There is a saying that behind every great man is a great woman. Lew Wallace would likely agree wholeheartedly with that statement. Even as a young man, before he was aware of Susan Elston, he pondered how his life would play out. Ever the romantic, Lew wrote: “I have always […]
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The play Ben-Hur opened on Broadway in 1899. The first male lead was an actor named Edward Morgan and Messala was first portrayed by William S. Hart. Lew Wallace attended the opening night performance at the Broadway Theater and, like the rest of the audience, was pleased with the dramatic presentation of […]
On Thursday, August 29, 1895, The Daily Journal in Crawfordsville ran the following notice: To Contractors. The brick masons of the city are requested to call at my house and inspect specifications for the basement of a structure, with a view to bidding for same. Lew Wallace. A few days later on […]
Writing from Constantinople to his wife Susan in 1885 about his homecoming plans, Lew Wallace said, “I am not to be driven to the law again, that most detestable of human occupations. I look for better employment.” In his mature years Wallace made it abundantly clear that his employment as attorney […]
In his Autobiography Lew Wallace says very little about his law practice. He humbly dismissed it as an “an experimental period of my life.” He enjoyed a couple “triumphs,” made a few mistakes that were “not admirable,” and accomplished one or two things that were “smart,” but mostly, he says, I pigeon-hole those years to my “defeat.” Yet he did include a […]
As the Battle of Monocacy loomed 161 years ago this week, the city of Washington panicked. One of the men in Wallace’s small army was Colonel William Seward, son of Lincoln’s Secretary of State, William Henry Seward, and the commander of the hard fighting Ninth New York Heavy Artillery. Seward’s […]
When World War I ended in November 1918, Henry Wallace (son of Lew and Susan) and his wife Margaret Noble Wallace were still in mourning. Just weeks earlier they lost their youngest son to the war. Lew and Susan Wallace had one son Henry. Henry and his wife, Margaret Noble […]
On the grounds of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum there is a large bronze statue of Lew Wallace in his Civil War attire. Lew was selected to be the second of two Hoosiers recognized with statues in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol and a committee was formed […]
One of the great Hoosier authors of the early 20th century was Gene Stratton-Porter. Her literary career began its ascent at the turn of the century and continued until her death in 1924 when her limousine was hit by a streetcar in Los Angeles. Always a trailblazer, she had moved to […]
In the development of the 1925 epic film of Ben-Hur, June Mathis, played a critical role until she was removed from the project early in the filming. After the replacement of Ms. Mathis women did not play a significant role in upper management in the film industry for almost 30 years. […]