New! Online Donations & Memberships at our Website

Have you been planning to join the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society, but just can't seem to find a stamp to mail us your check? Have you thought about doing it, but decided it was too much work? Are you looking for last-minute donations to write off on your taxes?

Here at the Study, we're operating on a small budget, and we're always looking for ways to make it easier for you to give us money. After all, it's your support that allows us to provide great programming such as this year's Civil War Lectures, the Civil War Encampment, the Lew Wallace Academy, and more. We're also trying to raise money to match a grant that will allow us to restore the interior paint of the Study to how Lew had it.

So this week we are unveiling online donations and purchases of memberships via Paypal. Just visit the Join and Support page of our website and choose either to donate online or to purchase a membership for yourself or someone you love.

Keep in mind that, while we have done some testing with this, it is still in early stages. If you experience any difficulty, please email us or comment here. If you are purchasing a gift membership, we need to know the recipient's name and address. Hopefully you'll see an "Instructions to Seller" box where you can enter that information. If that isn't the case, please email us at study@ben-hur.com to give us that information, and to alert us that the instructions box isn't showing up.

We are always interested in finding new ways to keep you informed about what's going on here and to get you engaged in our mission. Hopefully this addition to our offerings will benefit you as well as us!

Christmas Shopping in the Carriage House

We all have that one person, don't we? That person who seems to have everything? That person who says, "I don't need anything this year?" So how do you shop for someone like that?

Consider giving them a gift that also supports local history and culture!

Proceeds from the gift shop here are used for the benefit of the museum. We have books about Lew Wallace, copies of Ben-Hur, Christmas tree ornaments, t-shirts, and even artwork. For the real collector in your family, you can purchase the two-volume autobiography Lew was writing at the time of his death; it was completed by his wife Susan. We also have Mama G beaded earrings created by a local artist and Indiana-shaped cheese boards made by a local artisan.

If you would prefer to give a gift that is less tangible but carries the benefits of being tax deductible and directly supporting our mission, buy a membership to the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society in someone's name. Membership levels start as low as $25 for the Lieutenant Level and go all the way to Ben-Hur Level at $500.

If you're interested in preserving Lew Wallace's legacy, Christmas is a great way to do it!