Welcome to the Hendricks County Museum Collections
Whether you are curious about what’s in the Museum’s collections, or have visited the Museum and would like to learn more, you are in the right place! This site is where you will find information on items such as photos, objects, books, and archives. Below are some of our featured collections. Please keep in mind that this site is not the Museum’s collections in their entirety. We are adding new items and collections each week. If you would like to learn more about the museum, including hours, events, and museum history, please visit hendrickscountymuseum.org.
Walter Newton Richardson served in WWI in the AEF. He served in France as Corporal Co. E. 309, Supply Train. He was born in Hazelwood, Hendricks County, Indiana in 1894. Upon his return from the military, he resumed farming on the Hazelwood, Indiana (Hendricks County) farm where he was born. This collection consists of photos, mementos, letters, documents and military gear, including a uniform, gas mask, and helmet.
Ronald (Ronnie) Dean Atkinson was born April 23, 1951 to Darrell and Carol Atkinson. His life ended tragically at the age of 10 when he was struck by a train on a trestle near Franklin Park in Plainfield, Indiana on August 25, 1961. In 2024, Ronnie's family generously donated items to the Hendricks County Museum including several of Ronnie's toys, photos, newspaper articles, and documents, in an effort to help keep Ronnie's memory alive.
Nellie Farabee Kevekordes Maish was the granddaughter of Dr. Clark Eli Farabee who founded a practice in Danville, IN in the late 1880s before moving his practice to Indianapolis in the early 1900s. Dr. Farabee’s daughter, Bernice Farabee Kevekordes, gave birth to Nellie on 12/28/1900 and died a week later. Dr. Farabee and his wife, Cora, raised Nellie. Nellie married Walter Maish in Indianapolis on 12/24/1923. They did not have children, but always had a menagerie of animals. Nellie died 11/10/1998 and many of her personal papers, photos, diaries, and correspondence (including several of Dr. Farabee’s medical records) were given to the Hendricks County Museum per her will.
Central Normal College was organized in 1876 at Ladoga as the second private Indiana normal school specializing in teacher training. It was based on Alfred Holbrook's techniques at his normal college in Lebanon, Ohio which pioneered teacher training in America. Central Normal College was moved in 1878 to the old Danville Academy building. The campus eventually consisted of five buildings. It was the last self-supporting private normal school in Midwest. It closed in 1946 and reopened the same year as Canterbury College by Episcopal Church. The school's declining financial situation forced its closure 1951. Alumni include many prominent Hoosiers including Sam Ralston, a U.S. Attorney General and the 28th Governor of Indiana. Hargrave Hall, the gymnasium, and the well house remain.
Major Ralph F. Wilcox served in the Army in World War I and the Army Air Corps in World War II where he flew 50 bombing missions over Japan and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Republic of China Medal. He was an Indiana State forester for 30 years, retiring in 1962. He was a recipient of Sagamore of the Wabash. Ralph and his wife, Beatrice, built a home in Brown Township of Hendricks County in 1947. He later added a 9-acre lake called Forest Lake, which is still in existence in Avon. In 1976, Major Wilcox donated several of his military items to the Hendricks County Museum. He died in 1977.