Ruthmere Museum

Ruthmere Museum Ruthmere Museum is the region's premier 1910 Beaux Arts home of Albert R. and Elizabeth Beardsley. https://houseofhistory.squarespace.com/
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We have our third annual Juneteenth Lincoln Penny Story Hour coming up THIS Saturday, June 20! The Lincoln Penny is an e...
06/17/2026

We have our third annual Juneteenth Lincoln Penny Story Hour coming up THIS Saturday, June 20!

The Lincoln Penny is an enduring symbol of freedom and unity in our country, serving as a reminder that we are all diverse but equal, and that together, we amount to even more. The LPSH features individuals from diverse backgrounds reading children's books (that they choose) to represent a perspective, story, or lesson that they'd like to share. Every participant at each LPSH is given a Lincoln Penny souvenir in a keepsake jacket as a reminder of why this experience is important. This Lincoln Penny Story Hour is sponsored by 1st Source Bank.

Zanzer Anderson of Elkhart, IN was the youngest department head at W.T. Grant Department Store before they went out of business, restaurant manager, daycare owner with her husband, and radiology office tech. She was one of the first healthcare navigators in Indiana, appointed by Senator Joe Donnley.

Her mother taught her to sew, crochet, knit, and embroider when she was 5 years old - she had the best-dressed dolls in the neighborhood. When Zanzer was a stay-at-home mom, she subsidized her income by making prom, wedding and special occasion clothing. She will be reading "Fancy Party Gowns: The Story of Fashion Designer Ann Cole Lowe" by Deborah Blumenthal!

Register at https://ruthmere.networkforgood.com/events/101723-lincoln-penny-story-hour

06/16/2026

Contribute to the Elkhart County 250th Oral History Project!

Tehillah Moses, Ruthmere's Program Educator, shares the story of how her family came to America.

Learn more about how to participate at https://ruthmere.org/250th-Oral-History-Project. There is ONE MORE open house to help you record your story at the Nappanee Center (ELC Heritage Collection) tomorrow, June 17th.

Tomorrow, we are opening our second special exhibit from the Indiana Historical Society this year: "Faces of the Civil W...
06/15/2026

Tomorrow, we are opening our second special exhibit from the Indiana Historical Society this year: "Faces of the Civil War."

This special exhibit tells the stories of Hoosiers whose lives were touched, and in some cases taken, by the American Civil War. Not all are well-known or revered - many were just everyday citizens fulfilling their duties to their friends, family, state, and country. Rather than focusing on statistics and large scale battles, this exhibit illustrates how regular people coped with the tragic experiences of the day - all from an Indiana perspective.

This exhibit will also be supplemented with local Civil War artifacts from the Elkhart County Historical Museum!

Admission is included in the Havilah Beardsley House tour.

Ruthmere is excited to present this program as part of Elkhart County's commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States!

EDIT: Prairie Street Studios yoga will still resume this morning as planned at 9 am at Ruthmere!Due to a power outage at...
06/13/2026

EDIT: Prairie Street Studios yoga will still resume this morning as planned at 9 am at Ruthmere!

Due to a power outage at Ruthmere Mansion, Coffee on the Piazza for Saturday, June 13 is CANCELLED. There will also be no Ruthmere tours today, 6/13. However, the Havilah Beardsley House and Beardsley Discovery Center will still be open for normal tour operations.

We apologize for any inconvenience!

06/12/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT‼️Ruthmere Museum (all sites) will be closed to the public for the entire day, June 12, 2026, due to storm power outages. We expect to resume normal operations on Saturday, June 13.

Not only is history all around us - we are also creating history every single day.Need proof? Let's take a walk around R...
06/10/2026

Not only is history all around us - we are also creating history every single day.

Need proof? Let's take a walk around Ruthmere grounds and the neighborhood and observe the small and simple puzzle pieces that tell us a story of something that happened.

Above-ground archaeology involves studying archaeological evidence that is visible on the surface. This includes standing buildings, ruins, or even subtle changes in vegetation. There exist in the immediate vicinity of Ruthmere Campus a number of above-ground archaeological resources.

For this program, we are going to take you on a pedestrian survey, where you will be able to walk a real historic site and observe the archaeology that surrounds us everyday. Test your observation skills, examine the landscape and aerial photography, and put together the pieces of history so that YOU can tell the story of what happened in this place over time.

Participants use Bingo Cards to spot certain surface features and then complete a short creative writing exercise that relates to features they've encountered.

REGISTER for our first sesson on June 15th here: https://ruthmere.networkforgood.com/events/100450-speciality-tour-above-ground-archaeology

06/09/2026

Check out our Gallery Talk from last week!

Join Catherine Reedy, Regent of the William Tuffs Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, as she discusses William Tuffs, one of five Revolutionary War soldiers buried in Elkhart County, Indiana. Learn about his life growing up in Massachusetts, his military record per his pension application, his claim of participating in the Boston Tea Party and William's interview with the Goshen Democrat Newspaper in 1845 at the age of 95 on his Revolutionary War experiences. William Tuffs was recently officially added to the list of participants in the Boston Tea Party by the Boston Tea Party Museum in Boston, MA.

Ruthmere Gallery Talks feature a short discussion on an object/artwork within the Ruthmere collection, a person, event, or place in local history, or a relevant topic from the Victorian/Edwardian eras. Our Gallery Talks are free and open to the public thanks to our sponsors. This talk was sponsored by Earlene & Roger Nofziger.

UPDATE: This talk is SOLD OUT, but you can still join the waitlist using the link below.It's that time of year when we a...
06/09/2026

UPDATE: This talk is SOLD OUT, but you can still join the waitlist using the link below.

It's that time of year when we are all spending time in our gardens. Have you ever wondered what plants in your garden might have medicinal properties? 🌱🌿

Join our Gardens & Grounds Manager, Bree, and our Program Educator, Tehillah, as they present "Exploring Medicinal Plants & Their Uses" at 1 pm on Sunday, June 14th. This talk will take place outside of Ruthmere's historic greenhouse.

You can register at https://ruthmere.networkforgood.com/events/99917-garden-talk-exploring-medicinal-plants-their-uses

06/06/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT: due to the rain this morning, Prairie Street Studios will be hosting yoga at their studio this morning instead of at Ruthmere at 9 am. 2206 Prairie St. Elkhart IN 46517

06/05/2026

Ruthmere's Communication Coordinator, Carolyn Bonanno, shares memories of a significant event in American history for the Elkhart County 250th Oral History Project. : the assassination of John Lennon.

You, too, can share your reflections, memories of the past, and hopes for the future to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States - learn how at Ruthmere.org/250th-Oral-History-Project.
Our open house dates for recording your story start tomorrow at the Goshen Historical Museum.

Address

102 W. Beardsley Avenue
Elkhart, IN
46514

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

+15742640330

Website

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