Formal Living Room - The formal living room of the Mansion is the center of welcoming activities. The Governor and First Lady often host receptions and meetings with visiting dignitaries in this elegant room. The Mansion’s oldest piece of furniture is located here. The “grandfather” or “cabinet” clock was made in Waterford, Ireland, in 1770 and was a gift given to honor Governor Francis Cherry (our 35th Governor) by his wife, Margaret Frierson Cherry. The clock is older than the United States and still runs and chimes every hour on the hour.
Winthrop Rockefeller, Arkansas’s 37th Governor, donated the Persian rug in this room.
A portrait of James Miller, Arkansas's first Territorial Governor, hangs over the fireplace. It was painted by Samuel F. B. Morse, the creator of the Morse Code, and is on loan from the Arkansas Art Center.