Gaar Mansion and Farm Museum
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Gaar Mansion was built in 1876 for Abram and Agnes Gaar.
Original cost to build the Second Empire style mansion was $20,000. It was completed in 8 months. Complete interior/exterior restoration of this Victorian style mansion boasts hand-painted ceilings, parquet wood floors, and features many original furnishings with their actual bills of sale.
Advanced for its day, the home has many unique features, including central heating, indoor plumbing, gas, electricity, and an intercom system throughout the residence.
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The home was designed by John A. Hasecoster, the area's leading architect. Mr. Hasecoster's original plans, drawn on linen sheets, are on display in the home.
Jonas Gaar and his sons, Abram and John Milton Gaar, and Jonas' son-in-law, William G. Scott were founders of Gaar-Scott and Company, the leading manufacturer of threshing machines and steam engines from 1842 to 1911.
Take a detailed video tour of The Gaar Mansion via Wayne County Connection: Episode 1 | Episode 2
To learn more, visit thegaarhouse.com or their Facebook page.
 View of back side of the home. |
 Original house plans. |
 Gaar-Scott Steam Engine |
 Kitchen |
 Foyer |
 Formal Dining Room |
 Bedroom |
 Hand-painted Ceiling |
Learn more about the Gaar-Scott Company:
- Gaar-Scott Steam Engine Catalog
- Gaar-Scott Company | Morrisson-Reeves Library
- A Gaar-Scott Salesman Speaks - by Mr. E. C. Foreman, circa 1951
- An Engine for Every Engineer - a detailed accounting of Gaar-Scott engines. by Mike McKnight
- Indiana Farming - Yesterday and Today - by Conner Prairie
- Ten Agricultural Inventions that Changed the Face of Farming in America
- View more Gaar-related images
Learn more about the Gaar Family History
Dig Deeper: Books About the Gaar Family and Other Gaar Family Homes
Order these books from the Gaar Foundation. Email: Sarah Mikesell-Bradley.
Please provide your Full Name, Complete Address, Phone Number and Email Address.
The Gaar Family - Pioneers of Industry
Written by Joanna Hill Mikesell and Annette S. Warfel.
Hardcover, 9" x 11", 412 pages with color pictures. Prinit Press 1999
$39.99 + 7% tax + shipping.
Author Joanna Hill Mikesell: For Several years it has been my desire to document the history of my Gaar ancestors who emigrated from Bavaria to the New World in 1732, settling in Wayne County, Indiana in 1807. It is the story of one of the County's first pioneer families. And it is the story of a people who helped build Richmond's Nineteenth Century industrial community, with the founding of Gaar, Scott and Co., a National and International Manufacturer of farm machinery.
Review by Jean Prichard: Here is the story of the Gaars and their Company. It begins with their emigration to America from Bavaria in 1732, their original settlement in Pennsylvania, their later migrations to Virginia and finally to Indiana. This Chronicle of the Gaars is a real American Story, full of all the joys and sorrows, successes and failures of taming a wilderness and building a pioneer industry.
Gaar Houses
Written by Lucky Ward
Soft cover
$10.00 + 7% tax + shipping.
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| Phone: | 765.939.0857 |
| Mail: | 50 North 5th St. Richmond, IN 47374 |
| Director: | Board of Directors |
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