HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
1880 French Second Empire Limestone Mansion in Indiana
Ellettsville, IN 47429
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Private property; drive-by viewing only. The mansion is not open to the public.
Access
Accessibility not stated
View from public road; do not approach the property.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1880 · Indiana Limestone Industry · French Second Empire Architecture · Matthews Stone Company Historic District
The Matthews Mansion was constructed in 1880 by a Matthews family principal of the Matthews Stone Company, a major operator in the Indiana limestone industry that defined the regional economy of southern Indiana through the late 19th and 20th centuries. Local sources sometimes refer to the family patriarch as 'the father of Indiana limestone,' a title also claimed by other figures in the regional industry.
The house is a French Second Empire design with the high mansard roof and segmented dormers characteristic of the style, executed in dressed limestone from the family's quarries. Set into the masonry of the exterior are four carved limestone faces, said to depict four of the Matthews children; the family had twelve, and the specific identities of the four immortalized in stone are not documented in the published architectural record.
The mansion is part of the Matthews Stone Company Historic District. It has had a series of private owners and was at one point listed by Indianapolis Monthly as one of the most distinctive private historic estates in the state. The property is not open to the public; viewing is from the road only.
Sources
The folklore around the Matthews Mansion is largely informal and circulates through southern Indiana ghost-story collections rather than newspaper or historical society records. Reported phenomena include disembodied voices, footsteps within and near the mansion, and accounts of a low, persistent mist hugging the grounds at dusk.
The most distinctive element of the local lore is a claim that 'people are in the walls' of the mansion - a phrase carried directly from the Shadowlands account. We have not been able to verify this in any structural or genealogical record. It is presented here as folklore.
The property is privately owned and not open to the public. The four limestone-carved faces of the Matthews children, set into the masonry of the exterior, have themselves become a focus of local imagination, but the architectural record indicates they were intended as a family tribute rather than as memorial markers.
View the limestone exterior of the 1880 French Second Empire mansion from the public road at the intersection of Maple Grove Road and North Matthews Drive. Four limestone-carved children's faces are set into the masonry. The property is privately owned; do not approach.
Some links on this page may earn HauntBound a small commission when you book, at no extra cost to you. Our editorial picks are independent. Full disclosure
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Free Guide
11 verified stops, rated for families, mapped in order. Free.
One email to confirm, then the guide link. Unsubscribe anytime.
Bull Valley, IL
The George Stickney House is an 1865 stucco-over-frame mansion in Bull Valley, Illinois, built for spiritualists George and Sylvia Stickney. The Stickneys, both practicing mediums, are said to have designed the interior without right angles to ease the movement of spirits during seances. The building has served as the Bull Valley Police Department since 1985 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1979.
Greensboro, GA
Early Hill is a circa-1825 plantation house in Greene County, Georgia, two miles northwest of Greensboro. The two-and-a-half-story home was built for Joel Early Jr., son of one of Greene County's earliest Revolutionary-era settlers. By 1850 the plantation reached approximately 2,200 acres worked by sixty enslaved people. The property later operated as a bed and breakfast and is now closed to overnight guests.
Pasadena, CA
The Castle Green at 99 South Raymond Avenue in Pasadena was completed in November 1898 and opened on January 16, 1899 as the Central Annex to Colonel G.G. Green's Hotel Green. Designed by architect Frederick Roehrig in a blend of Moorish Colonial, Spanish Revival, and Victorian elements, the building was converted in 1924 into 50 individually-owned residential units. It is on the National Register of Historic Places.