A Brief History

The first residents of the house were Alexander and Drusilla Lanier, they or William Robinson may have had the house built to begin with in 1817. Records are not clear about this. The house originally had a bedroom, kitchen, and a tavern room on the first floor, and a sleeping lot and meeting room on the second floor. 

On January 13, 1818, fourteen Masons throughout Indiana met at the upstairs meeting room, after agreeing to meet there to establish a Grand Lodge for Indiana the previous month in Corydon, Indiana. 

Alexander Lanier was a Freemason. James Lanier, son of Alexander and Drusilla, sold the building and it would remain in the hands of the Schofield Family. Charlotte Schofield and her daughter made an agreement to sell the house to the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite when Charlotte could no longer live in the home. The property was purchased in 1972 for $25,000. The property was placed on the Historic Roles in Madison and named the Schofield House per historical convention of the time. 
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The restoration of the Schofield House was accomplished and overseen by H. Roll McLaughlin, Forrest Camplin and Harry Hunter. The building was opened to the public as a Masonic Museum on April 19, 1975 and dedicated as a Living Museum to the State of Indiana in 1976. The Masonic Heritage Foundation was created and incorporated January 25, 1974 to maintain the property and keep it running as a living museum for Masonry.