Ohio River Scenic Byway
J.F.D. Lanier State Historic Site, IN

Lanier, a successful financier most often remembered for rescuing Indiana from financial difficulties during the Civil War, built this Classic Revival mansion during the years of 1840-44.

Four generations of the Lanier family lived in the mansion. In 1925, the state acquired the residence and opened it in 1926 as the state's first historical memorial.

Lanier's three-story, 18-room mansion was designed by Costigan, whose name is engraved on a small silver plaque on the spiral staircase's newel post. The home's interior also features Costigan's gold-leaf wallpaper and a heavy stock of period furnishings.

Externally, the mansion features a 50-foot-wide (and 30-foot-high) columned portico framed by a distinctive shell-patterned iron railing.

The bell on the front lawn dates from 1849 and originally hung in the riverfront terminal of the Madison and Indianapolis Railroad.