The town of Aurora has an extensive waterfront and riverboat history, being just downstream from Cincinnati. It has a well-preserved eighteenth-century era downtown.
High above the Ohio River is one of the finest examples of 19th-century Italian Renaissance mansions, the Hill Forest Mansion. Many people have never heard of the Hill Forest Mansion or Aurora, Indiana, which only adds to this beautiful place’s secluded charm. Restored to its former glory, it’s like entering a doorway to another time.
Built-in 1855, the front was intentionally designed to look like a nineteenth-century steamboat, as the homeowner was businessman Thomas Gaff. Thomas Gaff and his brothers made their fortune in whiskey and beer, silver mining, farming, canal, and road construction, just a few ventures. Thomas Gaff also sold one of the first dry breakfast cereals in the country, called Cerealean. The Gaff family even printed their own money. You can bet they were into it if money was to be made. To transport all the whiskey, beer, and other products, Thomas and his brothers owned a fleet of steamboats that went up and down the Ohio River.
It’s only fitting that the very top of the house has an observation area that looks like a steamboat pilot house. It provided a commanding view of the Ohio River to watch his steamboats and a place for Thomas and his friends to socialize. On the floor is a spittoon for chewing tobacco and a telescope to take a view for miles.
It was once told that the staircase was intentionally narrow so that 1850s women with their large hoop dresses couldn’t climb up and see what the men were up to, but this was probably just a tale. Guests were greeted at large wooden and glass partition doors, which opened into a grand foyer. Even the ceiling was richly embellished. The East Wing was richly decorated to impress, and the West Wing was no less abundant. Dining was the standard fare for the wealthy Gaff family and their guests.
A central stairway leads up to a second-story and the third-floor observation room. A visitor can’t help but stop and admire the fine details provided by master artisans and artists. The Spyalah delicately trees children lived here too. It was said that one of these children wrote a horse up the stairs and out the second-story landing, but that too may be a tale. One of the rooms is a museum with Aurora and Hill Forest artifacts.
While the men had their third-floor room to socialize, the women had an equally impressive room on the second floor.
The bedrooms were as grand as you’d imagine.
Before refrigerators, wealthy people had ice houses. During the winter, ice would be chiseled from frozen streams and stored in ice houses with hay on top of them. By spring and summer, the thick walls kept a frozen treat that could be used to make ice cream. This sizeable hollow stone is from southern Indiana. On top of the ice house, it looks like a little wall and a little chair. You can almost imagine a child playing with dolls here.
At every view around Hill Forest, you’ll find beautiful architectural details.
And standing on the porch, a person can imagine what it was like in the 1800s, a golden and gracious time of riverboats and the sound of steam whistles.
As they passed the riverside town.
For a beautiful step back, visit Hill Forest Mansion in Aurora, Indiana, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1992. It’s a national treasure that’s worth your time.
