Hillforest Mansion – Aurora Indiana
Located on 10 acres of land high on a hill overlooking the Ohio River, Hillforest Mansion presents a breathtaking scene. Just as impressive is its colorful past. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, in 1992 it was given the honor of being designated a National Historic Landmark, thus placing it on the same level of prominence as Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello.
Designed in 1853 by Isaiah Rogers, an architect known as the “father of the modern hotel”, it was designed for Thomas Gaff and his family, who occupied it from 1855 to 1891.
Boats and riverboats were important elements of Gaff’s trading ventures and are reflected in the architecture of the house.
Although based on the Italian Renaissance architectural style, the design of the two-story home reflects Gaff’s involvement in the shipping industry with its full-width front porch reminiscent of a steamboat deck. Its many features include Ventian glass windows, elaborate plaster moldings, a museum room, and an underground wine cellar.
The suspended staircase was modeled after those at the ends of the Great Hall on the most elaborate riverboats of the day.
Thomas Gaff was born in Scotland in July 1808. After coming to the United States, he learned the papermaking and still business. Along with his brother James, they became involved in many other businesses, including a jewelry store, a Nevada silver mine, farming, highway and canal construction, mechanical work, and a mill in Columbus, Indiana, which produced the world’s first prepared cereal. .
Needing to transport their brewing and distilling products, they also owned a fleet of steamboats. During the Civil War they supplied the Union Army with steamboats, when this one, the Forest Queen, became Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman’s headquarters and successfully rammed the Vicksburg blockade.
In their spare time, the brothers were involved in many civic affairs, helping to organize the local school system, establishing the First National Bank of Aurora, and serving on the city council.
Today Hillforest is a non-profit museum and is open to the public.