Lew Wallace Museum Opening in April

You can tell it’s spring. The weather is improving (slowly), some buds are popping up and the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum is getting ready to unveil a set of new programs!

With the completion of the Carriage House Interpretive Center restoration project, the museum is ready to reopen to the public in April. We have an exciting lineup of programs planned for 2025, including a fantastic selection of Hoosier Author books for our book club, a captivating new exhibit celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1925 Ben-Hur silent film, and several engaging lectures to complement the exhibit. It’s shaping up to be a remarkable year.

This building that houses the Carriage House Interpretive Center was saved from demolition by the City of Crawfordsville and dedicated volunteers more than 20 years ago. It was restored in 2005 as the Museum welcome center, exhibit display space, office space and gift shop. In the years since, the building has hosted over 100,000 visitors and was in need of some structural renovations. Thanks to a grant from the Montgomery County Community Foundation, numerous private donors and income from the Taste of Montgomery County and the Holiday Tea, the money was raised and the work completed. You can see the finished product next month.

In addition, the museum annually presents a new exhibit to explore the life and legacy of Lew Wallace. This year they are excited to announce the opening of Building a Blockbuster: The 1925 Ben-Hur, celebrating the 100th anniversary of the iconic silent film’s release. Building a Blockbuster will be on display through December. More information on the exhibit can be found at https://www.ben-hur.com/

Another big feature each year is the Hoosier Authors Book Club. It returns for 2025 with Mary Hannah Krout’s book Hawaii and a Revolution.

Krout, a Crawfordsville native, was an American journalist, author, and advocate for women’s suffrage. For 10 years, Krout served on the staff of the Chicago Inter-Ocean as its staff correspondent in Hawaii during the revolution in 1893 and furnished special data for the United States Department of State. This experience inspired her to write her first book, Hawaii and a Revolution about the events she reported on. 

 The Club will meet on April 17 at 7 p.m. in the Carriage House to review.

And the return of the Dr. Howard Miller Lecture Series is on the calendar. This popular series will feature two insightful spring talks this season.

It kicks off on Thursday, May 8, with Dr. Bela Sandor, Professor Emeritus of Engineering Physics, who will explore the physics behind ancient chariot racing as depicted in Lew Wallace’s epic novel Ben-Hur and its film adaptations. Then, on Thursday, May 20, Dr. Thomas J. Slater from Indiana University of Pennsylvania will delve into the life of June Mathis, the pioneering silent film screenwriter behind the 1925 Ben-Hur movie.