Here are just a few of the museum's past exhibits and events.
Journey Indiana came to the museum:
Indiana public media WTIU, brought a crew to the museum to film a segment of a new series, Journey Indiana. Hosts Ashley Dillard and Brandon Wentz discussed artifacts with museum president, Rowena Cross-Najafi. Watch the show online: Journey Indiana Episode 102
Work station opens a view to the past
The work station is a treasure trove of information — through Newspapers.com, 390 newspaper microfilm reels have been converted into a digital database that is indexed and searchable by name, date or keyword. Newspapers.com provided the online access portal for use onsite (without charge at the museum). There are 43 newspapers, including the Bedford Times-Mail and the Mitchell Tribune, as well as rare copies of early newspapers from the 1800s such as The White River Standard (1849-1855) the May 1884 edition of the Hobson’s Reporter, the 1846-47 Bedford Sun, and the 1836 Bedford Transcript.
Exhibits
Arts
4-H photograph exhibit 2019
Albert W. Miller—1. The Ole Swimming Hole, 2. Art was his life and his language
Art Exhibit from the museum’s collection, 2020
Author A. B. Guthrie, A descendant of Lawrence County’s first settlers, 2010
Bicentennial Art Show, 2016
Culture Crawl 2023
Gallery Walk—October 2013
Gallery Walk—2015
Quarry Quilters 2018
Quilts on display—Mrs. Mifflin’s quilts from her 1995-96 and 2000-01 Oolitic kindergarten classes commemorate students’ first step in an educational journey, 2022.
Student Art Exhibit, 2012
Wes Flinn, is celebrated during Culture Crawl 2023— Bedford High School graduate, music theorist, composer, eupohoniumist, trombonist and conductor, Wes Flinn, is Associate Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota Morris.
Turner Dolls Wizard of Oz collection.
Black History
Black History exhibit 2015
Black History month 2022
Christmas at the Lawrence County Museum
Christmas at the museum 2023
Christmas at the museum 2021
Letter from Santa written in 1905, exhibited 2019
Christmas 2016
Christmas 2014
Christmas 2010, 2011, 2012
Christmas 2009
Santa letter 1905
Clothing
Bustles, Basques and Bonnets, 100 years of Lawrence County Clothing 1830-1930, exhibited 2010
Well-dressed women 1940s era, exhibit dated 2015
Limestone Related:
Joe Palooka 1. Who is Joe Palooka? 2. Journey Indiana PBS video on Joe Palooka statue, the Biltmore in North Carolina, and NYC Empire State Building.
Limestone Festival museum activity 2012
Limestone Festival carving contest 2013
Limestone Festival carving contest 2016
Limestone Festival Activity 2018
Limestone Porches Exhibit and Limestone Heritage Month guest speakers —2021
1. National Archives exhibit 2. National Archives —The men who created the columns and the carvings.
Miss Indiana statue centennial celebration, Nov. 27, 2023
Military
Civil War Exhibit images Silas H. Mathes
Civil War Letters Home Book
Indiana History Project: Rowena Cross-Najafi interviews gallery coordinator, Becky Buher, about the 2014 “Letters Home” exhibit. Click to watch the program.
WWII—Rev. Dominic Altieri: Experiences as an Army Chaplain
Vietnam veterans exhibit, 2015
Miscellaneous
Barbie Halloween Ball, 2023
Bedford Then and Now Exhibit, 2010
Carpenter Bus Exhibit, 2012
COVID Memory Tree—For two years Lawrence County victims of the COVID pandemic were remembered with yellow ribbons.
Downtown Dead, 2009
Flouroscope for fitting shoes, 2011
Forest Service in Indiana—Caring for the Land and Serving People since 1935
Greystone Hotel Exhibit
Hairdryer helped create beauty, 2022
Historic Pathways
Holland Stores—Ft. Ritner and Leesville
Home Entertainment 2021-22
Horses—For the Love of Horses, Charles Shetler’s exhibit in Community Gallery, 2016
Ladies of the Round Table, A women’s social organization in existence since 1896. Exhibit 2016.
Lawrence County history murals
Mary Lemon Exhibit (Local teenager, Mary Lemon, the 1907-1909 journal she created and the town in which she lived.), 2011
Miss Indiana statue on the Square
Murals that travel, these murals tell the history of Lawrence County
Red Cross Exhibit, 2013
Red Cross Exhibit, 2021
Rev. Dominic Altieri: Experiences as an Army Chaplain
Square Dance Exhibit 2021—Stone City Squares and Rounds
StarWars —2022
Titanic Model made by Brandon Hedrick, 2021
1898 Wedding Gift, 2022
Spinning Wheel exhibit, 2020
World’s Fair display, 2020
Music
Off-site displays or traveling exhibits
Billboard
Lawrence County Fair 2019
Milwaukee depot
Traveling exhibit: Historic Lawrence County High Schools
Politics
Presidential First Ladies, Hostesses of the White House.
Presidential display, 2020
School Related:
2022—Huron High School cheerleader, Jeanette (Doane) Bates’ pictures and cheer fashions from her 1948-1952
Historic Schoolroom scene
Huron High School career
2022—Oolitic Elementary School Kindergarten quilts—An educational project of teacher, Mrs. Mifflin
Lawrence County Schools from the past
Historic Lawrence County High Schools, a traveling exhibit
2023—Museum honors the 1983 BNL Lady Stars basketball State Champs
Valentines given to Mitchell school teacher, Miss Bixler, in 1909
Scouting
Boy Scout Exhibit, Aaron Westfall, 2013
Girl Scout Exhibit, 2012
Sports
40th Anniversary 1983 BNL Lady Stars Indiana state championship recognition event August 2023
Other activities:
An Evening with Dan Bush— An event moderated by Justin Sokeland. Basketball legend, Dan Bush, reminisced about his playing days, coaching career and interaction with interesting people. Oct. 22, 2022.
Brain Games
Brain Games fundraising events—thru the years— the winner is…
Museum Speakers Program
Held on the second Monday of each month. Several of these events are available on youtube. Click to see the listing.
October mystery walk—Fundraising events held annually the week before Halloween:
Storytime at the museum
On Sat., Dec. 3, 2022, during the Christmas Around the Square day, Miss Marcil was at the museum and shared her stories of snow, Christmas and Alaska. Children of all ages were able to enjoy this event. Click for more info.
Teas—Fundraising events
“Return to Downton Tea at the Downtown Depot,” Sept. 29, 2019
“Downton Abbey” Tea at season end, 2016.
"Downton Abbey" Tea Party. 2015
http://www.tmnews.com/stories/2012/03/08/entertainment.220807.tms (this Times Mail website no longer active)
Time Capsule Opening:
Aug. 9, 2018— 50 years after it was sealed, the 1968 Time Capsule was opened! Kevin Hudson provided video and live stream for some of the activities. Go to the museum's .
See the event on YouTube
Remembering Indiana’s Senator Richard Lugar
Video sites to enjoy
History in the making: Click to view videos of the museum and other interesting Lawrence County sites.
Museum Speakers
Go to the events page to see the list of current and past Museum Speakers.
Many of the programs are recorded and made available on Vimeo by the Star Channel at Bedford North Lawrence High School.