Schofield House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Schofield House
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U.S. Historic district
Contributing property |
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 Location in Indiana
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| Location | Madison, Indiana |
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| Built | 1817 |
| Architectural style | Federal-style |
| Part of | Madison Historic District (ID73000020) |
| Added to NRHP | March 20, 2006 |
The Schofield House, also known as the Lanier-Schofield House, is an old and important building in Madison, Indiana. It was built in 1817 and was the first two-story brick house in Madison. It was also the first place that served as a tavern, which is like an old inn or pub. A very important event happened here on January 13, 1818: the Grand Lodge of Indiana was started. This group is part of an organization called Freemasons, which is a fraternal organization with a long history.
Contents
History of the Schofield House
The first people to live in the Schofield House were Alexander and Drusilla Lanier. They were the parents of a famous person named James Lanier. It's thought that they, or perhaps a person named William Robinson, had the house built in 1817.
When it was first built, the house had a bedroom, a kitchen, and a tavern room on the first floor. Upstairs, there was a sleeping area and a meeting room. Later, more parts were added to the house. The original bedroom became a parlor, which is like a living room, and the kitchen became a dining room.
Founding the Grand Lodge of Indiana
On January 13, 1818, fourteen Freemasons from all over Indiana met in the upstairs meeting room. They had decided to meet there the month before in Corydon, Indiana, to create a Grand Lodge for Indiana.
Alexander Lanier, who lived in the house, was also a Freemason. His new tavern was a good place to set up a lodge room upstairs. At this meeting, they approved the rules to start the Grand Lodge of Indiana. Nine smaller lodges from Indiana then left the Grand Lodge of Kentucky to become the first lodges of the new Grand Lodge of Indiana. After this important day, there is no record of the house being used for Masonic ceremonies for about 150 years.
The House Today
After James Lanier sold the building, it stayed with the Schofield family for many years. In 1972, a group called the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite in Indianapolis bought the house from the family.
Three years later, in 1975, the house was carefully restored. It opened on April 19, 1975, as a Masonic museum. Today, the Schofield House is supported by money from Indiana Freemasons and donations. People who are not Freemasons pay a fee to enter the house. Sometimes, special Masonic ceremonies are held there. However, the lodge room is small, made to look like rooms from the 1800s. Because of its size, only certain types of ceremonies, called Entered Apprentice degrees, are usually done there.
Gallery
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Upstairs meeting room, where the Grand Lodge of Indiana was founded.
See also
- List of Masonic buildings in Indiana
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Jefferson County, Indiana
