The Grandest Historic Mansion in Each State

Special Report

Published: June 22, 2023 10:15 am

Before neighbors could show off their wealth by purchasing the latest sports car, wealthy people in America flaunted their money by building opulent mansions. Erecting mansions today, thanks to advancements in building technology, is easier than ever, but in the early days of America it was a luxury very few could afford. Many of these homes cost millions of dollars to build at a time when spending that much money on a home was practically unheard of.

24/7 Wall St. compiled a list of the largest or most notable historic mansions in each state by reviewing information from historical societies, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, and museums.

Though the people who commissioned the houses have long been dead, many of their names and legacies live on. The famously wealthy Vanderbilt family built two of the homes on the list: the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina and The Breakers in Rhode Island, located in Newport, one of the oldest towns in America. Matilda Dodge Wilson was left with a fortune when her husband John Dodge, co-founder of the Dodge motor company, died. She used some of the money to build Meadow Brook Hall, an 88,000-square-foot mansion in Rochester, Michigan.

Many of these mansions are quite old. In Alaska and Hawaii, the mansions listed were built before those states joined the Union. Here is how every state in the country was founded.

Click here to see the grandest historic mansion in each state.

1. Alabama: Shorter Mansion
> City: Eufaula
> Built In: 1906
> Commissioned by: Eli Sims Shorter II
> Size 8,700 sq. feet

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Russian Bishop House August 2005 by The original uploader was Lordkinbote at English Wikipedia

Russian Bishop House August 2005 (CC BY-SA 2.5) by The original uploader was Lordkinbote at English Wikipedia

2. Alaska: Russian Bishop’s House
> City: Sitka
> Built In: 1843
> Commissioned by: Bishop Innocent
> Size 21,530 sq. feet

ALSO READ: The Size of a Home the Year You Were Born

Paradise Valley-McCure Mansion... by Marine 69-71

Paradise Valley-McCure Mansion... (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Marine 69-71

3. Arizona: McCune Mansion
> City: Paradise Valley
> Built In: 1963
> Commissioned by: Walker McCune
> Size 52,000 sq. feet

W.H.H. Clayton House (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Hakbak

4. Arkansas: The Clayton House
> City: Fort Smith
> Built In: 1852
> Commissioned by: William Henry Harrison Clayton
> Size Over 6,000 sq. feet

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Hearst Castle Casa del Sol September 2012 by King of Hearts

Hearst Castle Casa del Sol September 2012 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by King of Hearts

5. California: Hearst Castle
> City: San Simeon
> Built In: 1947
> Commissioned by: William Randolph Hearst
> Size 68,500 sq. feet

ByersEvans (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Jeffrey Beall

6. Colorado: Byers-Evans House Museum
> City: Denver
> Built In: 1883
> Commissioned by: Byers-Evans families
> Size 10,000 sq. feet

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NorwalkCTLockwoodMansionSoSide09032007 by Noroton at English Wikipedia

NorwalkCTLockwoodMansionSoSide09032007 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Noroton at English Wikipedia

7. Connecticut: Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum
> City: Norwalk
> Built In: c. 1864
> Commissioned by: LeGrand Lockwood
> Size 44,000 sq. feet

ALSO READ: Oldest Historic Town in Every State

Winterthur Museum Building Wide Angle 2969px by Derek Ramsey

Winterthur Museum Building Wide Angle 2969px (CC BY-SA 2.5) by Derek Ramsey

8. Delaware: Winterthur
> City: Winterthur
> Built In: 1932
> Commissioned by: Henry Francis du Pont
> Size 96,582 sq. feet

9. Florida: Mar-A-Lago
> City: Palm Beach
> Built In: 1927
> Commissioned by: Marjorie Merriweather Post
> Size 62,500 sq. feet

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Hay House Front by Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Hay House Front (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

10. Georgia: Hay House
> City: Macon
> Built In: 1859
> Commissioned by: William Butler Johnston
> Size 18,000 sq. feet

Iolani Palace (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Arjunkrsen

11. Hawaii: Iolani Palace
> City: Honolulu
> Built In: 1882
> Commissioned by: King Kalakaua
> Size 7,000 sq. feet

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Clark Mansion-Hayden-ID1 by Nancy Reilly Young

Clark Mansion-Hayden-ID1 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Nancy Reilly Young

12. Idaho: Clark House
> City: Hayden Lake
> Built In: 1910
> Commissioned by: F. Lewis Clark
> Size 15,000 sq. feet

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Executive Mansion (CC BY 2.0) by Katherine Johnson

