Winter Gardens

The study gardens have been very active this winter. Since the first of December, the icicle gardens have flourished. Every other week, it seems, a winter weather advisory has been issued. The snow and ice have taken over the grounds. An ice storm left 5.5 inches of ice, to be later covered with 6 inches of snow. A drift between the buildings, after snow removal, left ice 7 inches deep, and had to be chipped away layer by layer. Just late week, the ice and snow melted over most of the grounds, leaving piles in the parking areas.

Many varieties of icicles have grown this winter. The padlock freezing icicles, short and fragile, made life difficult getting into the museum. The eaves icicles have taken over the Carriage House, seeming to grow by the hour.

The gigantic furnace vent icicle grew in huge proportions! The constant dripping from the vent created a stalagmite near the basement entrance. Standing approximately 4 feet tall and 5 inches diameter, the icicle grew and grew. Finally last week, the weather turned 50 for 2 days and all the icicles melted.

Another storm is predicted to bring rain, sleet and snow. It great to see that the crocus and daffodils are starting to emerge from the frozen ground. Mother nature at her best!

The Art of Lew Wallace: Over the Deadline

1865 was a year of events and activity for Lew Wallace. Early in the year he was sent to Mexico to prevent Mexican support of the dying Confederacy. While in Mexico he learned of the end of the Civil War and the death of Abraham Lincoln. Upon his return to Washington, D.C. he served on the tribunal that tried the Lincoln conspirators and he was the presiding judge of the tribunal that tried Commander Henry Wirz for war crimes. Wirz was in charge of the infamous Civil War prison camp in Andersonville, Georgia. After a two month trial, Wirz was found guilty on eleven of thirteen counts of murder and sentenced to death. On November 10, 1865, Wirz was hanged on the site that is now occupied by United States Supreme Court.

During the trial of the Lincoln conspirators Lew Wallace made small pencil sketches to pass the time. During the Wirz trial he also spent time sketching. As the trial unfolded one story in particular haunted the general. He heard stories of the deadline—a line within the stockade which the prisoners were forbidden to cross. Just beyond the deadline was a small stream. In gripping testimony the court heard about a prisoner of war stretching his emaciated arm toward the stream, his hand holding a tin cup. When his hand crossed the deadline, he was shot and killed by one of the Confederate prison guards.

Wallace sketched a vivid image of this unnamed man in tattered pants lying in the mud with his outstretched hand over the stream. This sketch survives, but the whereabouts of a painting based on the sketch is not known. The finished painting was exhibited in Chicago in 1867, in Boston in 1873 and in Indianapolis in 1878. The painting was generally praised for its boldness of conception, technical skill and somberness—although the Boston Advertiser did find it too “horribly realistic.”

Sometime after its exhibition in Indianapolis, the painting disappeared. Whether Wallace retained ownership of the painting and gave it to a friend, whether it was damaged and discarded by family, or perhaps was given to an association or museum and resides deep in a vault somewhere has been lost to history. While the fate of the painting and the name of the subject are both shrouded in mystery, we are fortunate that the sketch survives to convey both the extent of the General’s talent and the personal side of the trauma of the Civil War still so fresh in 1865.

Has It Weathered Well?

The theme for the year is Agents of Deterioration, and believe it or not the Study roof has already begun to deteriorate! Not in the sense of leaking like a sieve the way it used to, but the shiny new copper has already begun to look not quite so new.

In November, the copper on the east side just shone on a bright sunny day.

After a winter of snow, rain, and sleet, this same side doesn't look quite so shiny three months later!

Interestingly,historic photos from Lew Wallace's time (this one is courtesy of the Crawfordsville District Public Library) seem to show the Study roof as bright and reflective. So, if you want to see the Study as Lew Wallace originally intended, you might want to plan a trip here soon! We offer guided tours of the exterior while construction finishes, and the grounds are open and free until 5:00 p.m. every day.

An Industrial Floor for an Industrious Man

If you've visited the Study any time after 1976, you've seen the carpet covering the floor of the main room.

Brightly colored and made to withstand a lot of foot traffic, the carpet made the room warmer and quieter but did not present an authentic appearance.

In historic photos, we can see the concrete floor that Lew Wallace installed in the Study. During colder months, he put down area rugs, and during warmer months he rolled up the rugs and stashed them along the walls. We concluded from this that Wallace did not intend for the floor to be covered completely and so...

...we took out the carpet! As part of the Study Restoration Project, local flooring experts removed the carpet and the sub-floor that it was glued to and revealed Wallace's original concrete floor. Fortunately, that additional flooring made little impact on the concrete, and the Study interior now looks much more like it did when Wallace enjoyed the building. It looks a little "unfinished" or "industrial" to some of us, but it's a step closer to being restored to the appearance Lew Wallace wanted for his Study.

If These Walls Could Talk...

...they would tell us what color they were originally! A grant from the Montgomery County Community Foundation has funded a paint analysis of the Study interior, and specialist Matthew Mosca flew in from Washington, DC, to peel back the layers of paint and tell us what the General's Study looked like when he used the building.


The walls in the inglenook by the fireplace were a dark shade of blue-green - very similar to the current color of the lower parts of the walls.

The walls above the bookcases were a shade of green, as was the plaster frieze molded into the shape of flowers.

