Welcome

The Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum, Inc. would like to thank you for visiting our website!

Regular Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10am-2pm

UPCOMING EVENTS

September is Indiana Archaeology Month!
The following is a list of programs we are hosting in partnership with Chautauqua-Wawasee:

Thursday, September 12 at 6:30pm: Tools & Weapons of the Indigenous Peoples
Trevor Tipton, retired educator and avid artifact collector, presents on how prehistoric man hunted, what tools were used to hunt, and what animals were hunted. Trevor will also have a portion of his collection, found mostly in Noble County, on display.
Friday, September 13 at 6:30pm: Archaeology of the French in Northern Indiana–Does It Exist?
Dr. Mark Schurr, Notre Dame professor, presents on the known French presence in northern Indiana, the only permanent settlement in Ft. Wayne (Ft. Miami), and the lack of archaeological evidence of the French presence in the region. Using historic records and site investigations, Dr. Schurr will explore what archaeologists look for to find evidence of French activities in the area.
Saturday, September 14 at 10:00am-12:00pm, WACF location: Interactive Program
Join us at WACF for six interactive experiences. Multiple presenters will reinact aspects from the annual Gathering of Five Medals and a 1754 French Marine. Bring your own artifact to have Jim Bickel and Michelle Edington help identify the piece. Join presenters for some experimental archaeology with flintknapping, atlatl demonstrations, and using metal detecting in archaeology.

All archaeology month events are free to the public! Good will offerings will be accepted and split between the museum and Chautauqua-Wawasee.

September 26 at 1:00pm: “Lake Wawasee, Then & Now” Cruise

Join Chautauqua-Wawasee and historian Ann Vanderford Garceau for the Historical Cruise on the S.S. Lillypad on beautiful Lake Wawasee! Tickets sell fast, so contact Chautauqua-Wawasee at https://www.chautauquawawasee.org/2024-lake-wawasee-then-now-cruise/ for more information.

Summer Programming

June 6-August 8, Thursdays @ 10:30am: Youth History Club
July 4: CLOSED
July 13 @ 10:30am: Centennial Programs: The Southeastern Shore of Lake Wawasee, part 1
July 20 @ Oakwood, 4pm: Walk Down Memory Lane in cooperation with Chautauqua-Wawasee
July 23 @ Pickwick Theatre, 6:30pm: “Blind Logic: The Ralph Teeter Story”
August 10 @ 10:30am: Centennial Programs: The Southeastern Shore of Lake Wawasee, part 2
September 12-14: Archaeology Month Programs in cooperation with Chautauqua-Wawasee
*September 12 @ 6:30pm: Tools & Weapons of Indigenous Peoples
*September 13 @ 6:30pm: Archaeology of the French in Northern Indiana
*September 14 @ WACF, 10am-12pm: Multiple presenters: Bring Your Own Artifact, Five Medals Living History, 1754 French Marine, Atlatl Weapon Demonstration, Flintknapping Demonstration, and Metal Detecting in Archaeology Demonstration.

ATTENTION!

The museum is now using Square to take credit cards for purchases and donations!  We hope this allows our visiting patrons more flexibility in purchasing from our gift shop and giving donations in-person. There will be an added 3% charge for all credit usage. If donating online, that will go through PayPal Donations.

Thank you, everyone, for attending our 2023 Summer series of events! We had a fantastic turnout for both Centennial Homes programs and for the 3-day Archaeology Event. Youth History Club was also very well attended.
If you would like a recording of the Centennial Homes programs, please stay tuned for the release date sometime during the winter. The 2016-2022 programs are currently available for purchase for $30.
A raw footage recording of the archaeology programs is available by donation, please speak with the director for availability.

Donating:

It costs an average of $100 per day for the museum to maintain its collections. Without your support, we cannot keep providing historical services to you, the public. The museum has been under a renovation this spring to update with drywall repair, painting, carpet replacement, and display updating and development to make it a more inviting and accessible space for you to enjoy. We have in recent years made updates on lighting, storage, and other needed updates.  These updates are not included in the daily operations cost. Please consider donating today. Donations are accepted through the “DONATE” button to the right, mail, or in person during business hours. All donations are tax deductible, according to the law. Thank you!
Would you like to know where museum funding is going? Go to the “About Us” menu and click “End-of-Year” where you will find a write-up of all of our activities for the years of 2021-2022 with the most recent year’s coming soon.

Location:

Located in Syracuse, Indiana in the Syracuse Community Center across from Lakeside Park, the Syracuse-Wawasee Historical Museum, has been offering a glimpse back in time for the Lakeland area since 1987. It was founded with funds gained from the Syracuse Sesquicentennial Celebration and occupied a room in the Syracuse Public Library until June 2002 when it moved to its current location in the Syracuse Community Center.

In Search Of:

The museum is always looking for unique items to add to the collection. Please keep in mind when donating that we keep the history of the Syracuse and Wawasee lakes area, and any artifacts that should belong to a different museum’s collection will be sent to them in due course. If you have any questions about anything you would like to donate, please feel free to call the museum and ask.