The Herald | Museum Tour

Dubois County Museum a virtual tour

Explore the history of Dubois County through artifacts at the county museum in Jasper, Indiana.

Murals of all the towns in Dubois County painted by Alice Kemper, Tom Schum and Kim Schum Schroeder are displayed along the walls. Huntingburg, painted by Kim Schum Schroeder, is depicted on the right.

Top row: Ireland, Jasper, Portersville | Bottom row: St. Henry, St. Anthony, Schnellville

Dubois County was founded on December 20, 1817, and named after Captain Toussaint Dubois.

The Buffalo Trace region spans from the falls of Ohio to the Wabash River.

A buffalo representing the herds of buffalo which once migrated through Dubois County in the 1800s.

Arrowheads collected by Thomas J. Fromme over the course of 73 years.

A display replicating the Portersville Site, where dozens of artifacts were found and identified by the Glenn Black Laboratory of Archaeology at Indiana University.

Antique silverware and vanity set belonging to Mary Ann Nicholson Rose from the early settlement days of Dubois County.

Without electricity or other modern amenities, hard work and ingenuity were important for survival in the early settlement days.

Clothes hang to dry next to an antique wringer washer machine in a display replicating a typical laundry day from the 1800s. | Antique irons and a Treadle sewing machine.

A late 1800s German log house relocated from near Patoka Lake in Celestine.

An outhouse.

A cider press used to make apple cider.

In the 1840s, German immigrants began to migrate to Dubois County because of a local priest, Joseph Kundek. The exhibit features the history behind their journey and various artifacts and memorabilia collected from many original German immigrant families.

Historical photos and musical instruments brought by German immigrants when they established their new lives in Dubois County.

A display resembles the sleeping quarters inside a ship that German immigrants sailed in to get to America.

Possessions and memorabilia from the German immigrants who established their new lives in Dubois County, including a ceramic doll, religious books, a silver ring and a lock of hair.

Dubois County has a deep Catholic history. It is home to several historic churches and celebrates many religious traditions.

A hand-carved statue of St. Benedict by Joseph Schoenbachler.

The military history gallery includes photographs, artifacts and ephemera documenting the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I and II, Spanish American War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Cold War and the Global War on Terror.

Col. C.C. Schreeder G.A.R. Encampment medals from the Civil War.

An American Flag from 1861 was carried in the Civil War by Company K.

A Civil War surgeon's kit belonging to Dr. Wm. Reid McMahan of Huntingburg.

World War I photographs and memorabilia.

Items belonging to Charles Donald "Don" Cameron during World War I. | Mannequins on display representing the men and women who served as soldiers and nurses during World War I.

The museum's sports exhibit showcases an extensive collection of pictures, uniforms and memorabilia of local teams from the late 1800s to the present day.

Tennis memorabilia including a Denny Bell’s 1929 Jasper Academy racquet signed by classmates.

Gene Tormohlen of Holland's autographed sized 15 basketball shoes from 1968, when he played in the NBA for the St. Louis Hawks.

Basketball memorabilia including a less-than-regulation-size basketball rim used for free throw practice at Birdseye High School gym, Southridge basketball's 1986 semi-state championship banner, the original scoreboard from Huntingburg Memorial Gymnasium and Frankie Ebenkamp's gold-and-black striped overalls.

Scott Rolen of Jasper's autographed 2001 Philadelphia Phillies game jersey.

The Wildlife Room showcases dozens of taxidermy animals for all over the world.

The late Frank Fromme Jr. of Jasper, an avid hunter, shot this polar bear in 1969. The exhibit features dozens of animals from Fromme’s hunting expeditions donated to the museum by his estate.

These traditional African masks, collected by Frank Fromme Jr., play a constant sacred role in the owner's life from childhood until death and were created for reasons such as to ensure fertile crops or to ask for rainfall.

Dubois County, rich in natural resources, became known as the “Nation’s Wood Capital” by the late 1900s. Chairs, tables and desks on display show the growth and development within the local manufacturing industry.

Furniture from the Jasper Office Furniture Company and Indiana Desk.

Antique tools, commonly used to make furniture.

Kimball electronic organ

The Jasper Corporation, later known as Kimball International, started in 1950 with sales of wooden phonograph cases, shown in the center of this living room display.

A kitchen resembling one from the 1950s-1970s showcases the cabinetry of Aristokraft and MasterBrand.

The Dubois County Museum features the largest agricultural exhibit in Indiana and showcases the farming methods and machinery that have helped define the industry since the 1800s.

A saw from the Kitten Sawmill in Ferdinand.

An antique sausage stuffer.

Kitten Thresher, commonly called a separator, was built by the Ferdinand Foundry and Machine works in the early 1900s.

Meyer Planing Mill operating equipment

Case tractor engine

Early 1900s Aultman Taylor 15-barrel water wagon

Kitten Steam Engine #214, built in 1923 at the Ferdinand-based Kitten Machine shop, which later evolved into Ferdinand Foundry and Machine Works.

Easy Way Loader, built around 1939, used to load loose hay on the hay wagon rather than using a hay fork.

Equipment from St. Henry's Lindauer Standstone quarry

Stone-carving tools, Grindstone Works stone and a face carved into stone.

17-room exhibit reminiscent of a 1890s main street

General Store

Toy Store

Bar

Shoe Shop

Barber

Dress & Hat Shop

One Room School

Newsroom

Summer Kitchen

Parlor

The Dubois County Museum closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic from March through June 2020.

Herald photos by Kayla Renie | Production by Sarah Ann Jump | Special thanks to Shirley Ray, director of the Dubois County Museum

The Herald | Dubois County, Indiana | Saturday, April 25, 2020

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