Indiana State Museum

The original collection of the Indiana State Museum was started in 1862, during the Civil War, when State Librarian R. Deloss Brown began collecting minerals and other curiosities that he kept in a cabinet. In 1869, the Indiana General Assembly enacted a law which provided “for the collection and preservation of a Geological and Mineralogical Cabinet of the Natural History of this State.” A state geologist was assigned the task of labeling and organizing the collection, becoming the first employee of what would eventually become the Indiana State Museum.

With more than 40,000 square feet (4,000 m2) of exhibit space, and more than 500,000 artifacts in collections, the museum covers the history of the natural world, Native Americans, cultural history, and the future of Indiana.