When something of interest landed on Lew Wallace’s radar, he just couldn’t leave well enough alone. Late in life he purchased acreage outside of town. There he created his country home, Water Babble, where he began improving the property. He planned to create a fish hatchery. This wasn’t his only […]
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We look to the groundhog to tell us if spring will come soon, but can plants tell us if there will be an early fall? Grounds Manager Deb King has made some keen observations about the plant life on the grounds, and all signs seem to point to cold weather […]
Lew Wallace was a man who loved to satisfy his curiosity by research. He also had great curiosity as a boy, and satisfied his need for knowledge in brave and exciting ways. In his autobiography, Lew comments on the fine and wondrous home of Major Elston. “His [Elston’s] dwelling-house, in […]
Last week a group of visitors enjoyed their tour and commented at the end, “We got more than our $3 worth. Thank you so much! You know so much about the building and the history.” The additional money dropped in the donation box was nice, too, but satisfied visitors was […]
The final day of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy was filled with the sounds and sights of war! Students spent the morning with Mid-States Living History Association, Inc. at stations portraying a period telegraph, medical care, embalmer, cooking, and finally an interview with the General himself. The day ended with […]
The fourth day of the Lew Wallace Youth Academy focused on Solving Problems – inventing, altering landscapes, and designing buildings. Intern Kasey Greer (Indiana Univerisity Class of 2013) gave a behind-the-scenes tour of the Study basement (shown here under the back porch). This was a special treat because the basement […]
The Museum is known as the Home of Ben-Hur, and the grounds once again served as a writing studio. Dr. Helen Hudson led the Academy students through several different activities: outlining a biography of a fictional character named Robin Snow (whose gender and life details each small group determined for […]
Following in the tradition of Lew Wallace, Academy students spent the morning painting en plein air. Have you ever noticed that trees are not a solid shade of green or brown? Using acrylic paint, artist Karen Patton instructed the kids on color values and ways to add details that make […]
The 2010 Lew Wallace Youth Academy had a successful first day of Exploring Other Cultures. Dr. James Makubuya and Sr. Stella Sabina lead activities in speaking Luganda and Swahili, as well as dancing, singing, and playing instruments traditional to the African country of Uganda. The first day of the Academy […]
In his autobiography (My Life East and West), William S. Hart (Messala) related some of his memories of the stage production of Ben-Hur. Hart remembered that at one of the final rehearsals prior to the opening of the show, Charles Frohman, a renowned actor at the turn of the century […]