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.
History
Construction
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 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 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.)
Governor's home
During Harrison's governorship of the Indiana Territory, Grouseland was the focal point of the social and official life of the territory. Visiting legislators were frequently entertained and overnight guests at the governor's home. Governor Harrison also met with Indian leaders that included Little Turtle, Buckongahelas, and other representatives from various American Indian tribes to negotiate a number of important land cession treaties. (Harrison's eleven treaties with Native American leaders between 1803 and 1809 resulted in cession of American Indian lands in the southern third of present-day Indiana and most of Illinois, comprising millions of acres of land for future settlement.)
Harrison also had two confrontations with the Shawnee leader Tecumseh at Grouseland. On August 12, 1810, Harrison met with Tecumseh, who was accompanied by 100 to 400 braves (sources report different numbers), on the lawn in front of Grouseland. The meeting lasted for eight days but ended without a treaty. Their differences were later settled in battle as part of Tecumseh's War. Harrison defeated Tenskwatawa (the Prophet), who was Tecumseh's brother, at the Battle of Tippecanoe in 1811, and defeated Tecumseh at Battle of the Thames in 1813. The Grouseland Rifle is owned by the Foundation and exhibited at Grouseland; dating from the early 19th century, it has been designated the state firearm of Indiana. The main campus of Vincennes University is adjacent to the property. Other state historic sites in Vincennes include the Territorial Capitol building.
Description
Grouseland's present-day site on a half-city block about from the Wabash River was part of Harrison's estate in Vincennes.