Benjamin Harrison Home

The Benjamin Harrison home is a definite must for the Indiana historian. The home is in excellent condition currently, although I am quite remiss in saying that while approximately seventy-five percent of the house’s contents are period correct, a much smaller percentage was specific to the family. The home is very much a museum to both the President and the time, which is in contrast to the James Whitcomb Riley home whose mission is to maintain the authenticity of the home, the contents, and the story. The two homes are very much from the same time period and therefore we tended to juxtapose the two during our visit.


President Harrison received many gifts both during his time as a practicing lawyer and as President of the United States. A great number of the items, some of which are highly unique, are located at the home for public viewing. A couple of these gifts can be found in the first floor library, including a larger-than-life bookcase that was built inside the home, in pieces, because of its incredible size. The bookcase now holds a great deal of the President’s personal books and references for his law practice.  You will also see a rather unique chair made out of animal horns and Bobcat hide (not to be easily forgotten) gifted to Harrison from one of his Texan clients.  


One of the most exciting elements of the tour can be found in the Back Parlor.  Our tour guide played a disc of Beethoven on an antique Reginaphone that belonged to the family, demonstrating the sound quality that still remains after so many years. It was quite unexpected and pure entertainment.   


There is an eery awareness in the President’s master bedroom when you find out that Harrison passed away on that very bed in 1901.  Another point of interest in the room was the portable gym owned by the President.  A portable gym was an item for the upper classes of the time. The case held a variety of wooden dumbbells and a pulley system for weightlifting. 


President Harrison is known for being the President to have electricity integrated into the White House; it is no small surprise that his home does also display the technology. While there were a number of “modern” additives, the home didn’t feel exceptionally innovative. One important technology definitely absent from the home is indoor plumbing.


The Harrison home was renovated and rededicated around 1960 and is highly accessible to the public. With the exception of one room, tours are able to enter all rooms that are a part of the experience.  


We visited both the James Whitcomb Riley home and the Benjamin Harrison home on the same day. The visit to the Harrison home takes about 90 minutes and tours begin on the hour and half hour. The entrance fee is $8.00 per person ($7 with AAA and $6 for seniors) and the museum accepts both cash and charge. We definitely recommend arriving 15 minutes before your tour to view the home’s exterior. The Harrison home is mostly handicap accessible and includes an elevator - however there are stairs that must be traversed in order to enter the home. The grounds do contain a carriage-house that is a reproduction built upon the original foundation. The carriage-house is not a part of the standard tour, however our guide mentioned that upon request they would be more than happy to show us the building. 

James Whitcomb Riley Museum Home

The James Whitcomb Riley home was tremendously enjoyable to visit. James Whitcomb Riley was an accomplished poet and author. Born in Indiana, he is one of the Hoosier State’s most prominent citizens of old. Great pains have been taken to preserve the house as it was in 1916 when the poet reposed. The house is still in the original condition, and with the exception of a few rare pieces of furniture, the contents originally belonged to the home; those that weren’t originally a part of the home were items that belonged to Mr. Riley and were donated back to the estate.


528 Lockerbie Street was the home of Mr. Riley for the last 23 years of his life, however he was not the owner of the home.  John R. Nickum built the home in 1872 for his wife and daughter.  Later, in 1893, Mr. Riley moved in with the family and lived there until his death.  The house is a fascinating look into a very technologically savvy Victorian home.  The home was run on three types of energy:  coal, natural gas and later the family had electricity installed.  The house also boasted indoor pluming (both hot and cold water), and an early intercom system throughout the home. 


Each room of the home had new and interesting characteristic that made it unique. From the foyer to the servant's quarters and back down into the kitchen, we felt well informed and impressed by the home itself and the knowledge of those showing us each and every detail the home had to offer it’s guests.


Of course Mr. Riley’s room was a highlight of the tour.  Possessions of his, including handwritten first editions of his works, are displayed throughout the room and give the visitor a glimpse into his world.  However, not to be overlooked is the tangible expression of how the family of the home chose to live their lives.  Charity was a large portion of their every day.  Generosity overflowing throughout the home from the obvious fact of Mr. Riley’s presence to the quarters provided to their live in help (the servant’s quarters having the luxury of running water while the master bedroom lacked that feature).Unlike other historical sites, you are able to peek into each room of the home, thoroughly satisfying even the most curious. Not all rooms are visitors able to enter, but that hardly detracts from the ability to observe and enjoy. Details are the key to your visit at the Riley home. Be sure to take your time, observe, and ask plenty of questions.The tour itself is not free and is a cash-only event, however the information and experiences are well worth the $4.00 per person entrance fee. Photos are not permitted within the home, however there are a number of postcard photos available for purchase at the end of the tour. Tours are available during the open hours. There are a number of stairs and steps and the facility isn’t set up for those with mobility issues. Parking is on the side of the house and you enter through the front after ringing the doorbell. Visit http://rileykids.org/museum for more information.

