Extol Magazine Celebrating Southern Indiana is a local publication that covers stories about businesses people places or events throughout the cities of New Albany Jeffersonville Clarksville Sellersburg and Louisville KY
Issue link: https://extol.epubxp.com/i/475732
Construction of Culbertson Mansion began in 1867 and was completed in 1869 for William S. Culbertson as a family home. Te building cost was about $120,000. Local architect brothers William and James Banes built the house, using locally- sourced materials. It is overwhelming to stand inside the massive structure and know that all of the bricks were handmade. More than 20,000 custom, curved bricks alone form each of the six window bays on the front, east and west facades of the mansion. Tese semi-circular bays have custom-curved glass panes, some of them still original, made with sand from the Ohio River. Te Snead Company Ironworks (now the Glassworks building in Louisville) produced the iron railing, stairs, fence and ornate trim that delicately lace the edge of the building. Te mansion was one of the frst of its time to be constructed with central heat, plumbing and indoor bathrooms, securing a place as one of Main Street's fnest homes of the Victorian Era. Culbertson and his family moved into the mansion in the summer of 1869, where they resided until 1899. Te front door let out a long creak as it slowly began to open. I imagined myself as some sort of storybook character, dwarfed in comparison to the towering 12-foot door. I was about to go back in time; I was entering the most exquisite castle in all the land of Indiana, at least. Stavros – and the comforting aroma of pot roast – warmly greeted me. I was immediately intrigued: Stavros was the youngest museum curator I have ever encountered and live cooking was occurring in the mansion. "Doesn't that smell amazing?" she asked. "We are prepping to make the hor d'oeuvres for tomorrow night's event, Te Benevolence Ball." It did smell amazing (and I am not a pot roast fan). Te aroma also allowed me to convince myself that this gargantuan museum was once a home nearly 150 years ago. New Albany in the mid 1830s was the trade and cultural hub of Indiana. It was during this time that 21-year-old Culbertson, a Scottish Presbyterian, left his hometown of New Market, Pa., to seek employment in Louisville. To get there, he travelled for two weeks by steamboat. When he fnally arrived, his job had been flled. According to Stavros, he only had $10 in his pocket, which is not dire straits, considering the modern equivalent is approximately $120 today. However, what he did not have was a back-up plan. Te Louisville employer thought Culbertson had a good character and experience (he had been a merchant apprentice at age 14 with no formal education), so he referred him to a merchant in Indiana. Upon settling in New Albany, Culbertson gained employment as a salaried clerk in a dry goods store. "Having a salary was rare for the time," Stavros said. "Most men worked for a daily or a weekly rate. Te dry goods store was the Victorian version of the department store. Tey carried bulk fabric, buttons and thread." "So they sold all types of clothing, you just had to make them yourself," I said. "Exactly," Stavros laughed. In the grand entrance hall, my eye was immediately drawn to the spiraling cantilevered staircase that appeared to be foating upward to infnity. Adding to this optical illusion were hand-painted, ornately- patterned murals, taking me on a visual roller coaster up the stairwell, around the curved walls and fnally settling my gaze upward to the vibrant, gilded ceiling. "You are looking at 23 karat gold leafng on the ceiling and cornice," Stavros said. "Te second foor contains silver and copper leaf as well. Te ceilings will be the most ornate on the frst foor. Te Victorian lifestyle centered on entertaining; the formal areas on the main foor were always the most decorative." Culbertson spared no expense in hiring artists to custom paint the ceilings and trim work in the 18 EXTOL • 2|15