Historic Sites

Dr. William Hutchings’ Office & Museum

One of the most authentic 19th century medical history restorations in the US. Hundreds of Dr. Hutchings’ medical records, surgical tools, books and other artifacts including early electrical healing devices fill the office. Next door, in the museum, enjoy a sampling of the Hutchings’ family treasures. Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

Open late-Apr through Oct (Beginning 10/29 this site will be closed for the season)
Apr 26 – Oct 28, 2019 | Fri.-Mon 1pm-4:30pm
Admission: adults $5:00, combo ticket $8.00(2 for 1), children and students free

For groups of 10 or more, museums are open year round. Minimum 2 week advance registration required.

Please note that this site is CLOSED during the following festival dates:

• RiverRoots  – June 7th & 8th (open 9th & 10th)
• Madison Regatta – July 5th – 7th (open 8th)
• Madison Ribberfest – August 16th & 17th (open 18th & 19th)
• Madison Chautauqua – September 28th & 29th (open 27th & 30th)

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead.

Francis Costigan House

Built by Francis Costigan, Madison’s most premier architect and master builder, for his family.  This freshly restored Greek Revival townhouse displays grand 19th century styles designed to keep the eye moving in a structure that is an architectural masterpiece of proportions.  Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

Open late-Apr through Oct    (Beginning 10/29 this site will be closed for the season)
Apr 26 – Oct 28, 2019 | Fri.-Mon 1pm-4:30pm
Admission: adults $5:00, combo ticket $8.00(2 for 1), children and students free

For groups of 10 or more, museums are open year round. Minimum 2 week advance registration required.

Please note that this site is CLOSED during the following festival dates:

• RiverRoots  – June 7th & 8th (open 9th & 10th)
• Madison Regatta – July 5th – 7th (open 8th)
• Madison Ribberfest – August 16th & 17th (open 18th & 19th)
• Madison Chautauqua – September 28th & 29th (open 27th & 30th)

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead.

Watch this news special here on the Costigan House.

Historic Eleutherian College

Eleutherian College is a National Historic Landmark founded in 1848 by anti-slavery Baptists.  The three-story tall stone building, constructed between 1853 and 1856, is magnificent.

Tours available by advance appointment only.
Admission: $5.00 suggested donation

Look for several FREE tour events typically 4th Saturday of summer months and a Fall Festival on Facebook.

History Center—Jefferson Co. Historical Society

NEW! FREE ADMISSION through DECEMBER 31, 2019

Explore the rich history of the area, enjoy exhibits on civil war, steam boating and much more! Children’s Interactive Exhibit-general store and schoolroom. Museum shop, restored red caboose.

Open Mar -Mid-Dec. Tues-Fri 10am-4:30pm (This site will be closed the month of January)
May 1-Oct. 31 also open Sat 10am-4: 30pm
March-Mid Dec. Research Archives open Tues. & Thurs. 10am-4:30pm
Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead to confirm.

Thank you to the anonymous donor for making this happen. (Normal Admission Value: $4.00, children free, senior & military discount
$7.00 for both History Center and RR Station)

Jeremiah Sullivan House

Built in 1818 and considered Madison’s first mansion, this stately federal style structure was home to one of Madison’s most distinguished leaders.  Sullivan and his family lived in the home for over 70 years.  Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

Open Friday thru Monday on these weekends late-Apr through Oct:
April 26, May 3, 17, 31; June 14, July 19, Aug 2, Sept 6 & 20, Oct 4 & 18 (Beginning 10/19 this site will be closed for the season)
Fri.-Mon 1pm-4:30pm
Admission: adults $5:00, combo ticket $8.00(2 for 1), children and students free

For groups of 10 or more, museums are open year round. Minimum 2 week advance registration required.

The Sullivan House Side Garden, 304 West Second Street
Jeremiah Sullivan originally from Harrisonburg, VA, built this house in 1818 and it is considered Madison’s first mansion. Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc., the Sullivan House and side garden sits prominently on the corner of Second and Poplar displaying a fine portrayal of Federal style architecture. The garden is divided into three sections. On the south side of the central walk is the Virginia style parterre garden.  It is a Pleasure Garden using boxwoods and flowers that were favorites in the late 18th and early 19th century.  All of these plants were introduced to North America by Colonists prior to 1820. On the north side of the walk, a Native garden displays examples of Indiana aboriginal plants that Mrs. Sullivan might have collected from excursions into the woodlands and forests available in southern Indiana. She could have received prairie plants as gifts from acquaintances or friends, from the northwestern part of the state. Woodland and prairie plants were part of the existing Indiana ecosystems present in the early 19th century. In the rear of the house is an herb garden.  It is placed close to the kitchen for convenience. These herbs are a small sample the most common cooking and medicinal herbs necessary for a household of the time period. During the last three years, HMI volunteers have worked tirelessly to rehabilitate the side garden.   A Purdue Master Gardener created and tends this garden along with HMI volunteers. A native plant sale will be available on the side porch of the Sullivan House during the Madison in Bloom event. Proceeds from sales will help benefit on-going efforts and maintenance of this garden. Contact Historic Madison about renting this space.

