Charles Dickens made his first tour of the United States in 1842. He was greeted with great enthusiasm throughout his tour even though he would not publish his A Christmas Carol until the following year. Dickens at first reveled in the attention but soon the never-ending demand on his time began to wear […]
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As the fame of Ben-Hur grew in the 1880s, Lew Wallace received countless letters praising the work. In the Lew Wallace Autobiography, Susan Wallace selected a number or eloquent and expressive letters worthy of note for the Autobiography. These included letters to Lew from Paul H. Hayne, Lord Dufferin, President James Garfield, William Wetmore […]
The two leading actors in the 1925 silent movie version of Ben-Hur, Ramon Navarro and Francis X. Bushman, are still well remembered. Many of the others who played lead roles in the movie and were famous in their day have fallen into relative obscurity. What’s surprising is the number of actors […]
Zerelda Sanders Wallace, step-mother to Lew Wallace, died in 1901. She was a gifted and much sought after speaker for the causes she believed in. She was in such demand and responded to so many requests that she nearly killed herself in 1891 trying to balance her public and private […]
For over 60 years, Lew Wallace had a relationship with the plot of land in downtown Indianapolis that came to be known as Monument Circle. This property was originally called the governor’s circle and Wallace’s relationship with the circle began during his boyhood when he hid in the basement of […]
We take it for granted that the Lew Wallace Study, the symbol of Crawfordsville, (and home of the TASTE of Montgomery County) has stood safe and strong for almost 130 years without serious threat. However, several times in its history, the Wallace Study was almost destroyed. A proposed extension of […]
During his presidency, Abraham Lincoln delivered only three speeches outside of Washington, D.C. The first was at Gettysburg in November 1863. Baltimore was the second in April 1864. The third would come in Philadelphia two months later. Lew Wallace had been appointed Commander of the 8th Army Corps with headquarters in Baltimore […]
In the summer of 1864, John W. Garrett, President of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad came to see General Lew Wallace. Mr. Garrett expressed concern for the safety of Washington (as well as his railroad). His personnel were reporting detachments of Confederate troops in the Shenandoah Valley and, according to […]
Throughout his life Lew Wallace had a deep interest in the creative arts. He created original works of art and he acquired works by others. One of the most recognizable works he acquired was a bust of himself created by the famed American sculptor, Randolph Rogers. The museum is fortunate […]
In the mid-1870s, Lew Wallace was drafting a short story about the three wise men and their journey guided by the Star of Bethlehem. The story was intended for publication in Harper’s—one of the most important magazines of the 19th century. Serialized stories that carried from one issue to the next […]