BCHS logomark
BCHS logomark

We are open!!

Stop by during regular hours, Tuesday – Thursday 10-4, to see our newest exhibits!
Research is also available by appointment, phone 812-372-3541, to schedule.

We are following CDC guidelines for visitors.  Masks are encouraged for all visitors. 

Reeves Festival postcard

ANNUAL REEVES FESTIVAL

Saturday, August 27, 11 am – dusk, $10 per car – members FREE
Historic Henry Breeding Farm, 13730 N. 100 W., Edinburgh
Tickets available at the Historical Society, Viewpoint Books, or at the gate
Join us for this annual event that celebrates the Reeves family and commemorates
the role the Reeves Companies played in Columbus. Don’t miss fabulous music provided by Stone Carnival, Cathy Morris, and The Banister Family Band.
All ages will enjoy a fun day filled with Reeves steam engine rides, threshing demonstrations, hands-on history stations, farm animals, blacksmithing, antique cars, garden tours and so much more! The evening will conclude with a spectacular fireworks display at dusk.
There will be food trucks, wine, beer, and soft drinks available for sale.
Entertainment Schedule:
12-2 Banister Family, 3-5 Cathy Morris Electric Violin, 6-8 Stone Carnival

GET HANDS ON

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

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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!)

House at Breeding Farm

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!)

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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 In addition, you can explore historical documents and do genealogical research.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.