Lanier Mansion State Historic Site — Attraction in Madison

Another beautiful site (inside and out) to see in here in madison. Its right under our noses but until you walk by or happen to glance over as youre driving you wouldn't even notice how gorgeous the grounds/house are and there is a ton of ground it covers. Its a historic house located at 601 West First Street in the Madison Historic District of Madison, Indiana. Built by wealthy banker James F. D. Lanier in 1844, the house was declared a State Memorial in 1926, and remains an important landmark in Madison to the present day. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1994 as one of the nation's finest examples of Greek Revival architecture. The Lanier Mansion sits on a large rectangular lot encompassing 10 acres within the city of Madison. Bounded by West 2nd Street on the north, West Vaughan Street on the south and Elm and Vine Street on the east and west. The grounds and gardens of the mansion were developed by Alexander Lanier, the son of J.F.D. Lanier, and included the construction of several stately greenhouses in the late 19th-century. Unfortunately time and neglect caused the landscape to be abandoned and totally erased once flooding deposited silt a foot deep. Today, the historical recreation of the gardens are based on an 1876 lithograph of the site. The modern landscape consists of four areas: Craven Square, the Upper Terrace, the Lower Terrace and Pasture. Craven Square located opposite the northern elevation of the house was not originally part of the grounds, as the land was donated to the site in 1944. The city closed the portion of First Street directly in front of the house, so the grounds continue uninterrupted for a city block. Craven Square features curving brick walkways and a lush landscape of flowering trees, shrubs and annuals. The Upper Terrace has a walled sunken garden constructed in 1928, while the Lower Terrace directly in front of the south elevation of the house features the recreated formal gardens of geometric parterres enclosed by hedges of boxwood and gravel paths. Beyond the formal gardens is the pasture with views of...

This place is fantastic. We made our first visit over the weekend and fell in love. The cost is $5 per adult to get in, and its worth the price. You are lead through the home by a tour guide that is knowledgeable about the history of the home and the family that built it. When you walk in the front door its like taking a step back in time. The home is restored like it may have looked in the mid 1800s. We weren't able to see the east wing because they are restoring it, but even not seeing the servants quarters and kitchen it was still amazing. The tour guide walks you through room by room on all 3 floors of the home. There is a basement to the home, and it is opened to the public during certain events mainly during Halloween. When you're in the Madison area this is definitely worth the stop and hour...

October 12 2019 On a girls weekend we picked madison for are adventure. We booked the 7 pm ghost tour . The young girl had very little knowledge about the tour . We were told by other people who was taking the tour how little she did . She talked very little about the house and acted like she was annoyed at our question. We was also told that she skipped some of the tour . Very disappointing we expected to have a fun night from the story we was told by people who had taken the tour before. We was told how the one tour guide dressed in period clothing and the man who did the tour was amazing. We got a young lady who didn’t have a clue or even cared . Not only was we disappointed but it was everyone who took the tour was...