- Joined
- Jun 21, 2012
- Location
- Louisville, KY
Toured this mansion today and thought I would share since it does have a few Civil War ties.
The Lanier Mansion is a Greek Revival-styled mansion located in the Ohio River town of Madison, Indiana. The mansion is was completed in 1844 and was designed by Francis Costigan who designed a number of homes in Madison and also resided there.
River (South) facing front of the home
The mansion, by my count, had 18 individual rooms (not including the cellar) as well as a carriage house, additional kitchen as well as many outbuildings that no longer exist.
Street (North) facing front of the home
James Franklin D. Lanier moved to Madison as a teenager and worked for his father in their general store prior to attending Transylvania University in Kentucky and receiving a law degree. He later served as Clerk of the Indiana House of Representatives before becoming involved in real estate and then banking. It was in banking that Lanier first found major success which, coupled with his real estate ventures, allowed him to become president of the Bank of Indiana after purchasing a majority share in the bank. It was through Lanier's leadership and banking savvy that allowed the Bank of Indiana to weather the panic of 1837 in which many other banks across the still young United States fell victim.
Building on his real estate and banking successes, Lanier began investing in the emerging railroad market and was a major financier in Indiana's first major rail line which ran from Indianapolis to the Ohio River in Madison and actually terminated right across the street from his mansion on the west side. Lanier would only live in the home for 7 years before he moved to New York in 1851 where he would start a investment banking firm. Prior to his relocation, Lanier was the richest man in Indiana.
With the outbreak of the Civil War, James Lanier took an active role in supporting the state of Indiana in the outfitting of her volunteers by loaning the state $400,000, he would later give an additional $600,000+ bringing his total contribution to over $1 million (over $20 million today). Lanier was an acquaintance of Governor Oliver P. Morton who played a major role in securing these loans. However, through his actions, he also persuaded other influential Hoosiers to donate their money to outfit and arm Indiana troops.
Lanier passed away in 1881 and passed much of his fortune to his son, Alexander. The home itself traded hands many times before being donated to the city and then the state of Indiana in the 1920s.
Lanier had 11 children including a daughter, Elizabeth, who married Bvt BG William McKee Dunn. Dunn served as aide-de-camp under McClellan early in the war and went on to serve as the JAG of the Army after the war concluded. His youngest son, Charles, would become a successful banker in his own right and became one of, if not the best of friends, to one J.P. Morgan.
The Lanier Mansion is a Greek Revival-styled mansion located in the Ohio River town of Madison, Indiana. The mansion is was completed in 1844 and was designed by Francis Costigan who designed a number of homes in Madison and also resided there.
River (South) facing front of the home
Street (North) facing front of the home
Lanier had 11 children including a daughter, Elizabeth, who married Bvt BG William McKee Dunn. Dunn served as aide-de-camp under McClellan early in the war and went on to serve as the JAG of the Army after the war concluded. His youngest son, Charles, would become a successful banker in his own right and became one of, if not the best of friends, to one J.P. Morgan.