Recently Kate attended an author's event in Oak Brook, Illinois at the Mayslake Peabody Mansion. What a pleasure to attend any sort of event there!
The background on the Mayslake Peabody Mansion was written up in "A Brief History" last month. (If you missed it you can read it here.) While it looks as though generations of the Peabody family lived and died in the home, they really only used it for a very short time. The Franciscan brothers who bought the estate made the changes that were important to them, but keeping up the place as a grand family home was obviously not their mission.
Kate hadn't been in the mansion for a couple years, so she was delighted to see how much progress has been made on the restoration. The meeting was held in the former friar's chapel, but since there was also an art exhibit going on in one of the other halls, visitors were encouraged to explore a bit.
The woodwork, the plaster carving, the fireplaces -- all are stunning. Right now, the floors and library shelves are bare, but it's easy to imagine an oriental carpet with a cozy wing chair pulled up in front of rows of leather-bound volumes.
Mayslake offers tours, classes and performances so there are plenty of opportunities to enjoy the company of this grand old lady. See their web site for a complete list of events.
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