What are the opening hours?

Thursday 10am - 5pm Friday 10am - 5pm Saturday 10am - 5pm

John Hay Center, 307 E Market Street, Salem, IN (2026)

Name: John Hay Center
Address: 307 E Market Street, Salem, IN, 47167, US
Telephone: +18128836495
Price range: $

The Stevens Memorial Museum serves as the hub for the John Hay Center museum complex. With three floors of items unique to Washington County and her people, our collection makes one proud of the community. Within our Pioneer Village, we showcase some of the oldest structures from Washington County: a church, a schoolhouse, a blacksmith shop, and several houses. We have an antebellum store with a p

ost office and, of course, our center's namesake and National Landmark, the birthplace and boyhood home of John Milton Hay.Within the Village "garage" we model transportation over the ages, and pay homage to the strong agricultural heritage we have here in Southern Indiana. Everything from a buckboard carriage, to a Model T, as well as a hand-cranked corn grinder are displayed for our patrons.Anchoring the other end of our grounds is The Depot Railroad Museum--home of an HO-gauge model lay-out of Salem, Pekin, Campbellsburg, Smedley and Harristown circa early 1960's. The Depot houses multiple pieces of memorabilia pertaining to Washington County's integral role in bringing the Monon Railroad into the world. Over time, pieces have been added to honor the L&N, the CSX, and many other railroads--a delight to rail fans young and old.

08/27/2026

A frequent feature here at the John Hay Center, the incredible Granny Mary Reid Lusk!

Pictured here at 91 years of age, this was one of Washington County's many remarkable women. Born in 1806 on South Carolina and settling here in 1817, Mary was an avid learner. She took a shining to medicine, a practice her brother Samuel studied at the University of Louisville Medical School. Samuel shared everything with Mary, allowing her to hone her abilities and begin serving as a Medical Practitioner. In her era, Medical Practitioners were known as "grannies," hence the nickname Granny Lusk. After decades of medical service, from delivering babies to assisting with the Underground Railroad, Granny Lusk was brought before the State Medical Board for an examination which she passed with flying colors.

Mary married Reverend Robert Lusk, had nine children, and passed in 1898.
She is one of the women featured at the Women's Mural by City Hall.

Learn more about Granny Lusk and the other amazing women of Washington County, Indiana at the John Hay Center!

08/22/2026

We are so happy with the work being done to restore our 1929 Monon Caboose at the Depot Railroad Museum!
Thank you to all our Depot staff and volunteers, donors, board members, contractors, and of course major thanks to the Indiana Historical Society for awarding us the Heritage Support Grant that made this whole project possible.

We are so excited to have our big unveiling of the restored #81402 Caboose at this year's Old Settlers Days Festival!

08/20/2026

This week, we are featuring the Northeast side of the Salem Square!

This photo, taken approximately in the early 1910s, shows buildings that still stand proudly today. The buildings featured here, from left to right, are known as:
The Daleure Building (formerly Davis)
Hobbs-Paynter Building
Burr Neal Building
Guy Neal Building
Hobbs Building
Kyte Building
Overman House

Some of the businesses are quite recognizable, like:
- S.P. Morris Grocery which was in business many years before being changed into the Star Grocery by Charles Moss in 1916.
- Neal's Confectionary which was started in 1892 by Guy and Minnie Neal and moved several spots in the Square before landing here in 1902. It was a soda shop, popular with teens for many decades before closing in the late 1940s.
- The Overman House which served as a rambling house for mostly permanent residents. It also was home to doctor's offices and an insurance agency, and many other businesses and county offices, until it was torn down in the late-1960s/early-1970s.

This photo is in the Stevens Museum Genealogical Library's archives, and more detailed information on the buildings on the Salem Square can be found in the 1976 History of Washington County, available at the Stevens Memorial Museum!

08/13/2026

Anna & Alpha Sullivan, Joe Tatlock, and Cass Thompson are pictured posing away in their Ford Model-T Touring Car with the top down.

Henry Ford's Model-T revolutionized everyday life—forever changing how we got around, visited with friends and family, and worked from in-town to around the farm.

This photo comes from the archives at the Stevens Memorial Museum at the John Hay Center. Visit us Thursdays through Saturdays from 10am to 5pm!

08/08/2026

A.H. Alberding Salem's Station Agent

A.H. Alberding born August Hendrick Alberding in February 1872 became a familiar face and important figure in Salem when it came to the railroad. He, his wife Hulda, and their children lived on North Main Street in Salem.

As the Station Agent of the Salem depot from 1903 to 1930, Alberding held an important position in the operations of the depot. He handled railroad business, communicated with the crew and oversaw freight and passenger matters among many other things.

Alberding passed away November 30, 1945, and is buried at Crown Hill Cemetery in Salem.

Today, the story of A. H. Alberding comes alive through the artifacts that once belonged to him. The Depot Railroad Museum is fortunate to have quite a few personal and railroad-related items belonging to Mr. Alberding on display here at the Depot.

These artifacts provide visitors with a rare opportunity to see and connect with objects that were actually part of the life of a Salem Station Agent. They are more than simply old railroad objects; they are pieces of Alberding's story and tangible reminders of the men who kept Salem's railroad moving.

Address

307 E Market Street
Salem, IN
47167

Opening Hours

Thursday	10am - 5pm
Friday	10am - 5pm
Saturday	10am - 5pm

Telephone

+18128836495

Website

http://johnhaycenter.org/, https://www.google.com/maps/@38.6054392,-86.0975313,3a,75y,80.76h,83.33t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1s

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