Henry S. Lane House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Lane Place
|
|
|
U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
|
North Side of the Lane Place
|
|
 Location in Indiana
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | 212 S. Water St., Crawfordsville, Indiana |
|---|---|
| Area | 2.1 acres (0.85 ha) |
| Built | 1830 |
| Architectural style | Federal, Greek Revival, Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 81000003 |
| Added to NRHP | November 23, 1981 |
The Lane Place is a historic house located in Crawfordsville, Indiana. It was the home of Senator Henry S. Lane (1811–1881) and his wife, Joanna Lane (1826–1914). You can find this special house at 212 South Water Street.
After Joanna Lane passed away, her niece, Helen Elston Smith, inherited the house. On February 26, 1931, Helen decided to give the house and almost all of its furniture to the Montgomery County Historical Society. About 85% to 90% of the items inside are original to the house or belonged to the Elston family. The house has been a museum since 1931, even though Helen continued to live there until the mid-1930s.
The Lane Place was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. It is part of the Elston Grove Historic District.
Contents
The Story of Lane Place
The Lane Place started as a small, three-room brick cottage. This cottage was built in 1831 by Maria and Isaac Elston. Major Isaac Elston was the father of Joanna Lane, who became Henry Lane's second wife.
Senator Henry Lane bought this cottage and the land around it from Isaac Elston in the fall of 1844. This was when Henry and Joanna Elston got married. A famous writer, Lew Wallace, met his future wife, Susan Wallace (who was Joanna Lane's sister), at a party held in the house's formal parlor.
Who Was Henry Lane?
Henry Lane was a lawyer and an important politician from Indiana. He served in the Indiana legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of the Whig Party.
In 1860, he was elected Governor of Indiana as a Republican. However, he was soon chosen to be a U.S. Senator instead. He served as a Senator from 1861 to 1867. In 1865, he represented Indiana at President Lincoln's funeral. Senator Lane was also one of the key people who helped create the Republican Party.
How Lane Place Grew
When Henry Lane bought the cottage in 1844, it was too small for him and his new wife, Joanna. They got married in February 1845 and moved into the cottage. They immediately started making it bigger!
The first addition was two new rooms at the front of the cottage, with two more rooms built on top of them. The original parlor of the cottage became the Lanes' dining room. At first, the new part of the house was not connected to the old cottage.
In 1870, a library was added to the first floor. The kitchen from 1831 was changed into a serving pantry, and a new kitchen was built at the back of the pantry. In 1885, Helen Elston Smith came to live with the Lanes, and another bedroom was added to the second floor. A porch was also added to both the first and second stories on the north side of the house. The roof of the original sleeping loft was raised to create two more rooms. Finally, in 1900, the open space between the old cottage and the new additions was enclosed.
Changing Colors of the House
The Lane Place has been painted many different colors since 1845. While Henry and Joanna lived there, the house was always painted white, even with all the additions.
After Henry's death on June 18, 1881, Joanna painted the house gray as a sign of mourning. When Helen owned the house, from about 1914 to 1920, it was temporarily painted pink! In 1920, the house was painted yellow. The house stayed yellow until 1945, when the Montgomery County Historical Society decided to paint it white again. It has been white ever since.
The Strawberry Festival
The beautiful grounds of the Lane Place are home to the Annual Crawfordsville Strawberry Festival. Joanna Lane first started this festival as a social gathering where people would drink tea. Today, it is still held every year in June.
