One of the most unusual museums in Southern Indiana! Granted, most 1800s-era Southern Indiana museums are haunted; let’s get that out of the way. But this museum also offers ghost tours for those interested in the paranormal!
It’s also a museum about Scott County, including exhibits about the Civil War, one of the first train robberies in United States history, lost robbery money, and a connection to Elvis Presley! You can research your Scott County family genealogy and see antique items from Scott County’s past. This museum is pretty unique, to say the very least!
From a distance, it looks like a stately mansion from the 1800s, where rich people might have lived a life of luxury. This 1892 structure is where you can learn Scott County’s rich history. You can also research your family tree, but it also holds an extraordinary distinction as being haunted. They even offer ghost tours. Yep, this will be an exciting field trip for both of us.
For starters, the outside of the building is a little deceiving. Despite its grand exterior, no rich people ever lived here. This was Scott County’s poor farm. Before the days of social security and welfare, you might end up here if you run out of money. The house was separated into two parts, and the front was where the superintendent and his family stayed; the residents lived in the back. The farm sat on 180 acres, and everyone had a job to do to put food on the table. The museum has handicapped accessible ramps and an elevator so anyone can visit. Let’s go inside and see what this museum is all about.
Museum
On the first floor is a meeting space with an overhead projector for any presentation. On the wall is a large photo of the original Scott County courthouse. Notice how similar it looked to the first state capitol at Corydon. Scott County was founded in 1820, and here’s a fun fact: Scott County was named after Charles Scott, a major general in George Washington’s army. He was also the fourth governor of Kentucky. However, he never once set foot in Indiana, living his entire life in Virginia and Kentucky. True story. He looks a little shifty if you ask me.
Speaking of the Revolutionary War, in this display case, it is a blanket, not just any. It kept a young Shadrach Pearson warm at Valley Forge; he was a soldier for George Washington. It’s nearly 250 years old. An essential part of local history is the infamous Reno Gang. They were responsible for a series of bank robberies across the Midwest; they also committed the first train robberies in U.S. history. Their fourth train robbery happened at Marshfield on March 22, 1868, northwest of Scottsburg. It resulted in a net of $96,000, $2 million in today’s money. As the gang was captured and then lynched by an angry mob, the money was never found. Local legend says that it’s buried somewhere in the county. You can learn more about the Reno Gang here at the museum. And here’s a fun fact: A movie was made about the Reno Gang with Elvis Presley playing Clint Reno. The movie was called “Love Me Tender,” and it’s the only movie where he is not the lead actor and the only one in which he dies.
There’s a history of the farm.
There is also a section about early technologies, like this telephone switchboard. Before the days of computerized switching, when a person called someone else, that connection had to be made by someone at a desk like this.
While we can now take hundreds of songs with us on our smartphones or listen to online radio stations, this early radio and record player used to be the only way to go. While these early computers were terrific when they came out, a smartphone today that fits in your hand can do more than a warehouse full of them.
As mentioned on the sign, this is where you can research your Scott County family history in the genealogy research library. The library also has records from the 1800s; many are microfilmed for your convenience. At this point, you can take the staircase up to the second floor or the elevator.
Morgan’s Raid
Another big part of Scott County’s history is Morgan’s Raid, and the museum has a Civil War exhibit that tells the story. Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and his men entered Indiana on July 9, 1863. It was one of the most northern attacks of the Civil War. Morgan’s men fought the Indiana Home Guard at Corydon and ran across the state, reaching the Scott County town of Vienna by July 10. The general even stayed at the Beehive Hotel in Lexington, Indiana.
The museum has some prized artifacts from this period, including an 1836 pistol led by one of Morgan’s men and a cavalry sword.
Second Floor
The second floor continues with treasured possessions from Scott County, like this roller organ.
Early radios, an early camera, and an early typewriter. It’s incredible to think that today, our music, radio, cameras, and typewriters have all been replaced by smartphones. But they haven’t replaced a sewing machine or a fun way to get around town. Technology has simplified many things we do and how we do them. People still go to the doctor when they don’t feel well, but the medicine they get may be much different than it used to be. At one time, it was widespread to be prescribed heroin if you had a cough. Times have changed, and with it, the things people thought they needed, found helpful, or of great value.
But all these things make up the story and spirit of the people of Scott County.
Haunted
Over the years, the old house has gained a reputation for being haunted, in fact, so haunted that it was once named one of the most haunted places in Indiana.
Things have happened here.
When the courtyard was renovated, it was clear that someone or something did not like the changes. Things were removed or put into disarray by the following day. On the front stairs, a specific part often has an unexplained cold spot that’s entirely different from the rest of the house despite having central air in the entire house.
People have heard what sounds like breaking glass, but no glass has ever been found. And sometimes, caretakers have heard their names said in the halls, but no one is there. On the second floor, an old baby cheer has been known to move by itself occasionally. Also upstairs, people have seen a woman in an 1800s-era dress sitting on the couch. She vanishes into thin air. One night after the museum closed, it was raining hard; a man knocked on.
