Lanier Home, Madison, Indiana

The Lanier home is owned by the State of Indiana; no admission charge. Built by the the architect, Francis Costigan, 1840-1844, this stately porticoed mansion is a splendid example of the Classic Revival style of architecture and it is reminiscent of the cultured, leisurely and prosperous eighteen-forties. The fine wrought and cast iron on this and other Costigan houses was designed by him and fabricated at Madison foundries. When Uncoln called for six regiments from Indiana in the Civil War, it was Lanier who advanced nearly half a million dollars to equip them. Other loans to Indiana, all on the note of Governor Morton, are said to have been significant in determining the eventual outcome of the war. While at the Lanier Mansion don’t miss the 1850′s cutting and vegetable garden.