The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum, a National Historic Landmark, is pleased to announce the successful culmination of the Making A Historic Difference Campaign. The campaign began in early 2013 with a generous $100,000 challenge grant from the Jeffris Family Foundation, an organization dedicated to Midwestern Historic Preservation. The […]
Study Interior
13 posts
One of the worst sights to see when working in a historic building is water pouring in from the ceiling. This was a common occurrence a few years ago anytime it rained. We had to set out several buckets to catch the water and hope that the storm would be […]
When Lew Wallace created his iconic Study in Crawfordsville, he spared no expense. Although we haven’t yet found any evidence, tradition suggests the stained glass was done by Tiffany & Co. The firm that would become synonymous with fine American craftsmanship began as a stationery and fancy goods store in […]
So last week I warned you I was going to ask you for money. Well, this is it–brace yourselves. We would really appreciate it if you donated money to our Making A Historic Difference campaign. (That wasn’t so bad, was it?) Our fundraising campaign Thanks to our many generous supporters, we […]
If you’re a Crawfordsville local, you may have seen signs around town with a big drawing of the Study and the phrase “Making A Historic Difference.” You might be wondering why we’re trying to raise $300,000 and what we’re going to do with that money. We’re going to have a […]
“The border around the skylight is handpainted, designed by the owner. It consists of implements of warfare in groups chained together. We see the shield, helmet, sword, bugle, breastplate, etc…” – Ella Kostanzer, January 1, 1900 With these words, recorded 113 years ago, Ella Kostanzer became the only person to ever […]
We’re fortunate here at the museum to have historical photos of the Study–interior and exterior–as well as the Study grounds. Our goal is to present the Study to visitors as it would have been in Lew Wallace’s lifetime. We want visitors to see it the way Lew saw it. One […]
It’s always thrilling to scrape away the covering of years and unveil more of what General Wallace’s surroundings looked like when he lived among them. The past weeks have offered exciting glimpses into both the interior and exterior of the General’s study, through the tireless work of some true professionals. […]
Exciting work continues here at the Study as our conservators, Brian Fick and Mary Yeager from Acanthus Arts in Indianapolis, uncover and restore more incredible decorative paint inside the historic building’s dome. Brian is spending his day 30 feet in the air, uncovering layer by layer of paint to get […]
Ella Kostanzer visited the General’s Study around 1900, and described, among other things, a scene on the domed ceiling that contained “implements of war”. Because she is the only one to recount this detail, staff and visitors alike have long hoped she was right but didn’t want to rely on […]