Historic Madison, Inc.

05/30/2026

Happy Jewish American Heritage Month! Madison’s Jewish residents have helped shape the community into what it is today. We wanted to highlight one of them that had a connection to the Shrewsbury-Windle House and many Madisonians of the past.

Etta Hoffstadt, born in 1874 to a Jewish family in Madison, was a schoolteacher at Eggleston School for many years. She was loved and remembered by her students, who mentioned her in the Madison Courier several times. Etta coached the 1910 Madison women’s basketball team, pictured here. This celebratory photo is at the Shrewsbury-Windle House, likely because one of the players was Eleanor Wyatt, granddaughter of Charles and Ellen Shrewsbury.

Etta had a great heart that was always giving. She corresponded with a Dutch pen pal who, after World War II, expressed a need for children’s toys. She and her sister Juliette began making pipe-cleaner dolls to send to the Netherlands. Many of these dolls survived and are now in the Jefferson County History & Art Center Archives! Although Etta passed in 1959, her legacy and that of her family continue to live on in the history of Madison and Jefferson County.

05/27/2026

Loving Your Old House is back with a special session! Join us on Wednesday, June 17, for a session featuring Benjamin L. Ross. He will be speaking on the hierarchy of space in historic buildings! This session will help attendees understand the importance of historic floor plans and how to view them through a modern lens. This session was a favorite in 2025, so if you didn’t attend, plan to now! Tickets are available now via Madtix. The event page is linked in the comments.

05/26/2026

We are working on the final preparations for this year’s Gala (it’s only 10 days away). As we get closer, we wanted to share some of our amazing silent auction items that attendees will have the chance to bid on!

The biggest and most valuable item on the list is a private, catered lunch & tour at the Shrewsbury-Windle House. Valued at $1750, this wonderful experience inside a National Historic Landmark will be up for auction starting at $500! After a lovely lunch provided by our friends at Paradise Cove Catering, your group (of up to 10 people!) will enjoy a guided tour led by John Staicer, President and Executive Director of Historic Madison, Inc. Don’t miss this opportunity- attend the gala and bid on this fantastic experience! Ticket sales end Friday, May 29!

05/25/2026

Today is Memorial Day, a day to honor and remember those who have fallen in service to the United States. The flag pictured here was made by the Ladies of Madison and presented to the 3rd Regiment of Indiana Volunteers who fought in the Mexican-American War. Although a short war in terms of conflict (April 1846 to February 1848), the Mexican-American War grew the territory of the United States extensively with the acquisition of some or all of the states of Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, California, Texas, and Colorado. Madison had a significant contingent in the 3rd Regiment. Few lives were lost due to fighting, and most of the casualties were due to illnesses rather than conflict.

The flag is part of the collection of the Commission housed in Indianapolis. We are thrilled to know they are taking good care of it.

Many fought under “The Flag of the Third,” and after the war, it was presented to the State of Indiana by Captain Thomas L. Sullivan in 1848, born and raised in the Jeremiah Sullivan House on 2nd Street in Madison. Today we reflect on the sacrifices made by those soldiers as well as all other members of the military and their families who have served our great nation.

05/24/2026

Just a note, we are closed tomorrow for Memorial Day, but we’ve planned out June and July for you! There’s a slight change in the schedule. We are swapping Tuesdays for Thursdays! Remember if you’re curious about a particular day, it’s always good to check the calendar of events on our website. We have tours and special events listed there for you! See you soon!

05/23/2026

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Scavenger Hunt on Thursday. We loved celebrating National Preservation Month with everyone at Find It In Madison! It was lovely to hear the Mayoral Proclamation surrounded by historic preservation success stories in the HMI yard. It was wonderful to see each team complete their sheet and celebrate their renewed knowledge of preservation in Madison. The winning team was the Meachem Family, who went home with a prize pack of great HMI things!

A special thanks to our community partners who let us station a volunteer at their sites: Jefferson County History & Art Center, Madison Main Street, Lanier Mansion State Historic Site, City of Madison IN - City Hall, and the Historic Eagle Cotton Mill - Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Madison. And we can’t forget the spectacular Troublemakers Food Truck LLC, which provided us with tasty dinner options! As Preservation Month starts to draw to a close, don’t forget, we have preservation happenings year-round in Madison! Check our events and website for our next great program.

05/23/2026

In between tours, you have plenty of time to get lunch and support one of our amazing volunteer fire departments! Head to the east end of Main Street and help them out by having a tasty lunch or early dinner!

05/22/2026

Historic Madison, Inc., or HMI has been around for 66 years which means we still vividly remember the 1990s and have pictures to prove it. We love the 1990s so much, it’s the attire theme for this year’s annual gala on June 5. Tickets are on sale now via our website or the link in our bio.

05/21/2026

We are so excited to see you out hunting in the National Landmark Historic District as part of our celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the district. Plan to get some food from Troublemakers Food Truck LLC too! You can reserve your hunting passport here: https://tickets.madtixevents.com/e/hmi-finditinmadison-5-21-26/tickets and just pick it up at the canopy tent in the yard starting 6.

We will have a brief introduction and proclamation before the hunt begins. Jess, HMI’s Director of Programs, will ring the bell to start the contest after.

Passports can be purchased at the event too.

All hunters hoping to enter to win the prize must turn in their cards by 7:45.

See you soon!!!

Tickets for this event are only available for purchase via MadTix. Tickets purchased through another entity will be considered invalid. All purchases are considered final. If you made an error in your purchase, please contact [email protected].

05/19/2026

Join us Thursday, May 21, for a fun scavenger hunt around Madison! We’re celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Madison Historic District reaching National Historic Landmark status with this event. Starting at 6 PM, we will have a quick introduction and proclamation. Then those choosing to participate in the hunt will receive the clues that will guide them through town, and the winner will receive a prize! It’s a short time period to find the clues because you have to be back by 7:45 to turn in your sheet! Meet us at the starting (and ending) point, the Historic Madison, Inc. Office located at 301 W Second St., Madison, IN. Tickets are available for a small donation of $5 on MadTix or on the day of.

If you want to join the fun without taking part in the hunt, you're welcome to relax outdoors in the Talbott-Hyat House yard, which offers views of the Schofield House, Shrewsbury-Windle House, and Sullivan House. The Troublemakers Food Truck LLC, a local small business, will be on site selling tasty food too!