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Experience history as it was in the 1840s when the United States was still young and the Ohio River was the gateway to the west. The Lanier Mansion tells the story of James F.D. Lanier, a businessman who worked in banking and finance and helped to ensure Indiana could stay in the Civil War on the side of the Union. Learn about the legacy still felt today throughout the Madison community.
Please email [email protected] to schedule your field trip to Lanier Mansion State Historic Site.
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/person.
Free Admission
Free for preregistered groups of 10+ students, including one free adult per five students. Additional adults pay the group rate.
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.
Contact
Call 812.265.3526 or email [email protected] to schedule your field trip to Lanier Mansion.
Take a look at our collected educator resources from across the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
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 programs cost $4/student with a minimum of 8 students and a maximum of 60 students. Virtual programs cost $75/class. See programs below:
Students will learn how James F.D. Lanier helped to build Indiana’s economy and finance the Civil War, as well as what everyday life was like for a wealthy family in a bustling 1840s river town. They’ll also discover Greek Revival architecture as they make their way through the mansion!
Indiana Academic Standards: 3.H.3, 3.H.4, 3.H.8, 3.E.3, 3.E.4, 3.E.5,4.H.5, 4.H.6, 4.H.7, 4.H.10, 4.E.1, 4.E.2, 4.E.4, 4.E.5, 5.E.3, 6.H.12, 6.C.2, 6.E.5, 8.H.19, 8.H.20, 8.H.22, 8.H.23, 8.H.23, 8.H.24, 8.E.2, 8.E.4, 8.E.6, USH.2.2, USH.2.4
Colorful carpeting, bedspreads and textiles of all sorts decorate the Lanier Mansion’s interior. Colors in 19th-century fabric arts were bright, colorful, vibrant and, by modern standards, often quite bold! Students will decorate their own item using fabric pens to emulate the bright colors and patterns popular during the rococo revival movement.
Available: At site, Monday through Friday
Indiana Academic Standards: Visual Arts: CR.1.1Ka, CR.1.1.1a, Cr1.2.3a, Cr2.1.1a, Cr2.1.2a, Cr2.1.3a, Cr2.1.4a, Cr2.1.5a, Cr2.1.6a, Cr2.1.8a
Newspapers and magazines were key to spreading information in 19th-century America. Students will learn how different types of mass-media in the 19th century such as newspapers, magazines and cookbooks, spread ideas across large distances. They will use clippings from copies of 19th-century newspapers to create a collage of ideas that are meaningful to them.
Available: At site, Monday through Friday
Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: 4.E.1, 8.H.19 Visual Arts: Cr1.2.3a, Cr1.1.5a, Cr2.1.3a, Cr2.1.4a, Cr2.1.5a, Cr2.1.8a, Cr2.3.5a
In the mid-19th century, fossils of prehistoric animals were a scientific sensation. Scientists and artists worked together to interpret how ancient animals looked based on fossils they left behind. Students will learn how to interpret fossils like a paleontologist and make their own drawing of a prehistoric creature based on fossil evidence.
Available: At site and virtual, Monday through Friday
Indiana Academic Standards: Visual Arts: Cr2.3.3a Science: 3-LS4-1, 3-LS4-2, 4-LS1-1, 4-ESS1-1
When Francis Costigan designed the Lanier Mansion, he borrowed a variety of decorative patterns from New York architect Minard Lefever. Learn about how Lefever’s pattern books influenced architects of the time, and design your own Greek Revival building based on designs from the Lanier Mansion.
Available: At site, Monday through Friday
Indiana Academic Standards: Visual Arts: VA:Cr1.2.3a, VA:Cr1.1.5a, VA:Cr2.1.3a, VA:Cr2.1.4a, VA:Cr2.1.5a, VA:Cr2.1.8a, VA:Cr2.3.3a, VA:Cr2.3.4a
Learn how to write a letter the Victorian way! Students will learn about mail and communication in the 19th century and try their hand at writing their own letter with a quill and ink!
Registration: Required at least two weeks in advance.
Available: At site, Monday through Friday
Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: 4.H.7, 4.H.14, 4.G.7, 4.E.7, 4.E.3 English/Language Arts: 4.RC.1, 4.RC.4, 4.W.4, 4.W.7. 5.RF.2 5.RC.1 5.RC.4 5.CC.3
Learn about the history of the Lanier Mansion, the Lanier family and their servants in this interactive virtual program.
Registration: Required two weeks in advance.
Available: Virtual, Monday through Friday
Fee: Free
Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: 4.H.5, 4.H.6, 4.H.7, 4.E.1, 4.E.2, 4.E.4,4.E.5, 4.E.6 8.H.19, 8.H.23, 8.H.24, IS.1.39 IS.4.1 IS.4.2 IS.4.3 IS.4.4 IS.4.6 IS.4.7 IS.5.2
Discover the beautiful architecture of the home, including some of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture. In addition to the spiral staircase, be sure to notice the Corinthian columns on the south portico, the Ionic columns separating the double parlors on the first floor and even a curved door near the stairs!
The Greek Revival Lanier home has been preserved and shared for almost 100 years to honor James F. D. Lanier. Mr. Lanier made major economic contributions to the State of Indiana and the nation. Spend a day at the Mansion and you can easily imagine what life was like for Mr. Lanier and his family in the mid-1800s. Careful interior restoration and redecoration have recaptured the Mansion’s 19th-century splendor.
We look forward to welcoming your students to the Lanier Mansion State Historic Site. Call us at 812.265.3526 to book your trip or send us an email at the link below.
