In December 2019, we made a decision that a lot of people did not quite understand.
We bought the Herzog Mansion.
Not as an investment property. Not to reopen a bed and breakfast. Not as a project to finish and eventually sell.
We bought it to be our home.
Our forever family home.
We are Michael and Alexandria Morgan, and when we first saw the Herzog Mansion, we saw something different from what many people saw. We saw extraordinary architecture, an idyllic setting in Hermann, and a remarkable history that had only begun to be documented.
More than anything, we saw a house that deserved someone willing to stay.
A Home Worth Preserving
The Herzog Mansion was built in 1886 for the Herzog family and has stood in Hermann for well over a century. During that time, it has been a family residence, a gathering place, and for many years, an inn and bed and breakfast.
When we purchased it, our goal was to make it a family home again while preserving the character that makes it irreplaceable.
That distinction matters to us.
We do not want to make an old house look new. We want to understand what was here, why it was built the way it was, and how we can preserve as much of it as possible for another generation.
That means restoration is rarely the quickest or easiest option.
The historic slate roof required a complete replacement. Original architectural details have had to be studied, repaired, reproduced, and sometimes rediscovered. Windows, woodwork, masonry, metalwork, drainage systems, and rooms altered over generations all require their own research and their own solutions.
Spaces that once served guests during the mansion’s bed and breakfast years have also had to become something they had not been for decades: the everyday spaces of a family home.
Every room asks something of us.
Time. Money. Research. Patience.
And endurance.
We would choose it again every single time.
Stewardship, Not Perfection
Living in a historic house changes the way you think about ownership.
A house like this existed long before us, and if we do our job well, it will exist long after us.
We think of ourselves as its stewards.
Our responsibility is not to freeze the Herzog Mansion at one moment in history. It is still a living home, and it has to work for our family. But whenever possible, we want the decisions we make today to respect the craftsmanship, materials, architecture, and people that came before us.
Sometimes that means repairing something that would be easier to replace.
Sometimes it means researching a tiny architectural detail most people will never notice.
Sometimes it means discovering that what appeared to be a simple project is anything but simple.
And sometimes it means accepting that preservation happens slowly.
There will always be another room, another window, another piece of history to uncover.
We are okay with that.
This was never about reaching the end of a renovation.
It is about leaving this place better than we found it.
Why Hermann
The mansion itself was only part of the decision.
We also chose Hermann.
The longer we live here, the more certain we are that we chose well.
There is something rare about this town: its architecture, landscape, history, traditions, and the people who continue to care for all of them. Historic places survive because communities decide they are worth keeping, and Hermann is filled with people who understand that.
We are extraordinarily grateful that our family gets to call this community home.
Alexandria sometimes asks a simple question:
If everything changed tomorrow, if money were no object and we could live anywhere in the world, where would we go?
The answer is easy.
We would stay right here.
In Hermann, Missouri.
In the Herzog Mansion.
Why This Website Exists
This website began as a way to document what we were learning about the mansion and the work required to preserve it.
It has become something more.
As we have researched the Herzog family, studied old photographs and records, uncovered architectural details, and worked through restoration projects, we have realized how much of the mansion’s story could easily have been lost.
So we are documenting it.
Here you will find the history we uncover, photographs from different eras of the house, records and primary sources, restoration projects, mistakes, discoveries, and the occasional mystery we have not solved yet.
We do not have all the answers.
Part of the fun is finding them.
The Herzog Mansion is a private family home today, but its history belongs to a much larger story: the story of the Herzog family, Hermann, Missouri, and the generations of people who have cared for this remarkable place.
We are simply the current chapter.
And we intend to make it a long one.
Michael & Alexandria Morgan