Born on June 13, 1901, John T. Windle grew up in Lafayette, Indiana. He later attended the University of Illinois, where he received a Liberal Arts degree. Afterwards, he obtained his master’s in Library Science at the University of Chicago. From 1926 to 1928, he attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where he studied sculpting, drawing, and painting.

For 18 years, from 1930 to 1948, John worked at the Newberry Library in Chicago. There, he served as head of the Reference and Research Division, specializing in classical music research. It was during his time at the Newberry Library that he would meet the love of his life, Ann Steinbrecher. Ann decided one day to visit the library, and Windle fell in love at first sight. The couple married on April 17, 1937. 

The Windles first discovered Madison while visiting Ann’s aunt, a professor at Hanover College. They fell in love with the old river town and decided to move in 1948. For their residence, they chose the Shrewsbury House, a beautiful classic Greek Revival home built in the 1840s. While residing there, the Windles began the process of restoring the house to its former glory in 1950 and opened the house as an antique store and museum. In 1960, John T. Windle founded Historic Madison, Inc. John would serve as the organization’s president until 1984.

Ever passionate about arts and community, John was hardly idle during his time in Madison, even beyond serving as president of Historic Madison, Inc. He served as Director of the Madison-Jefferson Public Library for over 20 years, from 1955 to 1979. He also served on many boards to exercise his passion for preservation, including the boards of the Indiana Library Trustees’ Association, the Historic Landmarks Foundation (today Indiana Landmarks), and as an Indiana advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Highlighting his love for community, John was also a member of the Caxton and Cliff Dwellers Clubs in Chicago, the Madison Country Club, and the Indianapolis Athletic Club. For his and Ann’s contributions to the Madison Community, they both received honorary doctoral degrees in legal studies from Hanover College and were elected “Couple of the Decade” by the Madison Welcome Wagon.

John passed away on February 1, 1987. His memory remains ever strong and present in the Madison community today. 

Ann Steinbrecher Windle was born on July 24, 1911, in Chicago, Illinois, where she spent most of her early life. She had a comfortable childhood. Her father was prominent in the real estate business, and her mother was active in civic organizations. Steinbrecher was a graduate of the Girls’ Latin School of Chicago and Wellesley College.

Ann was well-traveled in her youth. Her family regularly took trips to Europe, most notably to countries such as Italy, Germany, and Greece. She even spent a considerable amount of time in England, where she dedicated herself to study.

When visiting the Newberry Library in Chicago, it was there that Ann met her future husband, John T. Windle. Enamored with her, John Windle wrote her a note in secret, asking her out as her “Devoted Distant Admirer.” Shortly after, the couple married on April 17, 1937. The newly married couple purchased a home in Winnetka, Illinois. They resided there until 1948, at which time they moved to Madison, Indiana. The Windles chose for their new residence the Shrewsbury House. It was a beautiful classic Greek Revival Home built in the 1840s, but was in need of much love and attention. The couple renovated the home and, in 1950, opened the house as a museum and antique store.

Although Mrs. Windle spent much time at home, giving tours of the Shrewsbury House and running the antique business, she also spent a great deal of time involved with her community. Windle was responsible for the founding of the Madison chapter of the League of Women Voters, in which she served as President. During this time, she encouraged the people of Madison and Hanover to become involved in local politics and held initiatives such as the “Get-Out-the-Vote” initiative to encourage residents to participate in elections. Windle also notably served as secretary for the first Indiana Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights. As secretary, she traveled regularly to conferences. She journeyed several times to Chicago and Washington, D.C., where she met with fellow members of the Civil Rights Commission. She gathered data for the Civil Rights Commission about Indiana. She actively collected newspaper, census, and polling information to keep up to date on the status of desegregating Indiana’s schools. She also collected reports from the Commission regularly to remain informed of the government’s status on desegregation.

After the death of her husband, Mrs. Windle continued to host visitors and give tours of the Shrewsbury House. She died on July 30, 2009. In her will, Ann bequeathed the Shrewsbury House to Historic Madison, Inc., along with all of its contents, after residing there for a remarkable 61 years.