Madison, Indiana is filled with history, none more unique or colorful than Lanthier Winery's.  If walls could talk in the old 18th century building, they would whisper tales of early trappers and settlers who built the original 24 inch thick stone walls as a haven from the then wild west.  What is now the Cellar Tasting Room is believed by some, to be an old fort or outpost established by settlers seeking comfort and safety as they moved through uncertain territory in the mid 1700’s. Due to the fact that the area was abundant with buffalo and wild game, trappers, explorers and settlers quickly made the colorful, rolling hillside of scenic Historic Madison, Indiana home. 
 

Near 1850, railroad traders added a two story brick section and used the buildings as a trading post and depot exchange. The “Depot Exchange” became a well known house of ill repute with many “exchanges”  taking place during Madison, Indiana’s great railroad and steamboat days. The buildings were later used as a stable and storage for a nearby hotel.  Often plagued by the swift flood waters of the Ohio River, all the surrounding buildings, except the winery's stone structures, were lost to the river and time. With the decline of railroad and river transport, this beautiful city retreated from attention and the community settled into small town life. What is now the winery gardens was once an entire subdivision of wooden homes and "shotgun" houses. The "Depot Exchange" was to house many other business over the course of time.

 

Continuing it's colorful past, it became home to such endeavors as a local market, offices for a canning factory, a saloon, and a brothel.  Many believe the winery is haunted by one of the gentle ladies of the building's intriguing past. Neighbors have repeatedly claimed to have seen an unknown, elderly woman tending to the garden's blossoms.  To this date, the garden is scattered with remnants of the property's history. As the 1900's moved forward and Madison, Indiana's role in the civil war receded, citizens began looking for new ways to sustain prosperity.  Always located "on the wrong side of the tracks", the property began to decline and, during World Wars I and II, the grounds and buildings were used as a scrap yard. What is now the production room was added during WWII: two stories of cardboard, broken glass and metal found their way into the facility.  Elderly Madison, Indiana locals recall bringing newspapers and bottles during the wars and collecting a few cents for their “recyclables.” The area continued to be a scrap materials recycling site until the 1970’s, at which time the property was abandoned and collapsed into disrepair. Tons of scrap metal, paper, cardboard and glass were left in the building and on the grounds.