Apr
18
11:00 AM11:00
Apr
19
10:00 AM10:00
Guided Tour w/the Executive Director
PoCo Muse Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour invites you to attend his final guided tour of the current exhibits.
Apr
19
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Apr
26
10:00 AM10:00
Explore the Stagecoach Inn
During the two-week PoCo Muse closure for exhibit changeover, we will be hosting events at other county history institutions. Join us for a visit to Hebron’s Stagecoach Inn. The building was constructed in 1849 by James McCune for use as a way-station along the stagecoach route between Detroit and St. Louis.
Apr
26
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
May
3
10:00 AM10:00
Explore the Hour Glass Museum
The Hour Glass Museum at 8 Lupine Lane in Ogden Dunes, April 1939.
Head up to Ogden Dunes for another opportunity to visit a local museum during our short closure. The Hour Glass was built by Professor O. D. Frank in 1933. The building now houses the Historical Society of Ogden Dunes’ archives and collection of artifacts and artwork.
May
3
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
May
9
10:00 AM10:00
Public Exhibit Opening of "Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell"
his featured exhibition explores what it means to be an artist by mapping the artistic journeys of Vin & Hazel Hannell from Chicago to Furnessville and beyond. The Hannells had prolific, passionate, and generous careers that established them as emblematic regional artists of the mid-twentieth century.
May
10
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
May
15
4:00 PM16:00
V.I.P. Reception for "Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell"
Vin (1896-1964) and Hazel Hannell (1895-2002), from Ceramic Industry, 1954.
Donors and special guests are invited to attend a V.I.P. reception for the newest featured exhibit about artists Vin and Hazel Hannell.
May
17
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
May
24
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
May
31
10:00 AM10:00
PoCo Button Day
Build your button collection with this rare chance to select from PoCo Muse buttons no longer available on any other day.
May
31
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jun
4
5:00 PM17:00
History on Tap: Early Industry
History on Tap at the Washington Street Tap Room
Talk local history over a drink with friends, history professionals, and amateur historians between 5 and 7p. A short talk will be given at 6p about early industry in Porter County.
Free event for 21 and older; drinks not included.
Jun
7
10:00 AM10:00
Living History: WWII
Living history interpreters from an event in 2023.
Help us commemorate 80 years since the end of WWII. Our living history crew will be demonstrating a variety of military roles spanning the length and breadth of the war, showing US forces, as well as those of our allies. See uniforms, equipment, rations, and weaponry of everyday soldiers from the era.
Jun
7
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jun
14
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jun
21
11:00 AM11:00
Historical Marker Dedication for Dr. Almira Fifield, MD
Join our friends from the Daughters of the American Revolution for the dedication of an Indiana Historical Marker honoring Dr. Almira Fifield, MD.
Jun
21
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jun
21
3:00 PM15:00
"Vin & Hazel Hannell: Creativity, Community, Conservation" Exhibition Series Kick-Off Reception
The Hannells entertain friends with a picnic outside their pottery studio. From Ceramic Industry, 1954.
Learn about artists Vin & Hazel Hannell in Life Work and celebrate the collaborative exhibit series, Vin & Hazel Hannell: Creativity, Community, Conservation, between the PoCo Muse and other community arts organizations by attending this kick-off event. Light refreshments will be available.
Jun
28
10:00 AM10:00
Behind-the-Scenes Tour w/ the Executive Director
Mark your calendars for Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour’s special guided tour of the PoCo Muse galleries and collection storage facility. RSVP required.
Jun
28
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Apr
12
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Apr
5
2:00 PM14:00
Postponed: The V&N Field Trip
PoCo Muse Supporter and electric rail enthusiast Ken Hill will lead a guided walking tour and hike that follows the path of the Valparaiso & Northern line from its southern terminus to Long Lake. There will be a decent amount of walking during this field trip, so please dress accordingly with comfortable footwear. Spots are extremely limited, so RSVP by calling or emailing the PoCo Muse.
