Charles L. Shrewsbury House facts for kids
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Charles L. Shrewsbury House
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U.S. National Historic Landmark District
Contributing Property |
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Principal Facade
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 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
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| Location | 301 W. 1st St., Madison, Indiana |
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| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | Francis Costigan |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Part of | Madison Historic District (ID73000020) |
| NRHP reference No. | 94001190 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 19, 1994 |
| Designated NHL | April 19, 1994 |
| Designated NHLDCP | May 25, 1973 |
The Charles L. Shrewsbury House (also known as the Shrewsbury–Windle House) is a super cool historic house you can visit! It's located at 301 West First Street in Madison, Indiana. This amazing house was built way back in 1842. It was designed by a famous architect named Francis Costigan. Because of its beautiful Greek Revival style, it was named a National Historic Landmark in 1994. This means it's a very important building in American history! It's also part of the larger Madison Historic District, which is full of other historic buildings.
Meet Charles Shrewsbury
The Charles Shrewsbury House was once the home of Charles Shrewsbury. He was a very busy man in the 1800s! He was a riverboat captain who moved salt on barges. He also made flour and was a merchant who sold pork. On top of all that, Charles Shrewsbury was even the mayor of Madison!
Step Inside This Amazing House!
The Shrewsbury House is a two-story building made of brick. It has a balanced look with three sections on the front. Stone details add to its beauty. The corners of the building have brick columns called pilasters. These go all the way up to stone tops. Above them is a decorative band called an entablature, which has small windows for the attic.
Inside, the house is huge! It has twelve rooms and thirteen fireplaces to keep everyone warm. The windows are thirteen feet tall, reaching almost from the floor to the ceiling! Imagine how much light they let in. The front and back doors are even taller, at twelve feet high. They were so big that a person on horseback could easily ride through them!
The Incredible Spiral Staircase
One of the most amazing parts of the Shrewsbury House is its free-standing spiral staircase. It has fifty-three steps! This staircase is so special that experts say it's the most impressive part of the whole house.
The staircase is made of pine wood for the steps and cherry wood for the railings. It's built in a way that it supports its own weight, which is very clever! Besides letting people go up to the second floor, this staircase also helps keep the house cool. Hot air from the first floor can rise through the open stairwell and then escape through the attic windows. This was a smart way to cool the house before air conditioning was invented!
