The Breathtaking Mansion In North Dakota You Must Visit This Year
By Tori Jane|Published November 14, 2022
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Nestled in the beautiful, small city of Bismarck, North Dakota, is a stunning historical mansion that’s quite impressive even by today’s standards – and it’s well over a century old now! It’s the intriguing (and fun to explore) former governor’s mansion in North Dakota, and trust us when we say it’s one of the more interesting places on the National Register of Historic Places in our quiet little corner of the country. Come check out this gorgeous mansion, meticulously constructed in 1884, and learn about an important place in the state’s story.
Between 1893 and 1960, when it served as the official Governor's residence, the former Governor's mansion housed no less than 20 executives.
It's a two-and-a-half-story homage to the beloved, elegant Victorian Stick style that plenty of wealthy residents' homes were constructed in at this time. At the time of its construction, it was a proud building, one of the largest in the area.
Today, it's just as gorgeous as it's always been, and there's almost always something going on around here (oh, and it's never lost that sense of pride).
The house isn't the only thing to explore while you're here; there's also a gorgeous Carriage House onsite that was built in 1903 and an absolutely spellbinding flower garden featuring more than 60 species of "Heritage plants," a.k.a. "Heirloom" plants, whose lineage goes as far back as some of the original owners of the property.
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Inside the Carriage House, you'll find a fascinating permanent exhibit called From Buckets Of Oats To Quarts Of Oil, excellently demonstrating the automobile's history from horse-and-buggy days to now.
For nearly seven decades, it would be home to numerous Governors and see the ins and outs of many families - and many memories - in the meantime. Interestingly, the mansion was converted into the North Dakota Psychiatric Clinic in 1960 after Governor John E. Davis moved to the newly-built Governor's residence on the grounds of the State Capitol.
It was the first-ever clinic of its kind in North Dakota and one of the first clinics to ever utilize talk therapy as a treatment in the United States. Perhaps the walls here still carry those memories all these years on.
Today, the mansion appears much the way it did in 1893, meticulously and artfully restored to its former glory.
Should you fall in love with the place and want to do something fun here, like a wedding, the entire mansion is available to book for such an occasion - and it's significantly more affordable than you'd think!
Have you ever been to the gorgeous Governor’s mansion in North Dakota? Do you have any plans to tour it any time soon? If so, check out the full history of the Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site.
For more historic North Dakota, check out some of the best ND landmarks you can still visit today.
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