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Education Opportunities at LanierMansionState Historic Site

For more information on school programs and Indiana Academic Standards met at the Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, contact laniermansionshs@dnr.in.gov or Eastern Region School Program Manager at 812.273.4531 or afairchild@dnr.in.gov.

The Lanier Mansion State Historic Site and the Madison community present the perfect opportunity to encounter, explore, and experience history as it was in the 1840s when America was still young and the Ohio River was the gateway to the west.

School Tours

• How James F.D. Lanier helped to build Indiana’s economy and finance the Civil War
• A glimpse into life in a bustling Ohio River town in the 1840s
• Some of the best Greek Revival architecture in the country
• How technology and family life has changed over the past 160 years

Details

• Admission for student groups of 10 or more is $1 per student
• Complimentary admission is available for one chaperone per 10 students; additional chaperones are charged the regular adult rate
• Field trips are available year round by appointment. 
• Additional school program fees will vary
• Contact the site to schedule a tour

Youth and Student Special Events

Lanier’s Right Angle: Math at the Mansion Architecture Program

5-8th grade students; $3

This two-and-a-half hour program includes an architectural tour of the mansion, a self-guided, interactive outdoor tour and your choice of the following activities:

• Careers and building tools of the mid-19th century
• Column orders at the Lanier Mansion
• Bid proposal activity. Use a blueprint to find the quantity and price of supplies needed to replace a ceiling in the dining room.
• Decorative molding: How many sections of molding do you need to cover the perimeter of a square?
• Create your own Greek Revival building
• Which type of brick bonds were used at the LanierMansion?
• Architecture loop-a-word puzzle
• Carpenter’s nightmare: Which room fits the rug that just arrived?
• We received a donation to purchase carpeting! How many square feet of carpeting do we need to cover the first floor?
• Design and landscape a flowerbe

Contact laniermansionshs@dnr.in.gov to request more information or to schedule this program.

K – 2nd Grades

Social Studies

K.1.1, K.3.3, K.5.4, 1.1.1, 1.1.2, 1.3.8, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.3.7

Science

K.5.1, K.6.1, 1.4.2, 1.5.3, 2.1.3, 2.3.6, 2.6.1

Math

2.4.3

3rd – 5th Grades

Social Studies

3.1.2, 3.1.4, 3.1.7, 3.5.2, 3.5.4, 3.5.5, 4.1.6, 4.1.9, 4.4.7, 4.5.5, 5.3.11, 5.4.3

Science

3.1.6, 3.6.1, 3.6.2, 4.1.7, 4.4.8, 5.1.5, 5.5.5

Math

3.4.4, 3.4.10

6th – 8th Grades

Social Studies

6.4.1, 6.4.9, 6.4.11, 6.5.5, 6.5.6, 6.5.9, 8.1.20, 8.1.27, 8.2.3, 8.2.4, 8.4.5, 8.4.8, 8.4.9, 8.4.10, 8.5.7, 8.5.10

Science

6.1.4, 7.1.5, 7.1.7, 7.1.10, 7.4.10, 7.5.2, 8.2.7, 8.7.6

High School

U.S. History

1.3, 2.1, 2.2

Outreach Programs

Outreach programs with costumed interpreters are available for $1 per student.

Lesson Plan to get you started!

From Lanier’s Right Angle:  Math at the Mansion Architecture Program

Sunlight Measurement Activity (for any building)

Materials: Pencil, paper, tape measure, calculator (if necessary)

Place:Standing in front of a column on the LanierMansion

Directions:

1.  Measure the height of a person standing in the sunlight.

2.  Measure the shadow of the same person in the sunlight.

3.  Measure the shadow of one of the columns.

4.  Set up a proportion as follows:

Shadow of person = Shadow of column

Actual height of person    Unknown height of the column (x)

5.  Cross-multiply and divide to find the Unknown height of the column (X).