Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Indiana Kokomo Seiberling Mansion

Seiberling Mansion

An opulent testament to the boom-and-bust history of industry in north central Indiana.

Kokomo, Indiana

Added By
T.E. Watts
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana   TE Watts / Atlas Obscura User
Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana   TE Watts / Atlas Obscura User
Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana   TE Watts / Atlas Obscura User
Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana   TE Watts / Atlas Obscura User
Plack for statue on bench.   soxnd / Atlas Obscura User
  soxnd / Atlas Obscura User
View from parking lot in back.   soxnd / Atlas Obscura User
Plack at back   soxnd / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

This impressive residence in Kokomo, Indiana was built by Monroe Seiberling, a businessman who spent several years in the city. Seiberling came to the area to open the Kokomo Strawboard Company, which manufactured hat and shoeboxes. Within six months, however, he had sold the business to open the Diamond Plate Glass company, the largest and most technologically advanced glass factory in the country.

Construction of this three-story Victorian mansion began in October 1889. It cost $50,000—an outlandish sum at the time—and took two years to complete. A triumph of Neo-Jacobean and Romanesque-Revival architectural style, the house was located in the Old Silk Stocking Historic District. Seiberling reportedly browsed the architect's portfolio book and picked out all the specific details he wanted, which included a different type of wood in every room. The wood carving in the house is astonishing: some of the floors feature highly decorated friezes such as florals and checkerboards, and even the door hinges are elaborately carved.

A large natural gas reserve was discovered in the region in the 1880s, and the town capitalized on their newly-discovered natural resource by offering free land and gas supply to anyone who opened a factory in the town. Unfortunately, the gas supply, which was thought to be essentially limitless, was quickly depleted. The technology to reach the deepest wells wasn’t available, and mismanagement rendered them all but unusable. By 1902, the gas boom had ended. As their prospects in Kokomo waned, the Seiberlings moved to Peoria, Illinois, in 1895. Seiberling opened up other companies in Peoria, as well as another glass plant in Ottawa, Illinois.

The house changed hands multiple times. In 1945, Indiana University opened a Kokomo extension center, but it quickly outgrew its existing structure, and the university purchased the Seiberling mansion. It was used for several years, but was then vacated, and sat empty for seven years before the university turned the property over to Howard County for use as a house museum. As some of the original stained glass was destroyed by vandals, the Kokomo Opalescent Art Glass company, replaced it with period-accurate materials. During renovation, the original icebox was discovered behind drywall panels, and is now on display. The house is now owned by the Howard County Historical Society and serves as the main outpost of the Howard County Historical Museum.

Related Tags

Houses Mansions Stained Glass Windows Eccentric Homes Architecture Homes

Know Before You Go

The Seiberling Mansion is open between February and December, Tuesday through Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students or those under 18.

Community Contributors

Added By

TE Watts

Edited By

soxnd

  • soxnd

Published

January 9, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://howardcountymuseum.org/about/seiberling-mansion
Seiberling Mansion
1200 W Sycamore St
Kokomo, Indiana, 46901
United States
40.48683, -86.144239
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Kokomo Hum

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

KokoMantis

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

Kokomo Railroad Watchman Tower

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kokomo

Kokomo

Indiana

Places 5

Nearby Places

Kokomo Hum

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

KokoMantis

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

Kokomo Railroad Watchman Tower

Kokomo, Indiana

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Kokomo

Kokomo

Indiana

Places 5

Related Places

  • The marble aviary.

    Indianapolis, Indiana

    Allison Mansion

    This elaborate estate contains a stunning marble aviary, a sunken conservatory, and a magnificent music room with a two-story pipe organ.

  • Independence, Missouri

    Vaile Mansion

    A remarkably opulent mansion with a tragic history.

  • Row of old houses with the narrow Kleine Trippenhuis or “Little Trip House” on Kloveniersburgwal canal.

    Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Kleine Trippenhuis

    One of Amsterdam's narrowest houses is located right across the canal from its widest.

  • William Randolph Hearst’s private castle.

    San Simeon, California

    Hearst Castle

    The unbelievably opulent home built for an infamous newspaperman.

  • Castel Meur

    Plougrescant, France

    Castel Meur

    A small house sits between two huge rocks, with its back to the sea.

  • Interior of 575 Wandsworth

    London, England

    575 Wandsworth Road

    What started as a way to address damp basement walls turned into a house filled with intricate hand-carved designs.

  • Barbara Hutton’s Japanese palace, in the shadow of the volcano Popocatépetl.

    Jiutepec, Mexico

    Camino Real Sumiya

    The tragic heiress Barbara Woolworth Hutton built her seventh husband this Japanese-inspired palace in Mexico.

  • Winnekenni Castle

    Haverhill, Massachusetts

    Winnekenni Castle

    It was an experiment to prove that glacial boulders and rocks can be used in constructions and dwelling.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.