Support Our Collection

Since 1923, the Museum has been collecting artifacts that reflect the rich history of our county and we could not be a Museum if we did not have the stories, pictures, and artifacts donated by local families over the past 95 years.  It is these stories and artifacts that ensure current and future generations can learn about their ancestors, research their homes and businesses, and see the progress of our great county.  

​

Caring for the collection of over 175,000 artifacts stored in the Museum is no simple task.  Each artifact must be inventoried, catalogued, cleaned, digitized, properly stored, and publically made accessible.  By doing these steps properly, each artifact will be safely preserved for future generations and made accessible for research.

 

When you visit the Museum, you have the opportunity to enjoy our 97 highly interactive exhibits, and within nearly all of those exhibits are artifacts.  The Museum also features a few off-site exhibits that allow guests to enjoy the Museum even when they are not in our facility.  At any one time, about 25% of the collection is on exhibition, while the other 75% is being cared for in our collection storage areas which are closely monitored for safe levels of humidity, temperature, and ultraviolent light.  

​

The collection does not stop with just the 175,000 pieces we have now – which range from military uniforms, family pictures, bibles, housewares, agriculture tools, furniture, and much more – but we are continually acquiring new items into the collection because history is ongoing.  Future generations will want to know what we are doing right now in Wabash County and we strive to collect those items as well.  

​

These artifacts and stories also play a major role in our educational programming for the young and old alike.  We continue to invent new ways to get all ages engaged with the collection to ensure our local history is not forgotten.

 

With all this said, I hope you understand that we could not be the Museum you have come to love without this vast array of artifacts and without the generous support of donors like you!