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April 2023 by JINIFIR FERMANDO
Nice spot to visit...we learned a lot.
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September 2022 by Martinique Herlong
Great tour guides. There are rotating exhibits but currently beautiful displays of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
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August 2022 by Martinique Waters
Great tour guides. There are rotating exhibits but currently beautiful displays of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
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July 2022 by Mattie L.
The Memorial is where Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc was started on the original Butler University campus in Irvington. The walk around the neighborhood was very eye opening. I learned a lot about my sorority. After the neighborhood walk, I went inside of the old library to see the history. I was totally surprised to see a picture of my aunt, Janice Walker, the past Southwest Region Syntaktes as part of the sorority history for 1991. Very impressed with the information provided. Ten stars.
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May 2022 by David Anthony
Great history & Indiana art!
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March 2022 by Mark W.
I never would have came here had it not been for the 2nd Sunday market. What a brilliant idea to introduce and get people interested in this museum. It's a nice building, constructed in 1903 as the library on Butler university campus. On this day the space was full of historical exhibits and crafters selling there wares. Soap makers, candle makers and local shirts were just some of the vendors. A band was playing on the terrace looking over the first floor activities. What a wonderful experience we had checking out everything Irvington had going on back in its prime. International Harvester was a big employer and the basement exhibit showcases products that were made there. Another slightly bizarre exhibit worthy of a visit, also in the basement, are the angels of West Baden. In the early 1900's the hotel of west Baden springs, near French Lick, was given a freshen up and new tiles were laid by Italian artisans who may have snuck into a maintenance room high above the lobby at night. This room is very inaccessible, but in the 1990's during another freshening up of the complex, workers found Angels painted in the concealed room high above the lobby floor. Well, the photos of the angels are here along with the story for you to check out!
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February 2021 by Richard P.
If you've never traveled around Irvington, I highly recommend it. Along the way, you'll find little gems like the Bona Thompson Memorial Center that serves as the home for the Irvington Historical Society and its art collection and historical documents. Not everyone knows that Butler University was originally located in Irvington. This building is one of only a couple buildings of the original campus that continues to exist. It was designed by Henry Dupont and Jesse T. Johnson and constructed in 1903. This building used to be the library, while what is now the Irvington United Methodist Church was the former university president's home. Stick with me. I'll review places and give you some history! The Bona Thompson Memorial Center now has a renovated gallery space and in addition to its regular collection includes a yearly juried exhibit and offers other exhibits. The Center also hosts weddings and receptions. The museum is open weekends from 1-4pm. Current special exhibits include one on Irvington businesses and one on Trees! Both are quite cool. As is true of nearly any building from the early 20th century, there are accessibility concerns here and because this is a historic building it is largely exempt from ADA requirements. You can get into the building, though! You can check out some of it on the Irvington Historical Society's website. As a little more history, Bona Thompson was a young woman who graduated from what was then Butler College in 1897 but then passed away from Typhoid Fever in 1899. In her honor, her family donated $40,000 to build the library. The library is built from Bedford limestone and was built by the still in existence Jungclaus Construction (builders of Murat Temple, Indiana Repertory Theatre, and the Barnes-Thornburg building). This is a beautiful, historic building in a neighborhood known for its beauty and known for embracing its history. In this time of social distancing and spending more time alone, it'd be a great little fun afternoon activity to go check it out.
