Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites

Hip, hip, hooray for Lanier Day! Join us in celebrating Lanier Mansion and the history of Madison with a variety of reenactors, performances, family-friendly activities, vendors and more both inside and outside the mansion, rain or shine.

A mainstay of Lanier Day for more than a decade, the sound of cannon fire will echo through the Ohio River valley during Civil War reenactments on the south lawn, featuring Graves’ Battery with a 12-pound mountain howitzer as well as Regimental Embalming Surgeon Capt. Craig Malone.

Outside the historic mansion, the lively music of violinist and fiddler Emily Ann Thompson and the Rob Houze Trio Jazz band will help transport visitors back with old-time sounds as they stroll around the picturesque grounds and browse vendor booths offering unique and handmade items.

Lanier Day will also offer fun for families, with children’s activities on the north lawn as well as a magician and Punch and Judy puppet show in the visitors center.

Madison’s well-known teller of tales Bob Hartsaw will greet visitors at the south portico with stories from bygone days. Also, reenactor Sue Livers will introduce families to Patsy Ann Harris, wife of minister and Underground Railroad conductor Chapman Harris, and share stories of life around the Civil War era.

As visitors explore inside the Greek Revival mansion that was completed in 1844, they will also learn about the Lanier family, including patriarch James F. D. Lanier and his connection to the war. A banking and railroad magnate, Lanier contributed more than $1 million (equivalent to $32 million today) to pay the state’s debt and equip troops to ensure Indiana could stay in the Civil War on the Union side.

Price: Free