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.
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
The Staley Office Building: Inaugurated in April, 1930
Also known as “The Castle in the Cornfields”
Photo courtesy of the Hieronymus Mueller Museum
Photograph of A.E. Staley Sr. as he throws the switch to turn on a new elevator at the Decatur plant.
July 1927, Staley Journal
Only a few days left to get your Valentine something extra-special with a fun, local history twist!
the-staley-museum.square.site/s/shop
Reminiscent of the design of the Staley Office Building, these teardrop earrings have a lovely Art Deco design and just a touch of gold shimmer. The earrings are made of sustainably harvested maple wood with a glossy, vegetable-based resin, and handcrafted sterling silver ear wires. Perfectly lightweight, these earrings are comfortable for all-day wear.
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🏈 Need more football after the Super Bowl? 🏈
Visit the museum to learn about the origins of the Chicago Bears right here in Decatur!
Open Tuesday - Saturday 1-4PM
$5/Adult, $3/Senior, $1/Child
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Kneeling, bottom right, Frederick "Fritz" Wasem. A great athlete for the Staleys. Played on their baseball team. Also the Manager of their first football team. He put it all together that first season. He also still holds a 115 year old football record at Millikin University for the longest scoring play. A 109 yard reception for a touchdown which can't be broken since they shortly thereafter reduced the field to 100 yards. His contributions to Staley athletics was immense.
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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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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