Mansions of New Albany

Mansions of New Albany. . When Joel, Abner and Nathaniel Scribner settled strategically below the Falls of the Ohio, they named New Albany for Albany, New York. The town became the county seat, and was a hub of steamboat activity. Mary industries thrived, including machine shops, foundries, cabinet and furniture factories and silversmiths. It was the birth place of early plate glass manufacturing. , In 1850 New Albany was the largest city in Indians, and by 1920 it had become the largest producer of plywood and veneer in the world. , Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site, the crown jewel of Mansion Row, was the home of a man once considered to be the wealthiest in Indiana. William S. Culbertson rose from being a clerk in a New Albany dry goods store to a prosperous businessman involved in the management of railroads and utilities. At his death in 1892 his estate was valued at $3.5 million. The mansion, built 1867-1869 in the fashionable Second Empire style, showcases a lifestyle of Victorian affluence with its hand-painted interiors, carved rosewood staircase, and chandeliers. , New Albany's mansions stand as timeless witnesses to economic success generated by the Ohio River captains of industry. These homes were occupied by wealthy and powerful industrialists, shippers, merchants and manufacturers. The high style buildings demonstrate a range of architectural styles popular between 1830 and 1880. Excellent examples of the Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Queen Anne and Colonial Revival styles can be found. In addition to Culbertson, other well-known magnates included Messrs. Bicknell, Pepin and Kerr as well as Washington C. DePauw, the benefactor of DePauw University in Indiana. Mansion Row was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. , By the Way The 20,000 spare-foot Culbertson Mansion was built for $120,000 (in 1869 dollars). At auction in 1899, the home sold for less than $7.200.00. At one time it was threatened with demolition to make way for a service station. Luckily the building was preserved and is now a State Historic Site.