Madison, Indiana is a wonderful town on the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Louisville. The entire downtown has been declared a National Historic site due to the remarkable number of historic buildings including the Shrewsbury-Windle House.
The Official Designation Plaque
The “back door” on city street
One historic home brings back fond memories for me, as the most recent owners of the Shrewsbury-Windle house were close friends of my paternal grandparents, who also lived for a while in Madison. As a young lad I remember many wonderful visits with John and Ann in the house. I loved climbing up and down that spiral stairway! John and Ann Windle founded the Historic Madison, Inc society.
3 story free standing spiral staircase
Frank Costigan was a famous architect who designed many Greek Revival style homes in both Indianapolis and Madison. The Shrewsbury House features 16-foot ceilings, 12 foot high entrance doors, intricate plaster moldings, and ornately carved stone details. The most remarkable (and acclaimed) feature is the 3 story, 53 step free standing spiral staircase. The stair case serves as a means of letting hot air raise and vent out of attic windows in addition to providing access to the second floor rooms.
The expansive yard, Ohio River in background past the far fence
Front door faces Ohio River, columns are typical Costigan style
Tours of the Shrewsbury-Windle House are available. For details please go to this page of Historic Madison Inc. In addition, I strongly recommend checking out this article outlining both the history of the house, and the history of John and Ann Windle’s ownership of the house and founding the Historic Madison, Inc society.
Roadtirement 