General Lew Wallace Study & Museum

Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series: Thomas Jefferson's Revolutionary Garden at Monticello
2022-10-27 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Indiana/Indianapolis) | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
Peter Hatch will present Thomas Jefferson’s Revolutionary Garden at Monticello. Hatch, Director of Gardens & Grounds Emeritus for the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, was responsible for maintenance, interpretation, and restoration of the 2,400-acre landscape at Monticello from 1977 to 2012. Thomas Jefferson wrote that “the greatest service which can be rendered any country is to add a useful plant to its culture,” and Monticello’s 1,000-foot-long, terraced vegetable garden became an experimental laboratory, an Ellis Island of new and unusual vegetable novelties from around the globe.
While growing over 330 vegetable and 170 fruit varieties, Jefferson was also a pioneer in supporting farmer’s markets and promoting vegetable cookery. This revolutionary garden resulted in a revolutionary cuisine in the kitchen at Monticello. Restored in 1984, the garden and the Jefferson legacy continue to inspire the farm to table movement today. As a tie to our theme for 2022, Peter will incorporate collecting issues at Monticello with stories of plants dying, seed collecting compromised by naughty harvesters, varieties not being true to name, and more. Free, reservations requested.

Hoosier Authors Book Club: Always a River
2022-10-20 19:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
The book club will discuss Always a River: The Ohio River and the American Experience, edited by Robert Reid. The ever-changing Ohio River flows through time as well as space, connecting us with the past as it links Pittsburgh with Cincinnati, Cairo, and New Orleans. Always a River views the Ohio through the perspective of history, geography, political science, economics, and literature. Essays by Scott Russell Sanders, John A. Jakle, Hubert G. H. Wilhelm, Michael Allen, Darrel E. Bigham, Leland R. Johnson, and Boyd Keenan tell about the settlement period of the river, its economic importance, the different phases of engineering over a long period of time, and the river as an eco-political system.

Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series: Amalia Kussner, miniaturist
2022-10-06 19:00 - 20:00 | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
Amalia was a miniature portrait artist and a “darling” of the Gilded Age – and became one of the most sought-after artists of that time. Her career would include painting many of those premier families and European and Russian royalty. With her adventurous spirit, she traveled during the Boer War in South Africa to paint Cecil Rhodes. In addition to her artistic talent, she was quite adept at marketing herself and commanding impressive commissions. Amalia was clearly a woman ahead of her time.
This presentation will cover the full story of her life, starting with her early years in Terre Haute, the incredible rise to fame in New York in the 1890s, and her final years in Europe after 1900. You will see images of a wide variety of her work, both from museums and a private collection.

Field Trip: Collections Tour at IHS
2022-09-30 13:00 - 14:30 | IN
Friday, September 30 – Behind the Scenes Tour – The Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis will offer a Behind the Scenes look at what they do. Spots will be limited and reservations required. Visit the event link to reserve a spot.
Please note the Museum will be CLOSED on September 30, as staff will be at the off-site event.

Museum Closed to Tours
2022-09-30 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
The Museum will be closed for an off-site event.

Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series: The Collections of the Indiana Historical Society
2022-09-29 19:00 - 20:00 | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
Suzanne Hahn, Vice President, Archives and Library at the Indiana Historical Society. Suzanne will speak on The Collections of the Indiana Historical Society. Since 1830, The Indiana Historical Society has been collecting and preserving Indiana’s unique stories; bringing Hoosiers together in remembering and sharing the past—Including Lew and Susan Wallace. Suzanne will discuss not only how the Society has grown and refined its collection but also new collecting initiatives that will inspire future Hoosiers.

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day Live
2022-09-17 10:00 - 16:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Museum Day is an annual celebration of boundless curiosity hosted by Smithsonian magazine. Participating museums and cultural institutions across the country provide free entry to anyone presenting a Museum Day ticket. Download ticket from the Event Website: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-day-2022/

Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series: Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association
2022-09-15 19:00 - 20:00 | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association: 162 Years of Collecting George Washington
When the women of the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association took ownership of George Washington’s estate in 1860, they faced a daunting task: the rooms of the Mount Vernon mansion were nearly empty. In the six decades since Washington’s death, his family’s possessions had been dispersed widely through gifts, bequests, and sales. But over the last 162 years, the MVLA—the private non-profit that still operates Washington’s Virginia estate—has tracked down thousands of original artifacts, from furniture to silver, clothing to locks of hair. Today, the organization boasts a rich collection that tells the story of George Washington as general, president, and private citizen. This lecture will explore the MVLA’s collecting practices and priorities, highlighting significant acquisitions from the 19th century to today.
Jessie MacLeod is an associate curator at Mount Vernon, where she has worked since 2012. She received a B.A. in history from Yale University and an M.A. in public history from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Jessie has curated numerous exhibits, including Mount Vernon: The Story of an American Icon (2022) and the award-winning Lives Bound Together: Slavery at George Washington’s Mount Vernon (2016–2021). She was also a contributor to the Lives Bound Together exhibit publication. As a member of the curatorial team, she conducts research on Mount Vernon’s collection of fine and decorative arts and contributes to refurnishing projects in the mansion and outbuildings.

