rbourque2 Loc: Portland, Maine

Reediting some photos taken a few years ago which I don't believe I posted on this site before so I thought I would send your way.

The Seiberling Mansion, located in Kokomo, Indiana was built by Monroe Seiberling, an industrialist and entrepreneur. Mr. Seiberling came to Kokomo during the Indiana gas boom of the late 19th century and built several large factories in the region. He became wealthy from his investments and decided to build a home befitting his wealth and position in the community. Construction on the mansion began in 1889 under the supervision of architect Arthur LaBelle of Marion, finished in 1891. The family only stayed a few years.
Subsequent owners included Orange Darby, whose dry goods store was located in the building now occupied by Cook McDoogal’s Irish Pub; Reverend William Parr, the namesake of Parr Methodist Church, whose successful investments led to considerable wealth; and Franklin Miller, a prominent real estate developer and community leader. In 1914, Miller sold the mansion to George Kingston, a wealthy inventor and entrepreneur who developed the carburetor used in Henry Ford’s Model T. Kingston passed away in 1946 and Indiana University purchased the mansion from his estate, using it as the Kokomo branch of IU until 1964.
After IUK moved to its new campus, the mansion sat empty for nearly seven years. In the early 1970s, Howard County officials were looking for a way to move the county museum out of the courthouse and claim the space for the growing needs of county government. They reached a long-term agreement with IU that turned control of the property over to the county for use as a museum. The mansion has since regained its Victorian elegance and is now a centerpiece of community pride, visited each year by thousands of people from across the country and around the world.
The architecture of the house is a mixture of Neo-Jacobean (Queen Anne) and Romanesque Revival styles. Built at the height of the gas boom in Indiana, the house was originally heated and illuminated by natural gas. It includes eight rooms on the first floor, seven on the second, and a grand ballroom on the third floor with an entrance to the rotunda outside. The grand porch overlooks the grounds. The ornate interior woodwork and parquetry uses a variety of native woods, including walnut, oak, maple, cherry, mahogany and butternut. Moorish themes are featured in brass door knobs, plates, hinges, and sash lifts.
The Seiberling Mansion was listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1972.
Since this is a museum I have included a few other shots of the artifacts which have been preserved for all of us to learn from.

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Mr. Kingston invented the carburetor on the Model T Ford.

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Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Amator21 Loc: California

A great series of superb pictures. It's always fun to see how "the other people" lived. Thank you for posting!

welshgator Loc: South Carolina

What a beautiful mansion, it is absolutely magnificent. Thank you for posting. After watching a segment of "Mysteries at the Museum" on History Channel which discussed "Shield's Green" pigment/dye used in Victorian era produced wall papers which contained lethal amounts of arsenic (to create the exact color green) which outgassed into the rooms it was applied to walls in. I'm curious if there is any connection in this home? Does the museum have any cause to mention this? I'm not trying to alarm anyone, just curiosity on my part.

Note: They spoke about one family that lost all 4 of their children to arsenic poisoning before the cause was discovered. There is actually a wall paper sample book/catalog with the dangerous culprits in it.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

Beautiful and interesting series.

joecichjr Loc: Chicago S. Suburbs, Illinois, USA

Beautiful! The other half....

rbourque2 Loc: Portland, Maine

They didn't mention it, just that when Indiana University used it for dorms they repainted over the walls and after they took over they were able to remove the layers of paint to bring back the original wall paper. Also that the wood used in a few room, the workmanship has caught the eye for being remarkable done. It's a place I want to revisit and this time not be hurried to keep a schedule.

nimbushopper Loc: Tampa, FL

Very nice!

tcthome Loc: NJ

Beauty. Love the stained glass.

Irvingite Charles Loc: Irving, Tx

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Interesting. I have lived about thirty-five miles away forever, and I have never heard of the place before.
Nice photos, by the way.

blacks2 Loc: SF. Bay area

Beautiful.

rbourque2 Loc: Portland, Maine

I did too, there is a glass company in town which one of the owners of the house owned and you should see the glass there, and you get to see how it's made. It's another story.

rbourque2 Loc: Portland, Maine

That area has a lot to offer, from car museums to plane museums to historic places. It is known for the city of first and that's another story.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

I do know a lot about Kokomo, and I used to teach off-campus classes at Grissom AFB, where the air museum is located, for Ball State University for about ten years. I just have never heard of Seiberling Mansion.