Museum Closed July 4th

Just a quick reminder that we are closed today. We'll be back tomorrow. Happy Independence Day!

Lew Wallace, Jr.'s 1930 Duesenberg visits the Study

We have been incredibly fortunate this weekend to receive a visit from Lew Wallace, Jr.'s 1930 Duesenberg, currently owned by Jack and Drena Miller of Georgia. The car was custom built for Lew, Jr. at an estimated $16,000 or more--and in 1930 that was a lot of money! As the Great Depression deepened, the Duesenberg was sold, but fortunately it has been preserved and restored for us to view today.

The car weighs 6100 pounds and gets about 10 to 11 miles per gallon. The 8-cylinder engine features double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, and a mechanical computer. Standard features on the Duesenberg include power brakes, an altimeter, and a chronograph.

Lew, Jr.'s son William Noble Wallace related in an email the following story about the Duesenberg:

The family chauffeur, Arthur Slaughter, was an auto expert. One time he was driving the Duesy alone from Burt Lake back to Rye, a 700-mile trip. The shortest distance was through southern Ontario, from Port Huron-Sarnia to Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Enroute Slaughter was pulled over by a Canadian provincial policeman on a motor cycle. Slaughter, always careful to stay within speed limits, was startled. The officer told him the stop was one of curiosity. He'd never seen a Duesenberg before. Could he, maybe, drive it a bit? "Sure," said Art. And the officer stepped in and drove it around for awhile.

Art told that story to me but I think he kept it from my father.

We're very grateful for Jack and Drena Miller's generosity in bringing the Duesenberg to visit us this weekend, and to Mike Shotwell for researching the Duesenberg's history.

We need your help with our Strategic Plan

This Thursday, May 16, we are hosting a public comment meeting at Crawfordsville High School. The Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society and Study staff are hard at work developing a new strategic plan. The strategic plan is a vital document that guides how we serve the community and our visitors. It helps us shape our programming and exhibits.

We would love to have your input in this process. We invite everyone to come to the public comment meeting and share thoughts, questions, concerns, and ideas. The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum celebrates and renews belief in the power of the individual spirit to affect American history and culture--and one way to do that is through helping shape our future efforts here at the Study.

Please join us at 7 p.m. at Crawfordsville High School and share your thoughts with us!

History Beneath Us Day 1

Some interesting things have been found so far on the first day of the spring History Beneath Us.  A marble, horseshoe, and a hip bone from a small mammal have all been found in Unit 10, one of the units that contains part of the reflecting pool.  A group of boy scouts have been assisting with the dig.  They are getting closer to the top of the wall of the reflecting pool so should be finding more artifacts.  Archaeologists will be here until 4:00 p.m. today and from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. on Sunday.  Come out and help unearth this piece of history!

2012 By the Numbers

Last month, Associate Director of Education Erin Gobel spent some time looking at our statistics and compiling some numbers we thought would interest our visitors and supporters.

For a larger view, click the picture. We also have a PDF version available for download.

Possible Return of Old Friends?

Red-shouldered Hawk on the nest in 2012

Long-time followers of our blog will remember that last year we had a family of Red-shouldered Hawks nesting on the Study grounds. This week, one of them has made repeat appearances. Tuesday Amanda spotted a hawk flying around, and today Larry, Stephanie, and Deb saw the hawk sitting on one of the picnic tables mid-morning...looking for lunch, perhaps?

Here's hoping the mated pair will return this year to raise a new family!

New Furniture in the Carriage House

Deb working on her desk

Thanks to the generosity of one of our board members, we have a new desk in our office upstairs. Deb King, our garden and grounds expert, had been using a tabletop supported by two filing cabinets until this past week, when outgoing board member Roger Adams presented her with a new desk!

 The desk was delivered last week, and staff spent some time assembling it. Now Deb has a comfortable and attractive workspace.

Thank you, Roger!

The completed project!

Thanksgiving Week Hours

photo by tinaxduzgen on flickr

The Lew Wallace Study and Museum will be open Tuesday and Wednesday for tours. We will be closed Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving.

We wish everyone a very happy Thanksgiving!

Memento Mori

I frequently have visitors ask me about the little paperweight displayed on a shelf in the Study. Titled Memento Mori, the paperweight depicts a human skull. So why would Lew want to display a skull on his desk?

The phrase "memento mori" is Latin, and means "remember you will die" or "remember you are mortal." It has a connection to the Roman era, when victorious generals were often given a triumph. As the general was being lavished with praise and glory, a servant stood nearby, whispering to him, "Remember, you are mortal." Wouldn't want those generals to get any ideas!

The Victorians embraced the concept of mortality and had a complicated relationship with death. There were strict guidelines about how long mourning should last and how long it should be done. Brooches were made from the braided hair of dead loved ones. Victorians often took photographs of their deceased.

Viewed in that light, Lew's little reminder of his own mortality doesn't seem quite so macabre!

Fall has hit with a vengeance with temperatures in the hi 70's and temperatures hovering around 45 degrees a day later. Typically unpredictable Indiana weather! The lawn is littered with leaves with only the pin oak and some gingko leaves left on the trees. The lawn mowers are chopping up the leaves and some of the leaves will be used as mulch on the gardens.


daffodils and magnolia blooming in the spring



We have been busy planting spring bulbs. Over 200 bulbs have been planted for an anticipated beautiful spring showing. Mixed giant alliums have been planted in front of the Study, with colors ranging from dark purple to white. Ivory Queen alliums have been planted with the white shrub roses for the last 3 years and make a beautiful showing. Red tulips have been replenished, adding to the 50 or so tulips planted a few years ago. The squirrels love to dig them up and chew on them, leaving half the bulb laying to waste on the ground.

