Indiana's Three-Day Governor

This Greek Revival mansion on the edge of Crawfordsville was the home of one of American politics' great maneuverers. Henry S. Lane was elected governor of Indiana in eighteen sixty, but he had no intention of staying in the job.

He had cut a deal with fellow Republican Oliver Morton: if the party won the legislature, Lane would immediately resign and take a seat in the United States Senate, with Morton stepping up to the governorship. It worked exactly as planned. Lane was sworn in as governor on January fourteenth, eighteen sixty-one, and resigned just two days later.

He served in the Senate for six years as a strong Union voice, then came home to this house. The original structure was a small cottage. Lane married the owner's daughter and transformed it into the mansion that stands here today, now home to the Montgomery County Historical Society.