Madison, IN Thundery shower 82°
Listen Live

Cravenhurst Barn One Of Ten Most Endangered Indiana Landmarks

Going, going...almost gone

Every day, all year long, Indiana Landmarks works to revitalize historic structures that give our communities visible connections to their past and lend irreplaceable visual character to the streetscape. Once a year, we announce the 10 Most Endangered, a list of historic places on the brink of extinction and too important to lose.

Our 2018 entries include a college campus, an eccentric estate, an unusual barn, a basketball palace, and more. These places shape lives, and when they’re gone, they leave a void that can’t be filled. 

2018 Ten Most Endangered

One of the endangered structures is the Cravenhurst Barn at 1340 Michigan Road in Madison.

The Loyal Order of Moose property in Madison has an enviable pedigree. Railroad entrepreneur John Brough built the house around 1850 and sold it soon after on his way to becoming governor of Ohio. J.F.D. Lanier—a name famous for his role in shaping Madison and for the house now operated as a museum by the state of Indiana—bought it and passed it on to his daughter Drusilla Cravens. The family kept it until 1938.

The Moose bought the property in 1941 and altered the house to suit their needs. They didn’t need the Cadillac of a barn—a slate-roofed stone and wood structure with elegant arched entrances—and it has declined to a perilous state. The 1906 bank barn has an internal silo, collapsing now, and feeding chutes to main and lower levels from the grain storage floor above.

 

The Moose can’t afford to repair the failing roof, masonry, and siding, although member Louis Shields has almost single-handedly shored up failing timbers. With restoration, the barn would make an attractive meeting and wedding venue, but the rescue needs to come soon.

More from Local News

Events

Local News

USPS Reminds Public Fireworks Don't Belong in the Mail

Fireworks are considered hazardous materials and are banned from all air and ground transportation.

JD Shelburne to Debut at the Grand Ole Opry

Taylorsville Kentucky Native with ties to Madison

Local Sports

Hanover Parks Results for June 30,2025

More exciting action coming up Tuesday night (July 1) at Hanover park BOYS INSTRUCTIONAL, GIRLS COACH PITCH (TOURNEY ACTION), GIRLS MACHINE PITCH, BOYS MACHINE PITCH

Hanover Park Results for Saturday June 28th

More exciting action coming up Monday night (weather permitting) at Hanover park and SW high school softball field

Morrison Announces Resignation as Athletic Director At Madison High School

He replaced Joe Bronkella in 2022 when he left for Center Grove