Henry County Historical Society, Inc

Henry County Historical Society, Inc Open early March - December! Open Thursdays and Fridays, 1-4 p.m. ET,
& Saturdays, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

ET
Please call ahead for tours and/or research so that we may schedule volunteers. If no appointment is made, tours and/or research cannot be guaranteed. The HCHS Museum is housed in the 1870 Italianate mansion that belonged to Civil War general William Grose. HCHS has an outstanding local history & genealogy library, collections of local artists, quilts, coverlets & textiles of all kinds, militar

y artifacts from all U.S. wars, pioneers rooms, exhibits of industrial history (Maxwell & Briscoe, Hoosier Manufacturing Co., Jessie French Piano Factory), and much more. A tour through the HCHS Museum gives one an excellent sense of Henry County's entire history and its many facets.

On this day in Henry County history, June 24, 1974, work was nearing completion on an Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips re...
06/25/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 24, 1974, work was nearing completion on an Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips restaurant at the corner of Broad and 21st streets in New Castle. The restaurant would be open four days later.
Do you remember Arthur Treachers Fish and Chips?
According to internet sources, the restaurant chain started closing stores in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Anyone remember when the New Castle store closed?
BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We have a 1911 Maxwell on display at the museum, one assembled right here in New Castle. We're open ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

HISTORICAL SOCIETY GIVEN BOOKDETAILING GEN. WILLIAM GROSEAND THE 36TH REGIMENTHistorians have written Gen. William Grose...
06/24/2026

HISTORICAL SOCIETY GIVEN BOOK
DETAILING GEN. WILLIAM GROSE
AND THE 36TH REGIMENT
Historians have written Gen. William Grose “was where the bullets flew the thickest.” Now, his stately home has a book he wrote telling the story of the 36th Regiment.
This rare volume pictured here was presented by Lois Hamilton, a former Henry County Historical Society board member. Her son, David, whose passion has been collecting and dealing in rare books, found this one. Now it’s in the library of the place Gen. Grose called home for 30 years.
We sincerely thank Lois for her most valuable gift. Watch this page where we’ll share some of the contents. If you’d like to see the book and read some of it, call us at 765-524-0530 and schedule an appointment.
Gen, Grose would, indeed, be pleased to know the book he wrote is now “home” and the story of his Civil War service is available to all who love Henry County history.

On this day in Henry County history, June 23, 1983, the Gen William Grose home at 606 S. 14th Street in New Castle was o...
06/23/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 23, 1983, the Gen William Grose home at 606 S. 14th Street in New Castle was officially placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gen. Grose, who was said to be "where the bullets flew the thickest" during the Civil War, lived in the home from 1870 until he died in 1900. It's been home to the Henry County Historical Society since 1902.

On this day in Henry County history, June 22, 1907, people all over New Castle and beyond were celebrating as U.S. Vice ...
06/22/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 22, 1907, people all over New Castle and beyond were celebrating as U.S. Vice President Charles Warren Fairbanks came to New Castle to give the dedication speech for the Maxwell-Briscoe Automobile Factory.

Pictured here is a photo of the crowd when the cornerstone was laid.
Here are excerpts from The Daily Courier's coverage of an event that changed New Castle forever and started an economic engine that roared here for the better part of a century.

“The New Castle of today is far better known than the New Castle of Friday. At one single bound it has sprung into prominence never dreamed of. It is now the center of the automobile industry, which is only in its infancy. The old town never appeared better, never entertained distinguished guests more hospitably, never saw as great a crowd and never turned out as largely and completely as it did Saturday.

“The exercises at the Maxwell-Briscoe automobile factory...marked another epoch in the industrial history and growth of New Castle, recognized as the most progressive little city in Indiana. The laying of the cornerstone climaxes the foundation for a greater and better city. It means that New Castle will be the automobile center of the United States. The Maxwell-Briscoe Company is the strongest in America and it will be the hub of the automobile industry.

“The town was liberally dedicated and the occasion was such that it will be remembered for years.”

“When New Castle citizens were called upon to do their part towards locating the factory last November, they responded in a manner outperforming even the largest cities in the United States.

"Such towns as Muncie, Marion, South Bend, Elkhart, Kokomo and others were considered by the automobile company. It was an anxious time, but where there’s a will, there’s a way” as was demonstrated when contracts were signed and delivered in duplicate form.

"Vice President Fairbanks did not leave New Castle at 5:30 p.m. Saturday evening as he had planned on account of the irregularity of the traction service, but got away about 7:30 p.m. He put in the time greeting friends and acquaintances in front of the Bundy Hotel, where he took supper.

“He also made a call on Mrs. R.M. Nixon, widow of one of his best and closest friends of years ago.

“Mr. Fairbanks greatly enjoyed the day and was thoroughly surprised and immensely pleased at the great turnout of people at the corner stone ceremonies. He remarked that he had never witnessed anything just like it in all his experience as a public man.”

During his remarks, Fairbanks was quoted as saying:

“It is doubtful if the pioneers who laid so well the foundations of this community imagined in their wildest fancy that in this rich agricultural region would arise such a vast manufacturing enterprise as the one whose cornerstone was have met to lay today….”

BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We have a 1911 Maxwell on display at the museum, one assembled right here in New Castle. We're open ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

On this day in Henry County history, June 21, 1986, New Castle Trojan basketball star Rodney Haynes scored six points in...
06/22/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 21, 1986, New Castle Trojan basketball star Rodney Haynes scored six points in the Indiana-Kentucky High School All-Star game at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky.

BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're open ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

On June 20, 1937, Baker Park was dedicated in New Castle and named in honor of four-time New Castle Mayor Sid Baker. Bak...
06/22/2026

On June 20, 1937, Baker Park was dedicated in New Castle and named in honor of four-time New Castle Mayor Sid Baker. Baker's plan to create a park at what was then the southern edge of the city was met with criticism. Some called it "Baker's Folly." Almost 90 years later, time has proven the naysayers wrong. Baker Park has been and continues to be a New Castle gem.

BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're openANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

On this day in Henry County history, June 19, 1970, Charles Garver, The News Republican's original "Rose City Rambler," ...
06/19/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 19, 1970, Charles Garver, The News Republican's original "Rose City Rambler," died of skin cancer. The World War II veteran had been a local journalist for more than three decades.

BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530. See less

On this day in history, June 16, 1973, New Castle’s new downtown mall was dedicated by special guests Bob Braun, Bonnie ...
06/18/2026

On this day in history, June 16, 1973, New Castle’s new downtown mall was dedicated by special guests Bob Braun, Bonnie Lou and Marian Spellman, stars of the Ruth Lyons’ 50-50 Club television show.
At that time, the Bob Braun Show had the highest Arbitron and Nielsen ratings of any live entertainment/information program in the Midwest. So bringing him and his cast to town was, indeed, a big deal.
The reason he came, however, dedication of the new downtown mall, turned out to be a bust.
Here's an excerpt from an article by Alexander Lang:
"The pedestrian mall was an urban phenomenon, one with a clear boom-and-bust cycle. From 1959 through the early 1980s, more than 200 American cities closed blocks of their downtowns to car traffic. By 2000, fewer than 24 of those original malls remained. The design intervention that was supposed to bring people back from the suburban mall had, instead, exacerbated the very problem it was trying to solve, turning downtowns into autopic, retail-first monocultures rather than pedestrian-first, mixed-use places."
As well-intentioned and trendy as the idea was, it simply did not work in New Castle. The downtown mall looked pretty but removed valuable parking spaces in front of businesses. Complaints about the lack of parking rose and downtown business activity fell.
So, on Nov. 13, 1985, New Castle officials decided the mall must go. They were preparing to remove planters along Broad Street. The Board of Public Works and Safety made the decision to remove the planters at city expense so the Indiana Department of Transportation could proceed with resurfacing Ind. 38 and restore parking along Broad Street.
Do you remember Bob Braun and his crew coming to town? What did you think about the downtown mall concept?
BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day and ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

On this day in Henry County history, June 17, 1861, Omar Bundy was born in New Castle. A son of Martin and Amanda Bundy,...
06/18/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 17, 1861, Omar Bundy was born in New Castle. A son of Martin and Amanda Bundy, he was one of eight children. Omar would grow up to become a military general who led World War I troops in a famous counter attack in the Battle of Belleau Wood in France that historians say in all likelihood saved Paris from being invaded by the Germans.
Bundy's actions in June of 1918 became the subject of a poem by Willis O. Robb entitled "Where Bundy Held The Paris Road."
Where Bundy held the Paris road
The morning battle flamed and flowed
“The Marne is passed, the line is bent.
Heaven speed our succor, Heaven-sent!”
And Europe gazed with eyes that glowed
Where Bundy held the Paris road.
The Patient Frenchman counseled “Wait!”
The Hun but hurries to his fate.
It was but now the battle broke –
Tomorrow – and the counterstroke!
But pale the star of patience showed
Where Bundy held the Paris road
Said Bundy to the high command
“None of our men would understand!”
The Stars and Stripes are driven back?
Impossible! We shall attack!”
And forward line-on-line they strode
Where Bundy held the Paris road
And when night brought the long day’s end
The dead that filled the river bend
Were German dead and Europe knew
And freedom all her bugles blew
And once more French the river flowed
Where Bundy held the Paris road.
BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com.
Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're open ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530

On this day in Henry County history, June 18, 1861, a post office was established at Honey Creek. It was named for a nea...
06/18/2026

On this day in Henry County history, June 18, 1861, a post office was established at Honey Creek. It was named for a nearby stream and was once known as Warnock Station after a Henry County pioneer who owned the land. A blacksmith and sawmill once operated here.
Honey Creek became a busy shipping point for farm products, according to historian Herbert Heller. The Chicago and Great Eastern Railroad was nearby then, connecting growers with markets.
BASKETBALL LIVES HERE
This Day In Henry County history is brought to you by Destination Henry County Indiana. Discover slam dunk experiences at www.HoopsInHenry.com. Visit the page at https://www.Facebook.com/VisitHenryCounty.com.
HELP US PRESERVE COMMUNITY HISTORY
Please join the Henry County Historical Society with a $25 annual membership. Visit our website at www.henrycountymuseum.org
COME SEE US!
We're open ANYTIME by appointment. Call us at 765-529-4028 or 765-524-0530.

Address

606 S 14th Street
New Castle, IN
47362

Opening Hours

Thursday 1pm - 4pm
Friday 1pm - 4pm
Saturday 1pm - 4pm

Telephone

(765) 529-4028

Website

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