Indiana State Museum

Indiana State Museum
Established	1862
Location	Indianapolis, Indiana
Website	Official website

The Indiana State Museum is a museum located within White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The museum houses exhibits on the history of Indiana from prehistoric times up to the present day. It has one of the four IMAX theaters in the state of Indiana.

History

The museum was started in 1862 by then-state librarian R. Deloss Brown as a natural history collection. For many years, the museum was located in various rooms in the state Capitol building in Indianapolis. It was moved into its first permanent home in the old Indianapolis City Hall building at 202 N. Alabama Street in 1967. The Indiana State Museum Society was established in 1969 as a private fund-raising support organization.

The museum moved to its current location, a new building at 650 W. Washington Street, on May 22, 2002. The building on the Indiana Central Canal in White River State Park cost about $105 million.

Front of the Indiana State Museum

Galleries

With more than 40,000 square feet (4,000 m²) of exhibit space, and over 300,000 artifacts in collections, the museum covers the history of the natural world, Native Americans, cultural history, and the future of Indiana.

Gov. Frank O'Bannon Great Hall

• Dean and Barbara White Auditorium
• Legacy Theater: The Indiana African American Experience
• Treasure Cases

First floor

• Birth of the Earth
• The Ancient Seas
• R.B. Annis Naturalist's Lab
• Age of Ice
• Native American

Second floor

• Nineteenth State
• The Hoosier Way
• Crossroads of Indiana
• Enterprise Indiana
• Global Indiana
• Heritage Corner
• American Originals

Third floor

• Rapp Reception Hall
• The Ford Gallery
• NiSource, Inc. Gallery of Indiana Art including the Richmond Group and Hoosier Group painters
• Changing Exhibits Gallery
• Lincoln Financial Foundation Gallery (Opening Sept. 2010)

92 County Walk

"The 92 County Walk is an art experience that spotlights Indiana’s 92 counties by featuring an original sculpture for each. The sculptures are incorporated into the building’s façade, sidewalks and even a stair rail. The collection of sculptures showcases the craftsmanship of Indiana artisans."[1]

State historic sites

The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a statewide institution, with 12 historic sites spanning the state. However, the state historic sites lack the strong funding of the state museum and are often overlooked by the museum administration. The historic sites range from Angel Mounds in the far south, an archaeological site with surviving major earthwork mounds built by the Mississippian culture about 1000 CE; to author Gene Stratton-Porter's two homes in the north and east, where wildlife, native habitat and her early 20th-century prose are featured. Each site and its activities are highlighted on the website at www.indianamuseum.org.

See also

• "Back Home Again" Steam Clock
• Foucault Pendulum
• L. S. Ayres Tea Room
• List of State Historic Sites in Indiana

External links

• Indiana State Museum official website
• Indiana State Historic Sites
• The Indiana State Museum is located at 39°46′7″N 86°10′9″W