A fireplace that once was in the original Missouri Governor's Mansion will be on display at the Cole County Historical Society in Jefferson City.
The original mansion was located where the Governor Office Building currently stands, at the corner of Madison Street and East Capitol Avenue, past CCHS President Natalie Tackett said. That was the governor's residence from 1833-71.
"The original fell into disrepair, and it was torn apart with some of the blocks going to the old Jefferson City prison where they were used in the walls," Tackett said. "The contractor working on the dismantling saw the fireplace and, knowing they weren't going to keep it, decided to keep it for himself and installed it at his home in Columbia."
The fireplace had remained in the Columbia home until just a few weeks ago. The house has changed hands over the years, and the new owners of the home needed to remove the fireplace.
"One of the owners contacted a Historical Society member about the fireplace, and that's how we got it," Tackett said. "We had to move fast because if we couldn't make this happen in two or three weeks it was going to be destroyed."
The fireplace will be on display in the Historical Society's B. J. DeLong Room, which features other artifacts that have been on display in Missouri governor's mansions. The fireplace will be between two windows - one looks out on the Capitol, and the faces the Governor's Mansion.
The Cole County Historical Society is located at 109 Madison St., across from the current Governor's Mansion.