The walls in the vestibule were a display of rich jewel tones and gold in a variety of patterns.

The part of the building that may interest the most people, the dome, is proving to be the most difficult. The top layers of paint were not coming off easily, and more analysis needs to be done to ascertain what colors lie underneath. If it's half as interesting as the rest of the building, we are in for a big surprise!

The big question is what do we do with all this information? As the final analysis results show the different shades of different parts of the building, we will see the scope of what it would take to restore the General's Study to its original appearance. Even if it's only one part of the building at a time, we would like for visitors to see the Study as Lew Wallace did!

This Sunday: Holiday Open House & Volunteer Reception

The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum is hosting a free Holiday Open House and Volunteer Reception on their last operating day of 2010, Sunday, December 12 from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The Open House takes place inside the Carriage House Interpretive Center, which is beautifully outfitted in yuletide décor, including a Christmas tree decorated in Victorian fashion. Festive activities and toasty treats will be on hand, as well as a fun holiday craft project for the kids.

The Museum will also be welcoming back its volunteers for a holiday party during the Open House. “We couldn’t achieve a fraction of what we do without the work of our wonderful volunteers,” said Kara Edie, Visitor Services & Marketing Director at the General

Lew Wallace Study and Museum. “We’re inviting all of our volunteers to the Open House as a relaxing get-together before the bustle of the holidays.”

The Open House will also be the final opportunity for visitors to see the Museum’s 2010 exhibit, Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace, which includes some of General Wallace’s personal artifacts that were removed from his Study just before the renovation on the 112-year-old building began earlier this year.

The Museum will be closed through January and reopen for tours on Wednesday, February 2, 2010.

Admission to the Museum during the Holiday Open House is free. Call 765-362-5769 or email study@ben-hur.com for further information.

The Heroism of William Noble Wallace (1895-1918)

This bit of Wallace family history is in honor of Veterans Day. Lew and Susan Wallace had one son, Henry. Henry and his wife, Margaret Noble Wallace, had two sons. Their eldest was named Lew Jr. and their second son was named William Noble. Both grandsons would have made their grandfather proud with their service during World War I. If Lew Wallace was a hero in the Civil War, his grandson William should also be remembered for his valiant service.

Nicknamed “Tee,” William Noble was born in 1895 and attended Indianapolis Public Schools. A handsome and dynamic young man, he had a stronger scholastic aptitude than his famous grandfather as he ultimately graduated from The Hill School, an exclusive preparatory school in Pennsylvania. He then enrolled in and graduated from Yale where he was a member Hill School Club at Yale; the University Club, the university wrestling team; the Sword & Gun Club, Delta Kappa Epsilon and the Elihu Club.

A young man with spirit and drive he left Yale without graduating in 1916 to enlist in the American Field Ambulance Service with the French Army. He did this even though the United States had not yet entered the war. Serving as an ambulance driver for six months his unit received 3 citations, including the French Croix-de-Guerre with palm and the Fourragere for Souville-Tavanne. In December of 1916, he returned to Yale and finished his senior year, graduating in June of 1917. In July, he reenlisted and was commissioned as a 2^nd

lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He completed his training and in February of 1918 he sailed to France. In two different training classes, he graduated at the top of his class, again demonstrating a classroom aptitude foreign to his grandfather.

In June 1918, his command moved to Chateau Thierry and in the attack at Belleau Woods he led his platoon over the top of a hill in fighting as fierce as any Lew witnessed in the Civil War. Just a few weeks later in July, Tee took his platoon forward and was hit by piece of high explosive about noon while leading his men in the attack on Vierzy - the preliminary advance on Soissons. His regiment was cited by the French for this action and his company was awarded Croix-de-Guerre with Palm. Tee was evacuated to Base Hospital No. 43 where he recovered.

By September, he had been promoted to 1^st Lieutenant but, communications at the front being what they were, he never knew it! In Memorial Sketches in Yale in the World War, it says he actually received this rank July 1 and the next day had been made a provisional Captain. In October, he rejoined his command for the Meuse-Argonne offensive and was appointed Battalion Scout Officer. His company was withdrawn for replacement, but he was retained because of his sketching ability (perhaps an artistic trait inherited from Lew) he volunteered to map enemy positions on the front line with one other comrade. His mission was accomplished with great skill and daring, and as he was returning across open country to HQ on Blanc Mont ridge in the early dawn, he was struck by a shell and instantly killed. His partner survived. That night, with the aid of the regimental chaplain, he was buried by his men and a brother officer at the side of the road between Somme-Py and St.-Etienne. World War I ended just weeks later.

For his service, Tee was posthumously given the American Field Service Medal with letter from the French Ministry of War; a trophy was awarded in his memory by his friends at a track meet held by the Second Division Post, American Legion, in New York City; he received the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism; and he was given the Navy Cross. After the War, Henry travelled to France and reclaimed his son’s body. William Noble Wallace is buried in Oak Hill Cemetery with the rest of his family.

A fellow officer said: In his last battle his company had lost 132 men in twenty minutes and was ordered to retire for replacement. But Lt. Wallace, “owing to his indifference to high explosive shell fire and skill in sketching, was ordered to remain and sketch the ground in advance. He had accomplished this special mission and was returning to deliver his map when struck by a shell. No nobler life has been laid on the altar of Liberty.”