The last stanza from Mr. Riley’s Little Orphan Annie:

An' little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,

An' the lamp-wick sputters, an' the wind goes woo-oo!

An' you hear the crickets quit, an' the moon is gray,

An' the lightnin'bugs in dew is all squenched away, -

You better mind yer parunts, an' yer teachurs fond an' dear,

An' cherish them 'at loves you, an' dry the orphant's tear,

An' he'p the pore an' needy ones 'at clusters all about,

Er the Gobble-uns 'll git you

Ef you

Don't

Watch

Out! 

Indiana State Museum

The Indiana State Museum is an exciting place to visit. There are a number of routinely rotating exhibits that no doubt will offer visitors the opportunity for multiple return visits. On this occasion we viewed three of the special exhibits: Art for the Nation, Frugal & Fancy: Indiana Quilts, and Odd Indiana.

Art for the Nation

This particular exhibit was the reason for our visit to the museum on this particular day. The exhibit consisted of a vast collection of war propaganda posters from World War I and II.  Overhead you could hear period music being broadcasted though out the room. Occasionally the voice of some famous men of the time - Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, et al - would come across and make announcements supporting the war effort, challenging listeners to plant victory gardens, and in the modern moment providing a surprisingly chilling emotion that delivers a sense of cool sobriety.

Many of the posters focused on such ideals as encouraging Americans to purchase war bonds, plant a victory garden, join a car club (car pool) with your neighbors, or becoming a member of organization such as The Boy Scouts of America, The YWCA, and The Red Cross.  

Frugal & Fancy: Indiana Quilts

After completing our viewing of the Art for the Nation exhibit we decided to poke our heads into the quilting exhibition. Quilting and needlepoint do not normal appear on our radar of special events, but this particular exposition was definitely worth the time. The exhibit was a sturdy collection of old quilts. It was blatantly obvious the amount of effort and immense attention to detail that each of the quilts must have required by the seamstress’ that made them. There were quilts as old at 150 odd years and the newest probably made for the exhibit no-doubt as it was a scannable QR barcode linking to the museum’s website.

Odd Indiana
This exhibit is a themeless collection of unique and odd museum items collected over the years.   Items include on of the oldest known baseballs, hand grenades, (that were found to be still active when uncovered in the museum dozens of years later), and odd collections of salvaged hair.   

It was a fairly short exhibit but well worth 30 minutes of your time while visiting the rest of the museum. The exhibit attempts to be moderately kid friendly with a canoe and bicycle horns with which to play.

“Oldfields” at the Indianapolis Museum of Art

  

We chose a beautiful Saturday morning in April to venture out to the Indianapolis Art Museum where we toured the beautiful and historic “Oldfields” estate, which to most Hoosiers is known as the “Lilly Home.”  It was originally built as a country home to escape the city life by the Landon family between 1909 and 1913.  The home was then sold to the Lilly family, who is known for their pharmaceutical empire, early in the great depression. In the 1960’s Lilly family then donated the home and all the lands as a site for the new Indianapolis Art Museum.

The mansion is an impressive vision in white. A number of the twenty-two rooms feature items and artifacts belonging to the family. Sadly a large percentage of bedroom furniture and personal items no longer reside at Oldfields as some were auctioned to settle the estate of the late J.K. Lilly Jr. Adding to the loss of furniture, the museum previously utilized most of the rooms on the second floor as galleries. They now serve as museum of the house rather than an example of life. Despite lacking some of the personal home furnishings the whole house is a wonderful visiting experience. The library being a personal favorite of ours.

The estate features exquisite gardens and vast landscaping that has been well maintained and restored. There is a trickling waterfall, small garden bridge, multiple fountains, and hundreds of trees, flowers, and other forms of vegetation. There is even a meticulously manicured formal garden. The estate also features a sizable greenhouse. The greenhouse is open to the public as well and does have plants for sale - so you may want to factor that into your trip budget.

Currently, Oldfields serves as a historic landmark and a mainstay example of life in the early 20th century and the whole experience is entirely free to the public. You may enter the home from the lower rear entrance. There is a movie that plays an introduction to the home, time period, and some special information. We definitely recommend picking up the Oldfields’ Guide book for approximately $15. It contains a variable bundle of information.

A Journey Begins

As a young couple in the greater Indianapolis area, we like to fill our time exploring historical sites, attending special events, visiting exhibits, and other unique Indiana venues focusing on the richness of Indiana. Our goal, as we travel around the state, is to learn and explore each site and to share those experiences and stories.