over the head.

This necklace is a reminder of the Fountain to the Blue Heron which once stood behind the Staley Administration Building. Designed by Danish landscape artist Jens Jensen, the Fountain to the Blue Heron featured four bronze, blue herons at the center and over 50 bronze frogs circling the water.

Jensen was a lover of nature and an environmentalist with a passion for preservation and usage of native prairie plants. In addition to the fountain, Jensen created a park-like atmosphere around the administration building which included seventy-five fully grown native elm trees.
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February 8th, 7:00 pm
Get your sweetheart something special from the Staley Museum!

https://the-staley-museum.square.site/s/shop

Named Nouveau after the unforgettable art deco era, the craftsmanship of this necklace speaks to the detail and ornamental artistry of this time. This necklace features an intricately cast brass Blue Heron and crystal drops on a long brass chain that slips over the head.

This necklace is a reminder of the Fountain to the Blue Heron which once stood behind the Staley Administration Building. Designed by Danish landscape artist Jens Jensen, the Fountain to the Blue Heron featured four bronze, blue herons at the center and over 50 bronze frogs circling the water. 

Jensen was a lover of nature and an environmentalist with a passion for preservation and usage of native prairie plants. In addition to the fountain, Jensen created a park-like atmosphere around the administration building which included seventy-five fully grown native elm trees.

1 CommentComment on Facebook

When was the fountain removed and why?

Visit the museum or shop online at the link below!

the-staley-museum.square.site/s/shop

🌹Mr. Staley’s fondness for roses can be seen at every crossroad of his life. As a traveling salesman in 1887, young Staley gifted a bouquet of roses to Emma, his eventual wife, after seeing her for the first time. At work in Decatur, he was often seen with a rose bud in his coat lapel and he even had rooftop gardens installed on the eighth floor of the Office Building so that he could work with a view of flowers among his business empire. At the family home, an archway of Dorothy Perkins roses, his favorite, led visitors to the front of the house. Later in his life, he planted hundreds of rose bushes at his Florida estate, harvesting thousands of long stemmed roses just a year before his death.
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February 6th, 10:01 am
Visit the museum or shop online at the link below!

 https://the-staley-museum.square.site/s/shop

🌹Mr. Staley’s fondness for roses can be seen at every crossroad of his life. As a traveling salesman in 1887, young Staley gifted a bouquet of roses to Emma, his eventual wife, after seeing her for the first time. At work in Decatur, he was often seen with a rose bud in his coat lapel and he even had rooftop gardens installed on the eighth floor of the Office Building so that he could work with a view of flowers among his business empire. At the family home, an archway of Dorothy Perkins roses, his favorite, led visitors to the front of the house. Later in his life, he planted hundreds of rose bushes at his Florida estate, harvesting thousands of long stemmed roses just a year before his death.

First Teletypewriters Are Installed

Pictured is Sara Gorman (sales department), sending a message from the Decatur plant to Ethel Millhouse in the Chicago office. Her message was the first ever sent in the US over a new service created by The American Telephone and Telegraph company (better known today as AT&T). This service, also called switching service, was available all over the country for the first time November 21, 1932. The first message was sent November 27 from the Staley office.

"The teletypewriter transmits typewritten messages electrically over wires, so that whatever is typed at one end of a circuit appears, practically at the same instant, at the distant end, also in typewritten form." -January 1932, Staley Journal
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February 4th, 10:00 am
First Teletypewriters Are Installed

Pictured is Sara Gorman (sales department), sending a message from the Decatur plant to Ethel Millhouse in the Chicago office. Her message was the first ever sent in the US over a new service created by The American Telephone and Telegraph company (better known today as AT&T). This service, also called switching service, was available all over the country for the first time November 21, 1932. The first message was sent November 27 from the Staley office. 

The teletypewriter transmits typewritten messages electrically over wires, so that whatever is typed at one end of a circuit appears, practically at the same instant, at the distant end, also in typewritten form. -January 1932, Staley Journal

Mr Staley Was Here!
Mr Staley and museum staff had the pleasure of attending a screening of the “Fields Of Gold” documentary yesterday evening.
Spencer Films & Motörhead Bar & Grill partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois to create an event to support the valuable work done by the club across central Illinois.
As always, Mr Staley reminds us to support local!
♥️😊♥️
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February 2nd, 12:02 pm
Mr Staley Was Here! 
Mr Staley and museum staff had the pleasure of attending a screening of the “Fields Of Gold” documentary yesterday evening. 
Spencer Films & Motörhead Bar & Grill partnered with The Boys and Girls Club of Central Illinois to create an event to support the valuable work done by the club across central Illinois.  
As always, Mr Staley reminds us to support local! 
♥️😊♥️Image attachmentImage attachment+3Image attachment

❤️100 Years Ago❤️
Cover of the 1925 issue of the Staley Journal.
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February 1st, 10:00 am
❤️100 Years Ago❤️
Cover of the 1925 issue of the Staley Journal.
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