Campus

IU Kokomo

Installation Date

9/16/2019

Marker Text

The Seiberling Mansion served as Indiana University’s Kokomo Extension Center from 1947 to 1965, until the campus moved to Washington Street. IU President Herman B Wells envisioned building higher education capacity in north-central Indiana to serve anticipated post World War II enrollment growth, especially veterans on the GI Bill. In 1946, IU purchased the Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival-style house, built for industrialist Monroe Seiberling in 1891, along with adjacent Elliott House and carriage houses. The center was led by directors Virgil Hunt, Smith Higgins, and Victor Bogle, who successively oversaw student growth, expansion of faculty and curriculum, and community engagement. In 1971, IU leased the mansion to the Howard County Historical Society to be used as a museum, with the university retaining ownership until 1997. In 1972, the home was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  

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