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
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: $3
17 & 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
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
Preparing your own garden for this year? These were the tips given to Staley employees by J.B. Burrows in 1923.
This is the last week to see our temporary exhibit for Women's History Month!
We're open Tuesday through Saturday, 1PM-4PM
Admission is $3/adult & $1/child
Has the Movie about A.E.Staley & the Staley Company come out yet?
Photograph of Alice White, private secretary to GE Chamberlain (general superintendent) is pictured here after being crowned Decatur's Queen of Mardi Gras in a popularity contest. Alice's history can be seen in our temporary exhibit on women employed at the Staley company for Women's History Month. Alice was indeed well liked at the company, often mentioned in the Staley Journal.
Radio Concerts Held at the Staley Club House
The Staley Fellowship Club held radio concerts at the club house every Tuesday night for its members. At the time of this article, March 1923, Dudley Borne was in charge of the radio operation, and the concert was thoroughly enjoyed due to the lack of interference by static. The article goes on to encourage attendance to the concerts with bus service being provided for free, to and from the pump house.
"Some the best stations heard are the following: Kansas City Star, Davenport, IA; Minneapolis, Minn.; Schenectady, NY.; East Pittsburgh, Pa.; Drake Hotel Chicago; Memphis Tenn.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Dallas, Tex. Havana, Cuba and Denver, Cold., have been heard, also a number of other stations."
The operator, Dudley Borne, planned to get a map of the states and place a tack for the location of places heard by radio.
I couldn't find "William & 7th" on the Decatur map. Have street names changed since 1923?
It's fascinating to look through the Journals of that time period and follow contemporaneous accounts of how radio was developing, along with monthly accounts of employees logging which radio stations from distant cities they were able to receive. Plus the ads for the radio batteries back then. Apparently they did not plug into 110 outlets.