Harrison, William Henry, Home (Grouseland)

About this property

Grouseland, the William Henry Harrison Mansion and Museum, is a National Historic Landmark important for its Federal-style architecture and role in American history. The two-story, red brick home was built between 1802 and 1804 in Vincennes, Indiana, for William Henry Harrison (1773–1841) during his tenure from 1801 to 1812 as the first governor of the Indiana Territory. The residence was completed in 1804, and Harrison reportedly named it Grouseland due to the abundance of grouse in the area. In 1800, U.S. president John Adams appointed twenty-seven-year-old William Henry Harrison the first governor of the Indiana Territory. Soon after his arrival in Vincennes in 1801, Harrison began planning the construction of a home on 300 acres (120 ha) of land he purchased adjacent to the town. When Harrison was certain of remaining for a second term as territorial governor, construction began on his Federal-style mansion, which was built between 1802 and 1804. Grouseland was home to William Henry and Anna Tuthill (Symmes) Harrison and their children until 1812. At least three of the Harrisons' ten children were born at Grouseland, including John Scott Harrison, the father of Benjamin Harrison (the 23rd president of the United States). The Harrisons left Grouseland in 1812 and moved to North Bend, Ohio. Harrison served in the U.S. Army during the War of 1812, and later as a member of the Ohio Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Senate before his election in 1840 as the 9th president of the United States. Grouseland was designed by the architect William Lindsay and constructed in the Federal style, reminiscent of the aristocratic homes where Harrison spent his boyhood in Virginia. Grouseland was a marked contrast to the log cabins of the Indiana Territory's other residents. In the early 19th century, the territory was on the edge of the American frontier with few established roads, and Vincennes, the territorial capital, had an American and French population estimated at only 700. Grouseland was built at great personal expense to Governor Harrison; it is believed to have cost an estimated US$20,000 at the time of its construction. Grouseland's builder used skilled labor and local bricks manufactured not far from Vincennes. It is believed to have been the first brick building in Vincennes as well as the Indiana Territory. Limestone blocks for the home's foundation were obtained from nearby quarries. Grouseland was decorated in grand style with items imported from Europe. At least one biographer surmises that Harrison's motives in constructing such an elaborate home in the wilderness included establishing the respect due to him as governor, despite his relative youth at the time. Grouseland reflected Harrison's position and marked his place in American aristocracy. (William Henry Harrison was the youngest son of Benjamin Harrison V, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.)

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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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