13. Illinois: Illinois Executive Mansion
> City: Springfield
> Built In: 1855
> Commissioned by: Gov. Joel Matteson
> Size 45,120 sq. feet

14. Indiana: Culbertson Mansion
> City: New Albany
> Built In: 1867
> Commissioned by: William Culbertson
> Size more than 20,000 sq. feet

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15. Iowa: Brucemore
> City: Cedar Rapids
> Built In: 1886
> Commissioned by: Caroline Soutter Sinclair
> Size 15,000 sq. feet

16. Kansas: Seelye Mansion
> City: Abilene
> Built In: 1905
> Commissioned by: Dr. A.B. Seelye
> Size 11,000 sq. feet

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Kentucky Governors Mansion by Matthew Beck

Kentucky Governors Mansion (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Matthew Beck

17. Kentucky: The Governor’s Mansion
> City: Frankfort
> Built In: 1914
> Commissioned by: James B. McCreary
> Size 18,428 sq. feet

ALSO READ: Cities With the Most Mega Homes

Nottoway Plantation (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Elisa Rolle

18. Louisiana: Nottoway Plantation and Resort
> City: White Castle
> Built In: 1859
> Commissioned by: John Hampden Randolph
> Size 53,000 sq. feet

EEGONOS (CC BY-SA 3.0) by JERRYE & ROY KLOTZ MD

19. Maine: East of Eden
> City: Bar Harbor
> Built In: 1909
> Commissioned by: Walter G. Ladd
> Size 15,000 sq. feet

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Maryland Government House MD1 by Acroterion

Maryland Government House MD1 (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Acroterion

20. Maryland: Government House
> City: Annapolis
> Built In: 1870
> Commissioned by: Gov. Oden Bowie
> Size 38,000 sq. feet

Crane estate (CC BY 3.0) by Djmcrenn

21. Massachusetts: Castle Hill
> City: Ipswich
> Built In: 1928
> Commissioned by: Richard T. Crane Jr.
> Size 56,881 sq. feet

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Meadowbrook Hall by Wm. Chris Rowland, II

Meadowbrook Hall (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Wm. Chris Rowland, II

22. Michigan: Meadow Brook Hall
> City: Rochester
> Built In: 1929
> Commissioned by: Matilda Dodge Wilson
> Size 88,000 sq. feet

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James J. Hill House 2012 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by McGhiever

23. Minnesota: James J. Hill House
> City: St. Paul
> Built In: 1891
> Commissioned by: James J. Hill
> Size 36,500 sq. feet

Jackson December 2018 34 by Michael Barera

Jackson December 2018 34 (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Michael Barera

24. Mississippi: Mississippi Governor’s Mansion
> City: Jackson
> Built In: 1842
> Commissioned by: Gov. Tilghman Tucker
> Size 11,448 sq. feet

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25. Missouri: Vaile Mansion
> City: Independence
> Built In: 1881
> Commissioned by: Harvey Vaile
> Size 31 rooms

Hamilton MT Daly Mansion 2 (CC BY 2.0) by DAN

26. Montana: Daly Mansion
> City: Hamilton
> Built In: 1886
> Commissioned by: Marcus Daly
> Size 24,000 sq. feet

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091407-JoslynCastle (CC BY 3.0) by Bobak

27. Nebraska: Joslyn Castle
> City: Omaha
> Built In: 1903
> Commissioned by: George Joslyn
> Size 19,360 sq. feet

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28. Nevada: Thunderbird Lodge
> City: Incline Village
> Built In: c. 1936
> Commissioned by: George Whittell Jr.
> Size 16,000 sq. feet

Searles Castle Gate (CC BY-SA 3.0) by David Kolifrath

29. New Hampshire: Searles Castle
> City: Windham
> Built In: 1915
> Commissioned by: Edward Searles
> Size 30,000-35,000 sq. feet

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Woodrow Wilson Hall, West Long Branch, NJ - south view by Zeete

Woodrow Wilson Hall, West Long Branch, NJ - south view (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Zeete

30. New Jersey: Shadow Lawn / Woodrow Wilson Hall
> City: West Long Branch
> Built In: 1929
> Commissioned by: Hubert Templeton Parson
> Size 90,000 sq. feet

31. New Mexico: Villa Philmonte
> City: Cimarron
> Built In: 1927
> Commissioned by: Waite Phillips
> Size 28,400 sq. feet

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32. New York: Oheka Castle
> City: Huntington
> Built In: 1919
> Commissioned by: Otto Kahn
> Size 109,000 sq. feet