Daffodils, a naturilizing mix, have been planted throughout the grounds. On the natural hillside, near the picnic area, by the Carriage House and in the gardens,  daffodils will be a beacon of color in an otherwise green oasis. Planted on a hillside of Siberian squill (bright blue blooms) the daffodils will provide a splendid photo opportunity. Crocus are being planted, in small groups, throughout the grounds. We are placing wire screening on top of the bulbs to protect them from the hungry squirrels.
 Wintertime blues can be lessened by imagining the bright and magnificent Spring color that is just waiting to burst through the ground.

Visitor Questions Answered

Every now and then I'll have someone ask me a question to which I don't have the answer. I always do my best to find out, but sometimes I don't find the answer until the visitor is already gone. Today I want to answer a few questions I've been asked lately.

What is this pedestal made out of?

This is an onyx pedestal from Rome, pale green with gold and white marbling.  It has seven metal rings around it. The pedestal stands in the mechanical room of the Study building, where our Ben-Hur exhibit is located.

Were the bricks around the inglenook painted?

No. The bricks were made that color, which is also used as an accent color on the outside of the Study building.

How tall was Lew Wallace?

According to his hunting license, he was 5'10".

What is this chunk of rock?

This is a piece of turquoise. Our records suggest Susan might have used it as a paperweight. You'll find it in one of the display cases on the south wall of the Study.


Anyone else have any questions? I love doing research to find the answers to these questions. I always tell people I learn things from our visitors just as often as they learn things from me! Chime in in the comments and play "stump the museum girl!"

Fall Colors at the Study

Fall colors are beginning to creep into the leaves here on the Study grounds!

Museum Day Live!

Today is Museum Day Live, presented in affiliation with the Smithsonian. People who visit the Museum Day website and print out a ticket can get free admission to one museum for two people. So far today we've had a lot of people participate, and we've only been open two and a half hours! It's great to see people taking advantage of these offers. Some of my visitors just came from the Rotary Jail, another great museum here in Crawfordsville, and I understand they're also pretty busy today.

It's a beautiful fall day in Indiana, so if you don't have afternoon plans, check out the Museum Day Live offer and come visit us!

Exciting Archaeological Find!

Dr. Chris Moore (right) explains the find to his students and
members of the public participating in History Beneath Us.

Unit 12 (the unit that was opened near the Carriage House) has proven to be interesting.  Yesterday, the archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis found flat glass (like what is used in window panes), coal, a piece of yellow ware and square nails.  Both the yellow ware and the square nails date to Lew Wallace's use of the property.  Today they uncovered a feature of dark, ashy soil that could be left over from a chimney.  They have also found more square nails in this feature which dates it to Lew!



The dark soil in the upper left corner of the unit contains the
dark, ashy soil and could be the remains of a chimney.

Archaeologists in Training

More pictures of archaeology on the grounds today.  Kids are uncovering some great finds in the Archaeologist Training area and helping out at the reflecting pool, too!

History Beneath Us

The archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis are here and have started working.  They have already opened up a new unit between the Carriage House and the south wall and have found some window glass, coal and bricks.  They have also started opening up new units around the reflecting pool to continue uncovering the top layer of bricks.  This will allow us to see the original shape of the pool and how it relates to the Study building.

 

Come out and assist in the dig, sift for artifacts, check out the Archaeologist Training area or just observe the archaeologists at work! 

History Beneath Us This Weekend at the Study

The History Beneath Us archaeology program returns to the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum on September 22-23 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day to revisit the excavation begun in General Wallace’s backyard in September and to break some new ground.

The previous archaeological excavations on the grounds were so popular that our partner organization, University of Indianapolis, is coming back to reopen units in the General’s reflecting pool, and to investigate recently discovered evidence of a building near the Wallace’s Carriage House. During the spring History Beneath Us program, Dr. Chris Moore from the University of Indianapolis took soil core samples and found deposits that could be left over from a cistern, privy or possible outbuilding.

Visitors to the grounds will be able to observe the archaeologists at work, examine the findings as they are uncovered, and participate in parts of the process by scraping dirt with trowels and screening for artifacts alongside the excavation crew.  For families with smaller children, the Archaeologist Training area offers them the chance to dig in a separate area where they will be sure to find "artifacts."

This is a great event for the whole family, so come out and make a day of it!

Exciting New Gift Shop Items

We have some exciting new items in our gift shop. There are two new bookmarks, one with a design featuring photos of Lew Wallace and another with a design featuring photos of the Study itself. They sell for $2.75 each and have information and quotes on the back.

We've also added a brand new t-shirt design. Drawn by our own Deb King, the design is a clean, simple line drawing of the Study building. T-shirts are available in dark green and maroon, in adult sizes. They sell for $14.95.

Stop in soon and check out the new souvenirs!

Lew's Young Fan

I had a family visiting from northern Indiana recently who already knew a lot about Lew Wallace. The son was a fan of Lew's and wrote a report about him last year in school. This year he is planning to write about Montgomery County for a school report. I'm sure Lew will feature strongly in that report, too.

It's always fun to have visitors of every age, but our young visitors are especially enjoyable. They always have great questions, and it's exciting to see young people so interested in our history!

Lew's Legacy Continues

I had a great story from one of our visitors the other day. Several years ago they came to see the Study and brought their young son. We have Lew’s violin on display here, as well as several violin pieces that he used to build violins. After seeing the display, the son took up playing the violin. Now, several years later, he still plays!

It’s great to know that Lew Wallace is still inspiring people today.