Madison indiana free#

A native of Baltimore, Maryland, the talented Costigan drew inspiration from the work of great architect Benjamin Henry Latrobe and brought west some of the fine architectural craftsmanship for which Madison is so remarkable today. Lanier Mansion at 601 West First Street and the Charles Shrewsbury House at 301 West First Street.

Architect Francis Costigan built a number of notable Greek Revival buildings in Madison, including the J. Greek Revival style architecture of the same period is marked by small porches and columned entryways reminiscent of Greek temples. The Jeremiah Sullivan House at 304 West Second Street and a group of Federal rowhouses in the 500 block of Jefferson Street illustrate the very fancy (Sullivan House) and more modest (Federal rowhouses) characteristics of Federal balance and symmetry. Well over 400 Federal style buildings grace the district. Along with an entrepreneurial spirit, settlers brought to Madison architectural styles and cultural practices that flourished.įederal style architecture, first adopted by wealthy merchants in New England, is the most common style found in Madison. Waterfront factories drew commerce and wealth to the town, attracting settlers from the East Coast. Sitting prominently on the Ohio River between the hubs of Cincinnati and Louisville, the town became a lifeline for transportation and industry in the middle territories of the country. Incorporated in 1809, Madison quickly established itself as a significant cultural and industrial town in the Old Northwest Territory.

Madison indiana free#

In Madison, free African Americans established a community with commercial enterprises and independent households. As a hotbed of antislavery activity and an important stop on the Underground Railroad before the Civil War, the historic district also brings alive the story of abolitionism and the flight of slaves from bondage to freedom and those who helped them escape. Visitors will enter a place that is still a compelling and lively embodiment of pre-World War II small town America. Together they reflect nearly every period of the town’s development between 18, ranging from Federal style and Greek Revival mansions to vernacular shotgun houses to institutional and industrial buildings and a vibrant Main Street commercial area lined with two and three story historic buildings. The more than 130 block historic district is the home of a superb and very large collection of historic buildings. The National Historic Landmark Madison Historic District is tucked away in limestone bluffs on the banks of the Ohio River in southern Indiana. Courtesy of LuAnn Snawder Photography, Flickr's Creative Commons