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead to confirm.

Lanier Mansion Historic Site

Features 1844 Greek Revival home of James F.D. Lanier (the “crown jewel” of Madison’s Historic District). A National Historic Landmark, beautiful home with great stories. Open year round.  Guided tours at regular intervals between 10am and 4pm.  Gardens & grounds open dawn to dusk year round.

PLEASE NOTE NEW DAYS AND HOURS OF OPERATION- Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-5pm, year round, excluding some state holidays.
Admission: adults $11.00; seniors $9.00; children $5.00.

Occasionally the mansion will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead.

Madison Railroad Station

Restored 1895 railroad station with impressive octagonal waiting room, explore exhibits, artifacts of the past and Madison’s railroad history. Don’t miss our restored red caboose!

Open Mar -Mid-Dec.  Tues-Fri 10am-4: 30pm   (This site will be closed the month of January)
May 1-Oct. 31 also open Sat 10am-4: 30pm
March-Mid-Dec., Research Archives open Tues. & Thurs. 10am-4:30pm
Admission: $4.00, children free, senior & military discount
$7 for both RR Station and History Center

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead to confirm.

Masonic Schofield House

The house, built circa 1815,  is the first two-story brick inn & tavern in Madison.  It is the birth place of the Indiana Grand Lodge of Freemasons in 1818.

Open Apr 15-Oct Thurs-Mon 10:00am-4:30pm (Beginning 10/27 this site will be closed for the season.)

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahe

$5.00 couple $3.00 single students free and Masons no charge.

Schroeder Saddletree Factory Museum

Visit America’s only restored 19th century saddletree factory.  Tours, demonstrations, and exhibits show how the Schroeder family made saddle frames, clothespins and other products.  Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

Open late-Apr through Oct (Beginning 10/29 this site will be closed for the season)
Apr 26 – Oct 28, 2019 | Fri.-Mon 1pm-4:30pm
Admission: adults $5:00, combo ticket $8.00(2 for 1), children and students free

For groups of 10 or more, museums are open year round. Minimum 2 week advance registration required.

Please note that this site is CLOSED during the following festival dates:

• RiverRoots  – June 13th (open 9th & 10th)
• Madison Regatta – July 2nd – 5th (open 6th)
• Madison Ribberfest – August 21st & 22nd (open 23rd & 24th)
• Madison Chautauqua – September 26th & 27th (open 25th & 28th)

Occasionally this site will not be open to the public during selected tour hours to accommodate pre-scheduled group tours. Please call ahead.

Watch a news special on Saddletree here.

Shrewsbury- Windle Home

Newly rehabilitated. Built in 1846-1849 for Captain Charles L. Shrewsbury, his wife Ellen and their children. Designed by Francis Costigan Indiana’s most celebrated pre-Civil War architect and master builder.  One of the most important historic homes in the US.  Designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL) in 1994 by the US Secretary of the Interior – one of only 2,500 in the US.  Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

By appointment only to groups of 10 or more.
2 week advance registration required.

$8.00 per person
Weekend rate: $10 per person

Children and students free.

St. Michael the Archangel

Built between 1838 and 1839, this simple Gothic Revival design house of worship is the second oldest building built as a Catholic church in  Indiana. The construction material for the church is said to have come from the hillside above the site. Many of the builders were Irish immigrants.  According to the Indiana State of Historic Preservation Office, it is the oldest Gothic style building in the state. Pointed arched windows are a design element of the Gothic style.  Congregation members included local architect Francis Costigan and  William Griffin, the Irish immigrant who completed the construction of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad Incline.

The south part of the church is the oldest. In 1865, the church’s nave was extended 30 feet to the north. In order to do this without disruption to the church’s interior, much of the addition is below grade so that the stained-glass window high in the apse is just inches above grade on the exterior. The most prominent architectural detail of the church’s interior is its rare ogee-arch, or “open book,” ceiling.  The Art Glass windows were installed in the late 1890’s, created with color and symbolism in mind.  Owned and operated by Historic Madison, Inc.

Tours available by appointment only to groups of 10 or more.
2 week advance registration required. Donations Appreciated for all Tours.

Talbot-Hyatt Pioneer Garden

The Talbott– Hyatt garden has been, and continues to be, under transformation. Generally, the Garden utilizes native flowers such as bloodroot, bluebells, larkspurs, and wild geraniums brought in from the woods. It also includes native trees such as ash, maple, redbud, and two enormous ‘Spicewood’ (Calylcanthus) bushes which, judging by their size, may have been brought by Talbott from Virginia. Open to the public from dawn till dusk.  Owned and maintained by Historic Madison, Inc. (This garden is currently closed due to the renovation of the Talbott-Hyatt Home)