Welcome to the Monroe County History Center’s America 250 web page. As we move through this important 250th anniversary of our country’s liberation, much is to be celebrated here in Monroe County. Among our earliest settlers were men and women who fought in the American Revolution and traveled west to settle here. These patriots and their families settled early farms in the county and were engaged in parceling out the land into lots that now represent our modern Monroe County communities. The patriots who settled here have familiar names like Rogers, Deckard, Mathers, and Van Buskirk. America 250 gives us a chance to renew our understanding of the importance of the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary War, which eventuated in the settlement and character of the State of Indiana and Monroe County.
Programs
David Nord
“Connecting the Thirteen Colonies: The Declaration of Independence in the News
System of 18 th -Century America”
— Monroe County History Center / Friday, April 24, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Amy Ransford
“Beyond the Thirteen Colonies: The Declaration of Independence in the Political and
Social Context of Vast 18 th –Century America”
— Monroe County History Center / Friday, May 8, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Free Admission
Join the Monroe County history center for an all ages celebration of local history featuring activities, games, educational demos, and local food trucks. Also enjoy live music and a beer garden brought to you in partnership with local pub, Orbit Room.
Monroe County History Center, July 11th, 2026.
Free Admission
Fall in line and march to the Monroe County History Center to discover the food and drink of the American Revolution. Guests must be 21+ with valid ID’s.
Monroe County History Center, September 12th, 2026.
Exhibits
Start at the Source is an exhibit about how curators make exhibits and how we know historical information. This exhibit presents you with the primary and secondary sources about the Showers Brothers Furniture Factory, an important and thriving local business from 1868 to 1955. To move around the gallery, you are asked to “select your path” where you get to decide the kind of information you want to learn about: the Showers family, the business and employees, or the products. At the end of your adventure, you can become the curator and create your own museum label.
Start at the Source, open until May 30th.
Join or Die: Revolutionary War Veterans Buried in Monroe County
Discover the stories of the American Revolutionary War veterans who later settled in Monroe County. Study the comprehensive battle maps that detail the movements of these soldiers as they fought in some of the Revolution’s most famous battles.
Open Now