These engrossing exhibits are the creations of the curator and the staff of volunteers and become the overarching guide to the current and future deployment of the collection. Artifacts on display are organized within these exhibits. Rotation of artifacts in and out of such permanent displays can be accomplished at low cost and with a minimum disruption to the overall perception of the exhibit. With the renovated and expanded exhibit space, the Museum is able to present significantly more of the 50,000 artifacts in rotation, each representing some aspect of Monroe County or Indiana history. So - periodically you can expect to see new artifacts within the permanent exhibit areas!
 

The Monroe County History Center is proud to have a local family’s donation to the Center of two original oil paintings of Austin Seward and his first wife, Jannette. Austin Seward was Bloomington’s first blacksmith. He opened the Seward Metal Foundry in 1821 and it continued to operate for 150 years. Austin Seward is the one who first mounted a fish weathervane on top of the county’s courthouse. The dedication of the paintings to the Center was May 3 2004.