View from the Hill

Hillforest, built by renowned architect Isaiah Rogers in 1855 for Thomas Gaff, a riverboat captain, distiller, and businessman, crowns Aurora’s downtown historic district. Sited high above most of the town at the end of Main Street, Hillforest’s eye-catching Steamboat Gothic flair is hard to miss. The elaborate style, draped with Italianate ornament, literally recalls the form of a river steamboat. With the Ohio River in easy view from the property, the inspiration for this style isn’t tough to figure out.

But before it became the portal to the past it is today, Hillforest lived another life. It sold out of the Gaff family in 1926 to a local furniture manufacturer, and by the end of the 1940s it had become the home of Aurora’s Veterans of Foreign Wars. It remained a VFW and social hub until 1955, when the non-profit Hillforest Historical Foundation bought the property and opened it to tours the following year. That makes this the 61st season for the historic house museum.

In 1992, the house received its greatest recognition yet when the National Park Service designated it a National Historic Landmark (NHL) – an honor conferred only on places with exceptional importance in national history. Hillforest is one of only 42 NHLs in the state. See which other Indiana sites have been given this honor here.

Recent work on the property includes painting one of the outbuildings and stabilizing the adjacent Harris Cabin. Once completed, the log cabin will house meeting and educational spaces. Hillforest also recently received a Heritage Support Grant from the Indiana Historical Society for a fresh coat of the house’s signature yellow paint.

See Hillforest yourself on tours, Tuesday-Sunday afternoons beginning April 1. Special events dot the calendar as well, including special teas, a murder mystery dinner, and a Christmas event in conjunction with our own Veraestau historic site. Each year, Hillforest offers a new special exhibit. This year, the annual exhibit explores ladies’ accessories from the period with “Bags, Bonnets, and Baubles.” For more information, visit www.hillforest.org.