Seiberling Mansion was built by Monroe Seiberling, one of the first entrepreneurs to take advantage of the Indiana Gas Boom for large-scale industrial production. He built the largest plate glass factory in the country in Kokomo, and then built an even larger one in nearby Elwood. He was also involved in establishing a window glass factory, tin plating factory, and rubber and insulated wire factory in the region, as well as in developing numerous natural gas wells. Seiberling moved to Illinois years later and continued his industrial development in Ottawa and Peoria.

Seiberling Mansion was owned by George Kingston during the early 1900s. Kingston developed and manufactured the carburetor that was used in Henry Ford's ubiquitous Model T. During the 1950s and '60s, Indiana University used the mansion for classroom space, and in the '70s it became the Howard County Museum. The building is an unusual combination of Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival architectural styles, with distinctive stonework, a huge wrap-around porch, and a three-story tower topped by an arcade and acorn-shaped roof. The interior has been restored to Victorian-era decor and retains much of its original glory, from the stunning staircase to the huge pocket doors, native wood trim, and parquet floor decorations.