Exhibits

Our exhibits take many forms. Step into three-dimensional re-creations of historic photographs, complete with characters that come to life in You Are There, or take virtual journeys throughout the state in Destination Indiana, or pull up a stool at the cabaret and immerse yourself in the music of Hoosier legend Cole Porter in the Cole Porter Room.

Current Exhibits

Now open – New Harmony: Echoes of Utopia. The town of New Harmony is located on the banks of the Wabash River, near the Illinois border in Indiana’s southwestern corner. The town’s origins date back to the turn of the nineteenth century, when the first utopian society was founded in 1814. A second society followed in 1825. This exhibit focuses on how the Harmonists and Owenites left their mark on the town’s cultural landscape, as well as the intellectual and political development of Indiana in the nineteenth century.

Now Open – Hoosier Voices from Vietnam. Hear directly from Hoosiers who served in Vietnam. Based on the interviews conducted, the exhibit may include stories from members of the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and Army, who served in any capacity. The exhibit will also showcase some of the nonmilitary support roles of those who were in Vietnam, such as the United Service Organizations and the American Red Cross.

Now open – The Electric Railway: Indiana’s Interurbans. Indiana is as central to the history of the interurban as the interurban is central to the history of Indiana, as interurbans provided many Hoosiers with transportation across the state and changed the Indiana landscape. With more than 1,800 miles of interurban rail lines, the state was second only to Ohio in rail mileage and produced many of the industry’s leaders such as Charles L. Henry, Arthur W. Brady and Hugh McGowan. In this exhibit, there are several interactive spaces, including a room dressed as the interior of a rural interurban station from the early 20th century with text and hands-on discovery. There will also be a re-created interurban car, where guests will “ride the interurban,” which involves a multi-sensory experience and an immersive video presentation.

Cole Porter Room

Come into the Cole Porter Room – designed to evoke the style of New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

W. Brook and Wanda Y. Fortune History Lab

In the History Lab, go behind the scenes of a real conservation lab and explore the technology used to preserve the IHS collection.