BISMARCK – North Dakota’s rich history includes the old mansion where former governors used to reside.
Johnathan Campbell, site supervisor for the North Dakota Historical Society, gives many tours for the former governor’s mansion in Bismarck.
The governor’s mansion is open seven days a week in the summer for the public to tour, and the second Friday and Saturday of each month.
“It’s self-guided for the most part,” said Campbell. “We will do tours for groups.”
There is always a staff member in the mansion when it is open.
“We do special events and we rent out the space,” said Campbell. “There’s actually a fair amount that goes on there. We’ve had Christmas parties, birthday parties. We have student recitals.”
When people walk in, they will get information on what it was like for a governor and his family to live in the mansion in the era between the 1893 and 1960.
The two and a half-story mansion includes a parlor, hallway, dining room, a kitchen with a pantry, three bedrooms on the second floor, a bathroom, two bedrooms in the servant’s quarters, and a playroom on the third floor.
With each of the 20 governors that lived in the house, new improvements were made as approved by the state legislature.
Including all the programs, the Former Governor's Mansion had over 6,000 people come through the doors in 2022.
“The bulk of our visitors are North Dakotans, though we do get a fair amount of tourists over the summer,” said Campbell.
The mansion will be open seven days a week starting May 15. The mansion is located at 320 East Avenue B, Bismarck.
More information on the mansion can be found here.
