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CULBERTSON MANSION STATE HISTORIC SITE

FIELD TRIPS

Field Trips

Discover Indiana’s Once-Wealthiest Hoosier

Field trips to Culbertson Mansion provide your students an opportunity to learn the value of perspective as they experience each room in the mansion through various points of view. Through the story of William Culbertson’s rise from dry goods clerk to New Albany’s most charitable citizen, students will understand benevolence as a path to better community. Other topics discussed include class structure, domestic servitude, Victorian family life, architecture and decorative arts.

Call 812.944.9600 to schedule your field trip to Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site.

  • Indiana K-12 Schools

    Free Admission
    Free for preregistered Indiana schools of 10+ K-12 students, teachers, bus drivers and one additional adult per five students. Additional chaperones pay the group admission rate of $12/adult.

     

    CALL TO SCHEDULE

  • Homeschool Groups

    Free Admission
    Free for preregistered groups of 10+ students, including one free adult per five students. Additional adults pay the group rate.

    CALL TO SCHEDULE

  • Non-Indiana Student Groups

    Call for Rates
    Please contact us for rates.

    CALL FOR RATES

Booking Your Field Trip

Pre-Registration
All field trips must be booked at least two weeks in advance. This ensures a personalized, engaging experience for your students.

Group Size
A minimum of 10 students is required for field trips.

Lunch
Picnic areas are available, and there are nearby restaurants for students and chaperones.

Accessibility
The mansion’s historic nature means that accessibility is limited, with steep staircases and some areas not being wheelchair accessible. However, a wheelchair lift is available in some areas. ADA compliant parking is available in the circular driveway behind the mansion; please call if you need to use the lift or if you need additional assistance.

Contact
Call 812.944.9600 or email [email protected] to schedule your field trip to Culbertson Mansion.

Check Out Resources from Across the State  

Take a look at our collected educator resources from across the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.

Immersive Programs that Align with Academic Standards

Whether it’s at the site, outreach or virtual, we offer hands-on, exploratory and interactive programs on a variety of topics that provide your students a fun way to learn about Indiana’s people, places and things. All programs fulfill select Indiana Academic Standards for multiple grade levels. At site and outreach programs cost $2/student with a maximum number of 25 students. Travel fees are 30-60 miles: $20; 60-90 miles: $40; 90+ miles: $60. Program length is 45-60 minutes. Virtual programs cost $75/class with additional classes $100 for the same program. Program length is 45-60 minutes. See programs below:

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    HISTORY

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    BENEVOLENCE

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    CLASS STRUCTURE

K-12
richly decorated hallway at the Culbertson Mansion

SCHOOL GROUP TOURS

This school group tour will provide your students an opportunity to learn the value of perspective as they experience each room in the mansion through various points of view. Through the story of William Culbertson’s rise from dry goods clerk to New Albany’s most charitable citizen, students will understand benevolence as a path to better community. Other topics discussed include class structure, domestic servitude, Victorian family life, architecture and decorative arts.

Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: 6.3.10, 8.2.7; IS.1.8, IS.1.9, IS.1.10

A stack of old books

CUSTOM OUTREACH PROGRAMS

Culbertson Mansion staff are available for in-school presentations and programs on a range of topics including Indiana and New Albany history, benevolence/philanthropy, community and engaged citizenship, perspective, historic architecture, late 19th-century life and more. Visual aids, props, costumes and/or artifacts are available upon request. These programs can be formal or informal, but all will be engaging interactive dialogue with Q&A sessions.

Email [email protected] or call 812.944.9600 to discuss customized programs.

K-GRADE 3
warped interior shot of culbertson mansion

I-SPY

Play the I-Spy game and explore Victorian life through clues that lead to learning in the mansion.

Available: At site, year-round

Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: K1.1, 1.1.1, 2.2.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.8

a portrait hanging in culbertson mansion

THE WINTER MOMENT

Explore the math, science and art utilized to create the Winter Moment, a colorful light display, at the Culbertson Mansion. Created by the filter of stained glass, a crystal chandelier and the sun’s rays, this exceptional experience will be discussed using prisms, patterned paper and filters in the classroom.

Available: At site, Sept. 2025-March 2026

Indiana Academic Standards: VA Cr2.1.ka, Math k.m.2, VA Cr2.1.1a, Math 1.G.1, VA Cr2.1.2a, Math 2.G.1, 2.G.2, VA Cr2.1.3a, Math 3.G.1

the lower kitchen in culbertson mansion

VICTORIAN NAME GAME

Can you guess the names of various objects from around the mansion and their uses? Take part in this interactive program to introduce the ways in which Victorians lived, including the Culbertson family and the servant staff. A knowledgeable staff member will be able to engage students with period artifacts and lead a discussion on Victorian life. A teacher guide and classroom packet will be provided beforehand.

Available: Virtual, Tuesday-Friday

Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: K1.1, 1.1.1, 2.1.2, 3.1.8

K-GRADE 5
etching of two victorian people talking

WHAT IS BENEVOLENCE?

Explore the Victorian virtue of benevolence. How did the Culbertson family exemplify this virtue? What does that mean today, and how can we all make positive contributions to our community. An interactive discussion with a knowledgeable staff member provides the opportunity for students to engage and ask questions throughout the program. A teacher guide and classroom packet will be provided beforehand

Available: Virtual, Tuesday-Friday

Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: K1.2, k2.1, k2.4, k3.7, 1.1.3, 1.1.6, 1.2.3, 1.2.4, 2.1.3, 2.2.4, 2.2.5, 2.2.6, 3.1.6, 3.2.5, 3.2.6, 3.2.7, 4.2.6, 5.2.8, 5.2.10

GRADES 6, 8-12
exterior image of culbertson mansion

CULBERTSON MANSION TOUR

Bring the Culbertson Mansion to your classroom with a virtual tour. Included is a downloadable teaching packet with a teaching guide, follow-along worksheet and vocabulary list. Students will see all four floors of the mansion, while learning about the lifestyle of the Gilded Age, from the elite to the servants. They will also learn about New Albany’s most charitable man and the concept of benevolence in building community.

Pre-registration: Required at least one month in advance.

Available: At site and virtual

Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: 6.3.10, 8.2.7; IS.1.8, IS.1.9, IS.1.10

CULBERTSON MANSION field trip HIGHLIGHTS

The Victorian Lifestyle

In 1964, Historic New Albany purchased the home, and it was accepted as a state historic site in 1976. The Culbertson Mansion represents the lifestyles of the Victorian fortune-makers, as well as the lifestyles of the servant staff.

Interior Stair Case inside of the Culbertson Mansion

An Architectural Gem

The three-story, Second Empire mansion encompasses more than 20,000 square feet and contains 25 rooms. The facade, east elevation and west elevation all feature semi-circular bays, allowing plenty of light into the rooms. Built by brothers William and James Banes, it was one of the most striking homes on Main Street.

BOOK YOUR
FIELD TRIP
TODAY

We look forward to welcoming your students to the Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site, where architecture and history come alive. Call us at 812.944.9600 to book your trip or send us an email at the link below.