The Hendricks County Historical Museum is celebrating 50 years in 2025.
Chances are, if you haven’t visited personally, you’ve likely heard about the original sheriff’s residence within walking distance of the courthouse in Danville.
Maybe you’ve heard of the jail cells in the basement — a favorite among visitors — or perhaps you’re familiar with their popular fundraiser, Dancing with the Hendricks County Stars.
Fifty years ago, a few forward-thinking leaders in the county imagined a museum that would honor the legacy of Hendricks County history.
“When they moved the jail and the sheriff’s residence out of the home, the county commissioners had to decide what to do with the property,” said Pat Baldwin, president of the Hendricks County Historical Museum board. “All sorts of ideas were floated, including tearing it down. At the time, the Hendricks County Historical Society encouraged them to preserve the building and create a museum.”
They began collecting artifacts, news articles and information on the history of the county, offering tours to visitors and residents.
Each room is themed. The Central Normal room is dedicated to the history of the Danville college and the students who attended there for 73 years. The military room is dedicated to the Civil War and Hendricks County soldiers. Two kitchens offer a glimpse of late 1800s and 1940s amenities, and two bedrooms are decorated with historical furniture and more.
From 1866 to 1974, prisoners were housed in the jail cells in the basement of the sheriff’s home. The sheriff’s wife would make their meals and the sheriff would keep an eye on their behavior.
Deanna Hindsley, former board president and volunteer, said her favorite room is the parlor.
“I love the stories. We have two portraits that hang over the fireplace of William and Mary Calvert. He was the great-great-great-grandfather of a gentleman in Florida who found these original paintings in their attic,” Hindsley said. “Sheriff Calvert and his wife Mary were the first couple with children who moved into the home in 1868. William painted the portraits of he and his wife. They were in poor condition, so we had them restored through a Hendricks County Foundation grant.”
There are also two rooms in the annex that are rotated by theme each year.
“Right now, we have a display of the National Register of Historic Places and also the state historical markers. The other display is hats over the decades in Hendricks County,” Baldwin said. “The rest of the rooms stay the same, but we often bring out something new. We just refreshed the military room, highlighting two county soldiers from World War I and World War II, so there’s always something new to see.”
In addition to tours Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and by appointment, the Hendricks County Historical Museum offers activities for the public throughout the year.
“This is our sixth year for Children’s Day on the first Saturday in June. We’ve done the Road Rally in October for more than 10 years,” Baldwin said. “Dancing with the Stars has been around for 10 years and has been a huge success with a huge amount of community support. It’s how we fund almost everything else we do.”
They also host a popular tea event each November at the Hendricks County 4-H Fairgrounds and Conference Complex and are currently scanning historical photos into Indiana Memory for those at home to view.
It takes manpower and volunteers who have a love for their community.
“We are mostly operated by volunteers. We don’t dress up in costume and there’s no minimum number of hours, but everyone who has volunteered with us has always said the same thing. They loved meeting the people that came through and it was fun,” Baldwin said. “We even have several different areas to volunteer. For example, we need someone to scan the photos, write for the newsletter and update the website.”
It’s all to preserve and educate others about the rich history of Hendricks County.
For Hindsley, she recalls vacations with her father, who insisted on spending an afternoon at a historical site.
“When I was first introduced to the museum in the early 2000s, like many, I had never been to the museum even though I’ve lived in the county all my life,” Hindsley said. “I was in awe of this building and all of a sudden, history became a tale of people and stories throughout these towns. That means something to me. History is a personal thing. It begins the day before you were born and looks back.”
The museum volunteers see it every day through school groups, Girl Scout troops and visitors coming in from across the country. Each person looks at the rooms and artifacts differently.
“When you walk into the parlor, we have stereoscopes and our school groups are often asked, if there’s no TV, no radio, no movies and no telephone, what are you going to do after dinner? How will you spend your time? For the younger ones, it’s hard for them to think about not being able to look up something on their phone,” Baldwin said. “So much of history happens every single day. It’s what makes us who we are — our towns and our communities.”
After spending 2024 celebrating the Hendricks County Bicentennial, there are no plans for a special event or celebration this year. However, Baldwin said their mission will continue to move forward and remain strong.
“We’ve worked too hard and this museum is too valuable to let it slide. We will continue to upgrade, learn from others and continue to stay aware in our community,” Baldwin said.
Want to see a virtual tour of the museum? Visit midwestvirtualexp.com/hcmuseum for a sneak peek of all the museum has to offer.