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33. North Carolina: Biltmore Estate
> City: Asheville
> Built In: 1895
> Commissioned by: George Vanderbilt
> Size 135,280 sq. feet

34. North Dakota: Chateau de Mores
> City: Medora
> Built In: 1883
> Commissioned by: Marquis de Mores
> Size 8,600 sq. feet

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Stan Hywet by Ohio Office of Redevelopment from Columbus, Ohio, USA

Stan Hywet (CC BY 2.0) by Ohio Office of Redevelopment from Columbus, Ohio, USA

35. Ohio: Stan Hywet Hall
> City: Akron
> Built In: 1915
> Commissioned by: F.A. Seiberling
> Size 64,500 sq. feet

Marland Mansion South Front (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Landry76

36. Oklahoma: Marland Mansion
> City: Ponca City
> Built In: 1928
> Commissioned by: E.W. Marland
> Size 43,561 sq. feet

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37. Oregon: Pittock Mansion
> City: Portland
> Built In: 1914
> Commissioned by: Henry Pittock
> Size 16,000 sq. feet

ALSO READ: Most Important Historical Event in Every State

Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park PA 01 by Shuvaev

Lynnewood Hall, Elkins Park PA 01 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Shuvaev

38. Pennsylvania: Lynnewood Hall
> City: Elkins Park
> Built In: 1900
> Commissioned by: P.A.B. Widener
> Size 70,000 sq. feet

39. Rhode Island: The Breakers
> City: Newport
> Built In: 1895
> Commissioned by: Cornelius Vanderbilt II
> Size 62,482 sq. feet

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Lace House, Columbia Richland County, South Carolina by KudzuVine

Lace House, Columbia Richland County, South Carolina (CC BY-SA 3.0) by KudzuVine

40. South Carolina: The Lace House
> City: Columbia
> Built In: 1855
> Commissioned by: Thomas Robertson
> Size 16,500 sq. feet

MELLETTE HOUSE, WATERTOWN, CODINGTON COUNTY, SD by JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD

MELLETTE HOUSE, WATERTOWN, CODINGTON COUNTY, SD (CC BY-SA 3.0) by JERRYE AND ROY KLOTZ MD

41. South Dakota: Mellette House
> City: Watertown
> Built In: 1885
> Commissioned by: Calvin Mellette
> Size 11 rooms

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42. Tennessee: Belmont Mansion
> City: Nashville
> Built In: 1853
> Commissioned by: Adelicia Acklen
> Size 19,000 sq. feet

ALSO READ: Cities With the Most Mega Homes

43. Texas: Crespi-Hicks Estate
> City: Dallas
> Built In: 1938
> Commissioned by: Pio Crespi
> Size 27,092 sq. feet

44. Utah: McCune Mansion
> City: Salt Lake City
> Built In: 1901
> Commissioned by: Alfred W. McCune
> Size 22,000 sq. feet

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45. Vermont: Wilson Castle
> City: Proctor
> Built In: c. 1885
> Commissioned by: John Johnson
> Size 32 rooms sq. feet

NORTH WALES, FAUQUIER COUNTY by Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD

NORTH WALES, FAUQUIER COUNTY (CC BY-SA 4.0) by Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD

46. Virginia: North Wales
> City: near Warrenton
> Built In: 1781
> Commissioned by: William Allison
> Size 38,500 sq. feet

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Thornewood 02 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Jmabel

47. Washington: Thornewood Castle
> City: Lakewood
> Built In: 1908
> Commissioned by: Chester A. Thorne
> Size 27,000 sq. feet

ALSO READ: The Size of a Home the Year You Were Born

48. West Virginia: Governor’s Mansion
> City: Charleston
> Built In: 1925
> Commissioned by: William MacCorkle
> Size 21,000 sq. feet

Residence Taliesin Spring Green Wisconsin June 5 2012 by Stephen Matthew Milligan

Residence Taliesin Spring Green Wisconsin June 5 2012 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by Stephen Matthew Milligan

49. Wisconsin: Taliesin
> City: near Spring Green
> Built In: 1911
> Commissioned by: Frank Lloyd Wright
> Size 37,000 sq. feet

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Trail End State Historic Site aka Kendrick Mansion-Sheridan WY-06-28-2011 by IreneWyo

Trail End State Historic Site aka Kendrick Mansion-Sheridan WY-06-28-2011 (CC BY-SA 3.0) by IreneWyo

50. Wyoming: Trail End
> City: Sheridan
> Built In: 1913
> Commissioned by: John B. Kendrick
> Size 13,748 sq. feet

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