FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 5, 2007

Contact: Bruce Hagen

(701) 222-8575

PUBLIC INVITED TO ATTEND ANNUAL MEETING OF
FORMER GOVERNORS’ MANSION SUPPORTERS OCTOBER 18

BISMARCK -- The public is invited to attend the annual meeting of the supporters of the Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site in Bismarck. The meeting will be held in the mansion Thursday, October 18, beginning at 7 p.m.

Anyone interested in supporting the site by joining its support group, the Society for the Preservation of the Former Governors’ Mansion, is encouraged to attend. Annual dues are $5.

The election of board members will take place during the meeting, as well as other Society business. The evening’s entertainment will be Albert Landsberger playing the Steinway piano inside the mansion. Coffee and cake will also be served.

The Former Governors’ Mansion will open at 6 p.m. for anyone wanting to tour the mansion and carriage house prior to the meeting.

The Former Governors’ Mansion State Historic Site is located at the corner of Fourth Street and Avenue B in Bismarck, and is open year-round. Its winter hours, now in place through May 15, are the second Friday and Saturday of each month, from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. Here are the Fridays and Saturdays for each month the site will be open to visitors, beginning this month: October 12-13, November 9-10, December 7-8, January 11-12, February 8-9, March 7-8, April 11-12, and May 9-10.

Visitors will also be able to enjoy the restored carriage house, which was dedicated during the 2004 annual lawn party. Restoration of the exterior of the building recreates its appearance in 1903, when it was built. The interior of the building was rehabilitated to create an exhibit area and an ADA-accessible restroom. The featured exhibit, “From Buckets of Oats to Quarts of Oil,” represents a time of transition from the age of the horse and buggy to the era of the automobile.

The site consists of a large two and one-half story, restored Victorian house, and the restored 1903 carriage house. Built in 1884, it housed 20 chief executives of North Dakota between 1893 and 1960. Unique exhibits feature the restoration process, architectural style changes and furniture used by several governors. The beautiful grounds feature many examples of the types of flowers typical of the Victorian era. It is one of 55 state historic sites managed by the state’s history agency, the State Historical Society of North Dakota.

For schedule information, contact the State Historical Society at (701) 328-2666 or visit the agency’s web site at www.nd.gov/hist.

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