TASTE of Montgomery County
2022-08-27 12:00 - 22:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
This is our major fundraiser, featuring live musical acts and local food and beverage vendors. Visit the TASTE website for more information.
There are no Museum tours during the TASTE of Montgomery County.

Hoosier Authors Book Club: Braiding Sweetgrass
2022-08-04 19:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

Hoosier Authors Book Club: The Anthropocene Reviewed
2022-07-07 08:00 - 17:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
This Book Club discussion will be held in person at the Carriage House. Participants are welcome to come masked or unmasked.

ArchiCamp
2022-06-14 - 2022-06-15 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

Hoosier Authors Book Club: Life List of Adrian Mandrick
2022-05-19 19:00 - 20:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

Online Lecture: General Lew Wallace, Defender
2022-05-05 15:00 - 16:00 | IN
Join us on Thursday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) at 3:00 PM on Facebook for a livestream program hosted by the National Museum of Civil War Medicine.

City Easter Egg Hunt
2022-04-09 13:00 - 13:30 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Organized by Crawfordsville Parks & Recreation – direct all inquiries to 765-364-5175.

Hoosier Authors Book Club - Riverine: A Memoir From Anywhere But Here
2022-04-07 19:00 - 20:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

American Battlefield Trust Park Day
2022-04-02 09:00 - 12:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Activities will include leaf raking, mulching, preparing picnic area, sowing grass seed, stick collecting, interpretive sign production, painting, and grounds beautification.

2022 Exhibit Opens; Museum Open Saturdays
2022-03-12 10:00 - 17:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

2022 Season Opens
2022-02-01 10:00 - 17:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

Museum Office Closed
2021-12-31 - 2022-01-03, 2021-12-24 - 2021-12-27 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States

Holiday Tea & Fashion Show
2021-12-03 15:00 - 18:00 | IN

2021 Lew Wallace Hoosier Author Fair
2021-11-27 16:00 - 19:00 | Fusion54, 101 W. Main, Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Each year, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum hosts several regional authors for their annual Lew Wallace Hoosier Author Fair. The event takes place on the third floor of Fusion54 Coworking Space, which is located at 101 W. Main St., Crawfordsville. We are planning the 2021 Hoosier Author Fair for Saturday, November 27, 2021 from 4 – 7 p.m.

The Hoosier Author Fair is free and open to the public. Authors will have books and book-related merchandise for sale and are happy to sign copies and chat with readers. Attending authors represent several genres of writing. The Hoosier Author Fair moved to Fusion54 (101 W. Main Street) in 2019 as a result of out-growing our meeting space in the Carriage House Interpretive Center of the museum. The Fusion54 location allows for better social distancing, in addition to being more convenient to downtown Crawfordsville.
Each author is responsible for taking payments, so readers should bring cash as well as credit cards.
See the Author Fair Main Page for a list of participating authors.

Museum Closed
2021-11-25 - 2021-11-26 | IN

Book Club - Whistling Past the Graveyard
2021-11-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Meeting
Please note this date has been changed from 11/4/21!

“The Conservation of Paintings: Historical and Technical Discoveries”
2021-09-30 19:00 - 20:00 | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
“The Conservation of Paintings: Historical and Technical Discoveries”
Presented by Painting Conservator & Art Historian Barry Bauman
Hosted by General Lew Wallace Study and Museum
Free and open to the public
Is it true that a painting conservator is also a detective? According to acclaimed conservator and art historian Barry Bauman, every painting has its secrets. During his 46 years of experience treating and analyzing damaged paintings, he has uncovered many of them—lost signatures, hidden dates, and entire paintings hidden beneath other works. Two of his discoveries were so phenomenal they landed on the front page of The New York Times.
Those who attend his upcoming presentation “The Conservation of Paintings: Historical and Technical Discoveries,” on Thursday, September 30th, 7:00pm, will share in the joy of some of his most remarkable discoveries. Hosted by the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, this event will be held at the St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall. It is free and open to the general public.
Bauman’s discoveries lecture has been one of his most popular, especially for a museum or college audience, where majors in art, art history, chemistry, physics, history, and museum studies all overlap with conservation concerns. Most students and individuals are not aware of the conservation field and the rewards it has to offer. At the beginning of his career, Barry Bauman worked for eleven years at the Art Institute of Chicago, departing as the Associate Conservator of Paintings. He then founded and directed the Chicago Conservation Center, which for 20 years, was the largest conservation facility in the nation.
In 2004, Bauman left the private sector to establish Bauman Conservation, America’s first conservation laboratory dedicated to offering complimentary services to museums and nonprofit organizations. When he closed Bauman Conservation in 2018, it was estimated he had contributed more than $6,000,000 in conservation services to museums and nonprofits. In August, 2019, Barry Bauman opened Conservation Ventures (ConservationVentures.org), a company that focuses on presentations and CAP grants to assist museums with recommendations and priorities for long-range collection care. Bauman is an Elected Fellow of the American Institute for Conservation.