Apr
5
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Mar
29
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Mar
27
1:00 PM13:00
“Things You Might Not Know About the Courthouse” Presentation
The “X” in this image marks the location of the clock tower and offers a rare glimpse from the aftermath of the December 1934 courthouse fire. This image and several others were a 2014 gift of Chuck and Marian Worden.
What do you know about the iconic Porter County Courthouse? Join PoCo Muse Executive Director and Porter County Historian Kevin Matthew Pazour for a fun and informative presentation about the history of the courthouse at Pines Village Retirement Communities on Thursday, March 27, at 1p.
This presentation is free and open to the general public. Can’t make it on the day of the talk? Don’t worry. We will be video recording the program to share online at a later date.
Mar
22
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Mar
15
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Mar
8
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Mar
5
5:00 PM17:00
History on Tap: Rise and Fall of the Interurban
Talk local history over a drink with friends, history professionals, and amateur historians at the Washington Street Tap Room between 5-7p, and hear a short program about the history of the Porter County Courthouse at 6p.
Mar
1
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Feb
22
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Feb
22
10:00 AM10:00
Living History: Maple Syrup Production
Join our living history crew to learn about maple sugar production as it would have been done centuries ago all over North America.
Feb
20
1:30 PM13:30
DHS: Duneland's Stories of the Underground Railroad
A United States map showing the differing routes that freedom seekers would take to reach freedom. Courtesy NPS.
Serena Ard will present "Duneland's Stories of the Underground Railroad." Learn about the area individuals and locations connected to the Underground Railroad, the difficulties in studying this topic, and the efforts to establish NWI as part of a national UGRR network.
This program of the Duneland Historical Society (DHS) is free and open to the public. All regular DHS programs take place at 1:30 in the afternoon inside the Hawthorne Park Community Building in The Town of Porter. For more information, contact Serena at (219) 983-9715.
Although not formally linked, the DHS and PoCo Muse have worked together regularly since the 1940s.
Feb
16
11:00 AM11:00
Winter Weather Closure
This circa 1926 photograph shows famed inventor and engineer Noah Amstutz (1864-1957) shoveling snow outside of his laboratory and home on Yellowstone Trail in Valparaiso.
Due to the mix of wind and winter weather, we will be closed to the public today, Sunday, February 16, 2025. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Feb
15
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Feb
12
3:30 PM15:30
Snow Closure
Image: This January 1967 image of Wendell's Marathon in downtown Valparaiso offers a snowy glimpse of the site that is presently occupied by the Porter County Museum in 2025.
Due to the increased snowfall, we are closing earlier than expected at 3:30p on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
Feb
11
11:00 AM11:00
Temporary Museum Closure
We will be closed to the public on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Feb
1
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jan
25
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jan
25
10:00 AM10:00
Curated Tour with Quinn
Sign up for this special curated tour with Visitor Experience Manager, Quinn Albert (pictured above). This in-depth tour will include additional local stories and feature other objects not normally on display. Don’t miss it, as no two curated tours will be the same.
Jan
18
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jan
12
2:00 PM14:00
Celebration of the Interurban
Join our friends at 2p on Sunday, January 12, to experience music, dance, and history from the interurban’s heyday.
Jan
11
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Jan
4
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Dec
28
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Dec
25
11:00 AM11:00
Holiday Closure
We will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, for Christmas.
Dec
24
11:00 AM11:00
Holiday Closure
We will be closed on Tuesday, December 24, and Wednesday, December 25, for Christmas.
Dec
21
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Dec
14
2:00 PM14:00
Guided Museum Tour
There's a good chance you will hear additional stories that don’t appear on the exhibit labels during this complimentary highlights tour.
Dec
7
4:00 PM16:00
Yuletide Open House
Get into the holiday spirit by stopping in for a visit during the Holly Days celebration.