Shrewsbury-Windle House Story Presentation

An original story about the Shrewsbury family and their home will be performed on Sunday, August 28 at 2 pm in the Shrewsbury-Windle House National Historic Landmark, 301 W 1st St in Madison, Indiana.  Through the Eyes of Mary Shrewsbury with a Postscript by Ann Windle, is a dramatic presentation based upon historic facts written and presented by Lou Ann Homan.

Tickets are $25 a person. Advanced registration is required.  Reservations for this fundraising event can be made through Eventbrite via the link: https://ThroughTheEyesofMary.eventbrite.com. The reservation deadline is 6 PM on Thursday, August 25. 

The story was created as part of the prestigious 2019 Cook Cup Award for Outstanding  Restoration received by Historic Madison, Inc. for its rehabilitation of the Shrewsbury-Windle House.  The award is presented annually by Indiana Landmarks.  Lou Ann Homan premiered the story in February 2020 in Indianapolis but its presentation in Madison was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.

Upon its completion in 1849, Charles Shrewsbury’s Greek Revival-style home in Madison, Indiana defined pre-Civil War elegance, with its 16-foot high ceilings, decorative carved stone, plaster and wood trim, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of the Ohio River. Architect Francis Costigan displayed his genius in the Shrewsbury home’s crowning feature: a 53-step spiral staircase ascending through the center hallway the entire height of the house. It was a showplace designed for entertaining.

In 1948, Chicago residents John and Ann Windle bought the Shrewsbury House restoring it as their home and antique shop. The Windles recognized the city’s nationally significant architecture as its key economic asset and founded Historic Madison, Inc. in 1960 to protect and preserve Madison’s historic treasures.

Envisioning a new future for the Shrewsbury-Windle Home more than 150 years later, Historic Madison, Inc. restored the home to its original elegance and created a museum-quality event venue for programs such as the storytelling program.

Lou Ann Homan is a storyteller, theater coach, actress, and writer who lives in Angola, Indiana, where she teaches at Trine University and writes a weekly newspaper column.  Indiana Landmarks and Storytelling Arts of Indiana developed the If These Walls Could Tell series in 2011 with generous support from Frank and Katrina Basile. These original stories, inspired by historic Indiana buildings, are about the people who have built, lived, worked, gathered in, and restored these vintage places, is the 10th story in this series.

For more information about the event or Historic Madison, Inc. call (812) 265-2967, email programs@historicmadisoninc.com or connect with us via our website www.historicmadisoninc.com or through our social media channels.