Lecture: A Look Inside the Studio & Home of TC Steele
2021-09-23 19:00 - 20:00 | St. John’s Episcopal Church Fellowship Hall, 212 S Green St, Crawfordsville, 47933
Jessica Stephens from the Indiana State Museum’s T.C. Steele Historic Site. Stephens will present “A Look Inside the Studio & Home of T.C. Steele.” Steele spent his childhood in Waveland and worked as a portrait artist in Crawfordsville before moving to Brown County. This lecture will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 23, 2021, in the Fellowship Hall of St. John’s Episcopal Church at 212 S. Green Street.

Stephens studied at Indiana University for her Bachelors of Arts: Double Major: Art History & History, Minor: Classical Civilizations, and also her Masters in the Science of Education: Art Education, emphasis in Museum Education. She was an intern at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, after graduate school. She was also Assistant Curator of Education at the Morris Museum of Art from 2011–2017, in Augusta, GA. In 2017, Stephens became the Youth Programs Manager at the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. In July of 2020, she became the Site Manager of the T.C. Steele State Historic Site.

This installment of the Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series is presented to complement the General Lew Wallace Study & Museums current annual exhibit, “Versatile Genius: Lew Wallace’s Creative Endeavors.” The exhibit, which is open in the Carriage House Interpretive Center Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. free of charge, focuses on Lew Wallace’s art and music.

Museum staff encourages visitors and lecture attendees to wear masks and maintain six feet social distancing. For more information, contact Larry Paarlberg at 765-362-5769 or lpaarlberg@ben-hur.com.

Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day
2021-09-18 10:00 - 16:30 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Free half-hour tours from 10 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. No tours will be started after 4:15 PM Eastern Time.
Visitors must present ticket from Smithsonian Magazine website in exchange for admission.

The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum will open its doors free of charge to all Museum Day ticketholders on Saturday September 18, 2021 as part of Smithsonian magazine’s 17th annual Museum Day, a national celebration of boundless curiosity in which participating museums emulate the free admission policy at the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington DC-based museums.

Museum Day tickets will be available for download at Smithsonianmag.com/MuseumDay beginning August 18, 2021. Visitors who present a Museum Day ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues on September 18, 2021. One ticket is permitted per email address. A list of participating museums, which will be continually updated as more museums continue to register, can be found at Smithsonianmag.com/MuseumDay.

The annual event allows museums, zoos, and cultural centers from all 50 states to emulate the spirit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Washington, D.C.-based facilities, which offer free admission every day. This year’s event is sponsored by The Quaker Oats Company.

Museum Day goes beyond getting visitors through museum doors—it acts as a springboard to empower and help advance the hopes and ambitions of the public, particularly school-aged children and those in underrepresented communities. It represents a national commitment to access, equity and inclusion.

With many public spaces being shut down for a year or more, Museum Day 2021 celebrates the reopening of museums after long closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s theme, Experience America, represents the return to, and resurgence of, our country’s diverse cultural experiences, in the safest possible way. While tickets will be free of charge, participating museums will have safety precautions in place for this year’s event so guests can safely and comfortably enjoy their experience.

The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum’s current annual exhibit, “Versatile Genius: Lew Wallace’s Creative Endeavors,” is open in the Carriage House Interpretive Center Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m.-5 p.m. free of charge. Museum staff encourages visitors to wear masks and maintain six feet social distancing. For more information, contact Larry Paarlberg at 765-362-5769 or lpaarlberg@ben-hur.com.

TASTE of Montgomery County
2021-08-28 12:00 - 22:00 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
The TASTE! of Montgomery County is a panorama of sights, a symphony of sounds, and a festival of flavors that represent all that’s great about our little corner of the Midwest. Every year in late summer, restaurants, caterers, and food vendors from throughout Montgomery County will gather on the shady, rolling hills of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum to showcase a huge variety of their tastiest treats and most mouth-watering morsels.
To add some sound bites to the food bites, the TASTE also hosts four musical acts—live and direct from the heartland. From jazz to country, oldies to folk to rock and roll, the TASTE features terrific tunes to satisfy almost every palate. For lifelong residents or those just passing through, the TASTE! of Montgomery County puts the sweetness of Hoosier living right on your plate.
Tickets are $7/adult, $3/student, children 6 and under are free. Food tickets are $1/ticket, and no food item is more than 5 tickets.

Behind the Scenes Tour - SOLD OUT
2021-07-17 15:30 - 16:30 | General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, 200 Wallace Ave., Crawfordsville, IN, 47933, United States
Tickets must be purchased in advance
$10 per person | $7 LWSPS members
