04/21/2026
Like many of you, we followed yesterday’s news of the fire at the Henry Mueller home (405 West William Street) with great sadness. We are very grateful to the Decatur Fire Department - Illinois for their incredible work, for no injuries, and the safety of the Governor Oglesby Mansion.
The Mueller home has been a fixture in Decatur since its completion in 1908. Henry Mueller commissioned the building for himself, his wife Ora, and their daughters Lenore and Henrietta. The house was clearly a dream home of Ora Mueller’s. She worked directly with the Mandel Brothers of Chicago on the interior design, murals, and furnishings throughout the residence. Everything in the home’s design reflected the individuals residing in it – from German nursery rhymes murals in Henrietta’s room to the family initials across the threshold.
Henry Mueller unexpectedly passed in 1910, and Ora Mueller retained residency there with their only surviving daughter, Lenore, until Ora’s death in February 1940. The home then passed to her sister and daughter. After the sister’s passing, the home was sold out of the family in 1965.
Mark Staley, who represents the Henry Mueller branch on the Hieronymus Mueller Museum Board of Directors says, “I was sadden when I heard about the fire at the Mueller home. I had been in that house a couple times throughout the years and it was beautiful; it was like taking a step back in time. My Grandmother grew up in that house, so to see that house damaged by fire like that was heartbreaking.”
We will cover more history of the home in our upcoming edition of the Hieronymus Mueller Museum newsletter. For now, we hope you enjoy these professional photographs that appeared in the 13 September 1908 edition of the Decatur Daily Herald, courtesy of The Staley Museum.
