Bohumir Kryl Project This Saturday

Saturday, September 22 has been designated Bohumir Kryl Day by Crawfordsville Mayor Todd Barton. Bohumir Kryl was hired in 1896 by General Lew Wallace to carve the limestone frieze on his Study building. Kryl also worked on the Soldiers and Sailors Monument in Indianapolis. While in Indianapolis, Kryl auditioned for John Phillip Sousa and was hired as the virtuoso cornetist. Kryl joined several bands during his musical career, travelling and performing across the country and the world. Kryl also wrote his own music.

In cooperation with the Wabash College Visiting Artist Series and the Michigan & International Antique Phonograph Societies, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum will present The Bohumir Kryl Project on September 22 from 8-10pm at Salter Hall on the Wabash College campus, with a pre-show program at 7:30pm.

The Bohumir Kryl Project will include a narration of Kryl’s life and live audio phonograph recordings of Kryl’s music. An hour-long concert band performance will follow featuring music Kryl wrote and performed during his lifetime.

This event is free, but seating is limited and tickets are required. Call the Wabash College ticket office for more information. If you aren't able to get tickets for the evening show, consider attending the dress rehearsal from 3-5pm. It is free and open to the public, and we will have souvenirs for sale at both dress rehearsal and the main event.

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!

Museum Day Live!

On September 29, we are participating in Smithsonian magazine's 8th Annual Museum Day Live!

For one day only, the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum will grant free access to visitors who download a Museum Day Live! ticket at Smithsonian.com. This emulates the free admission policy of the Smithsonian Institution's Washington, D.C.- based facilities, in order to encourage learning and the spread of knowledge nationwide.

To get your free ticket, go to www.Smithsonian.com/museumday and download the ticket. Visitors who present the ticket will gain free entrance for two at participating venues for one day only. One ticket is permitted per household, per email address.

More information about Museum Day Live! 2012 and a list of other participating museums can also be found at the website above. Other participants here in Montgomery County include the Rotary Jail Museum, the Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County, and the Montgomery County Historical Society.

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!

Upcoming Events at the Study

Fall is going to be a busy season for the Lew Wallace Study!

We will also be participating in Ask A Curator Day on Twitter with @Wallacestudy, so if you have questions you want to ask, you can Tweet them Wednesday, September 19, with the hashtag #askacurator.

September 22 brings a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy the Bohumir Kryl Project, presented in cooperation with the Wabash College Visiting Artists Series.

September 22-23 are also our History Beneath Us days, when archaeologists from the University of Indianapolis continue excavations on Lew's reflecting pool. Visitors can join in and help!

September 25 we have a short program on Estate Planning and Planned Giving, presented by Phil Purcell, Vice President of the Ball State University Foundation.

September 29 is Smithsonian Museum Day Live, when visitors get in free to the Study if they present a Smithsonian pass.

October and December also bring exciting events. If you want to download a PDF flyer of upcoming events, click here.

Geocaching on the Study Grounds

Did you know we have a geocache located somewhere on our 3.5 acres?

According to Wikipedia, "[g]eocaching is an outdoor recreational activity in which the participants use a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver or mobile device and other navigational techniques to hide and seek containers, called "geocaches" or "caches", anywhere in the world." Treasures are hidden inside a waterproof box located at a specific location, and vary from place to place.

What treasures are hidden on the Study grounds? Plenty of historical ones, but also some recreational ones as well.

Come test your navigational skills and pick up a new hobby while you're at it!