Village Buildings

The buildings you see were moved to the site of the museum. Many are filled with period accurate items, furnishings and information about the history of the building.

 

Thomas Cunningham Home, 1826

Once situated on a bluff overlooking the Wabash, the Cunningham log cabin was built by a flatboatman on the river trade to New Orleans. It has been argued that the term "hoosier" might have originated with the Indiana flatboatmen, who were designated as "hushers" for their ability to "whomp the tar" out of most other boatmen in fights, a frequent pastime.

Just over 40 feet in Diameter, this round barn was moved from near Alvin, Illinois, 24 miles to current location, in 1987. It was cut into two pieces to move. Now a rarity, round barns were once both popular, and seen as an advanced design, after the magnificent and highly advanced though practical shaker barn designs.

David Wittenmeyer was an ancestor of the museum owner. original charcoal paintings of the Wittenmeyers are on display. Moved in 1979. The main home is one room deep, and has fireplaces in all the primary rooms, including the huge kitchen hearth, with a substantial original mantel of walnut, likewise, all trim in the home is native walnut.

Moved in 1987. The "blab" schools derived their name from the fact that several grade level classes were conducted under one school "marm," or teacher. Little girls' pig tails in inkwells, and disassembling the desks (which were fasted together) and reassembling them facing the opposite directions were favored past times.

One of the last remaining original warehouses of the Wabash and Erie Canal. The last season for canal use was 1876 to Perrysville. Once sat off the Wabash River, and still contains hand-operated crane, original scale and rare farm implements.

Erected on site in 1999 by John, Terry, and Rodney Ohls. Still hoping the steam trains will open a depot some day.