Have EP, will travel

Recently, the Emancipation Proclamation (EP) from the Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection had to travel from its home at the Indiana State Museum to the Allen County Public Library (ACPL) for an important event. The EP, along with one of the last completed portraits of Lincoln, were featured artifacts for the Lincoln Collection opening event at ACPL. [...]

Looking for Lincoln

Written by Dale Ogden, chief curator of cultural history at the Indiana State Museum
So, like I was saying, as curator of the Lincoln exhibition, I get to have all the fun … and … it’s good to be famous. If the show goes in the tank, which it won’t, I’ll take far more blame than [...]

Whoa. Dogs, Cats, Birds, Ferrets, Snakes & Miniature Horses at the Museum

Remember Joey from Gimme a Break, with his catch phrase, “Whoa”? That pretty much describes my thoughts on Scales & Tails Fest this year. This is the fourth year for the program and it will no doubt be the biggest, best year yet! In fact, I’ve had such a great response that I’ve run out [...]

Sharing Hoosier History

Bringing history to life has always been important to me. As an Air Force kid, I had the opportunity to visit castles, Roman ruins and ancient burial sites. Each new place I visited was a chance to gather experiences and turn them into stories of the people who lived there and the wonders they encountered. I [...]

Finding history in the outdoors

One of the fun things about my job is the opportunity to leave the office and explore the state. On May 27, the Performing Arts & Education Department did just that, and visited Marian College’s EcoLab, whose staff has been involved in demonstrations at the museum for the exhibit Footprints: Balancing Nature’s Diversity. Many who [...]

Say it 3x Fast: Loblolly

That is Lob-lolly (rhymes with Holly), as in Loblolly Marsh Wetland Preserve, part of the Limberlost State Historic Site in Geneva, Indiana.  The marsh is being reclaimed and features thousands of Indiana’s natural wonders of flora and fauna, plants and wildlife, etc.  I went for a visit recently and even through the mist of May [...]

Renaissance Woman

Loosely defined as a woman who defies convention and sets her own goals for personal achievements and perhaps is even somewhat outrageous, a renaissance woman is someone you’d probably want to know!  She gets things done, even if its sometimes unconventional.
Gene Stratton-Porter was just such a woman.  She lived in the early 1900’s, the youngest of [...]

Segway Polo on the Museum Lawn

Not a sight I’ve seen before;  a polo match on the front lawn of the museum.  But wait…this one is with Segways…and there, in the thick of it all, Apple Computer co-founder, Steve Wozniak!  Seems “The Woz” calls Segway, “one of my big inspirations in life” and started an international polo league a couple years [...]

Fam Tour

That’s marketing-speak for “familiarization tour,” which is something you do to introduce someone to your market. Various cultural entities of the White River State Park district of Indianapolis hosted a group of Midwestern travel writers this week. There should be an article soon on the United Airlines website, talking about “Indianapolis for Families,” [...]

“Scales and Tails Fest: A Celebration of Pets”

Despite torrential downpours, Scales and Tails Fest: A Celebration of Pets went off without a hitch at the Indiana State Museum this past weekend. There were at least 50 rescue dogs and kittens, most looking for new homes, plus owls, a yellow-headed vulture, a live skunk, dozens of snakes of varying sizes, and even roosters. All gathered throughout [...]