Indiana Historical Society

The Indiana Historical Society collects and preserves Indiana’s unique stories; brings Hoosiers together in remembering and sharing the past; and inspires a future grounded in our state’s uniting values and principles. IHS is a Smithsonian Affiliate and a member of the International Coalition of Sites of Conscience.

Exhibits

Celebrate Smithsonian magazine Museum Day at the Indiana Historical Society, a Smithsonian Affiliate. Experience our exhibits, café, and History Market. Visitors can also celebrate Hispanic Heritage month with craft activities and a Smithsonian poster exhibit, Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964.

Other offerings on Sept. 17 include:

Eva Kor from Auschwitz to Indiana:
This exhibit tells the remarkable story of Eva Mozes Kor, who survived Auschwitz as a child and the experiments of Dr. Joseph Mengele, and grew up to be one of the most influential Holocaust educators and activists in the world. She ignited a global manhunt for Mengele, organized other survivors, and educated millions about what happened during the Holocaust and about her vision of empowerment and forgiveness.

Documents That Shaped America:
Thanks to a new partnership with The Remnant Trust, the new exhibit features an impressive collection of early editions of some of the most important manuscripts in American history including a first edition 1788 U.S. Constitution (one of five known copies), a first edition of the Gettysburg Address, and an early edition of Life & Times of Frederick Douglass (1893). It also features texts that help build the major foundational pieces of Western democratic philosophy, such as a 1350 edition of the Magna Carta.

Destination Indiana
A facilitated, interactive opportunity for visitors to “travel through time” using innovative digital technology, touch screens and immersive displays of historic images and documents, guests can explore and understand the story of Indiana as a place.

W. Brooks and Wanda Y. Fortune History Lab
Explore the whys, whats and hows of conservation with the History Lab, which celebrates and de-mystifies this work by walking guests through the process of examining, identifying, treating and properly storing archival items. Guests can also try their hand at paper mending–one of the most common treatments performed in IHS’s state-of-the-art lab.

Participation in Museum Day is open to any tax-exempt or governmental museum or cultural venue on a voluntary basis. Smithsonian magazine encourages museum visitation, but is not responsible for and does not endorse the content of the participating museums and cultural venues, and does not subsidize museums that participate.