John Wood Mansion to host Christmas Candlelight Tours

5 months, 1 week ago

First tour is December 11

When the John Wood family occupied their 14-room Greek Revival-style home between 1838 and 1861, they would put a lantern in the alcove of the home, a pioneer-American custom that let friends and neighbors know they were welcome to come in.

The lantern at the Governor’s Mansion will be out once again to welcome guests to this year’s Christmas Candlelight Tour of the mansion at 12th and State Streets from 6 to 8 p.m. of December 11, 18, 26 and 27.

The annual open house at the 173-year-old home,” hosted by the Historical Society of Quincy and Adams County,  will be sponsored by the Oakley-Lindsay Foundation. The event is free and open to the public each night and refreshments will be available.

The theme of this year’s event will be “A Christmas Carol: Music in the Mansion.” As the theme suggests, the focus will be on caroling by children of area schools.

Carolers will include students from Quincy Notre Dame and the Parochial Music Organization at 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. Dec. 11, the Payson School District at 7 p.m. Dec. 26 and First Union Congregational Church of Quincy at 7 p.m. Dec. 27. Popular musicians at Historical Society events, Eric Steitz on dulcimer and Tony Blackford on flute will perform period carols at 7 p.m. Dec. 18.

 Barbara Ippensen of Payson, volunteer co-chair for this year’s event, said carols and Christmas trees were among the few traditions of the Christmas season at the time Wood completed his home in 1838.

“The older Puritan traditions discouraged the celebrations of Christmas familiar to us,” Ippensen said. “It wasn’t until the decade of 1850 that celebrations in Illinois became more widely and publicly celebrated.”

Although observances were few, music to celebrate the season was known well known earlier. And those carols will be heard during the Christmas program at the Governor’s mansion. They are carols that remain popular today. 

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” had been sung a century before John Wood built his large home. Newer carols like “The First Noel ,” “Good Christian Men Rejoice,” and “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” were written in Wood’s day.

By mid-nineteenth century, the Christmas tree had become firmly planted in American Christmas tradition. Locally, it was the area’s German immigrants who brought their Christmas tree customs to Quincy and Adams County. Germany’s patron Saint Boniface is credited with establishing the tradition of the Christmas tree in the seventh century.

Elected lieutenant governor in 1856, Wood became Illinois governor on March 18, 1860, when William H. Bissell died in office. The legislature permitted Wood to acceded to Wood’s request to remain in Quincy during the last ten months of the term. He conducted the state’s business from an office on the south side of the mansion. Meanwhile, Republican presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln used the governor’s office at the state capitol in Springfield.

His attention focused on personal interests in Quincy, Wood did not seek re-election as governor.