Welcome to The Bartholomew County Historical Society

Wishing everyone a safe and healthy 2022.

The museum will be closed thru mid-LATE February.

If you would like to schedule a research appointment, please call 812-372-3541.

We are following CDC guidelines for visitors. Fully vaccinated guests are encouraged to wear a mask.
Unvaccinated guests are required to wear a mask when visiting the museum.

Click links for information about position openings at The Historical Society:

Collections Manager
Education Manager

GET HANDS ON

Get hands-on experiences with programs and classes that introduce and share our fascinating community history! (Let’s plan!)

bartholomew-co-historical-society-front-door

PLAN A VISIT

Visit us in downtown Columbus to view the exhibits, research your family history, or get answers to all your questions! (Let’s discover!)

RENT THE FARM

Imagine, a barn and grounds you can rent for all types of occasions from casual corporate events to your special wedding day. (Let’s go!)

LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The Historical Society museum includes both permanent and rotating exhibits throughout the year, so that residents and visitors of all ages are able to experience what life in Bartholomew County was like in our past and to connect these stories with our lives today. In addition, you can explore historical documents and do genealogical research.

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See the 16 HP Reeves Steam Traction Engine in action!

WHY STUDY HISTORY? HERE’S WHY…

You are an ancestor: Listen inside and you’ll hear the voices both of your own ancestors and of the ones who will follow you; they’ll help you make good choices. – ERIC UTNE

The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – which you had thought special and particular to you. Now here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out and taken yours. – ALAN BENNETT

You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. – JAMES BALDWIN

FUN FOOTNOTES IN COUNTY HISTORY : PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU & ME

History is far more than numbers and facts. History is people, just like you and me – a wild menagerie of fascinating, amazing, inventive people – people finding their way, making do, and carving out their own personal history, sometimes in ways that impacts and improves their communities, and their world. You will do well to learn from them, admire them, appreciate them.

This Third Street scene was taken many years before the Commons was even a dream. These buildings were located between Washington and Jackson Streets. It is believed the man in the photo is Mr. Beatty.