Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library

Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library
Today we will visit the Workingman’s Institute in New Harmony, Indiana.
From the Book
Southwest Indiana Day Trips

Transcript:

Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library
Greetings, today we will visit the Workingman’s Institute in New Harmony, Indiana.

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Philanthropist William Maclure established the Institute in 1838. The Working Men’s Institute inhabited a wing in the Harmonist Church until 1894. In that year, it moved to this impressive building three-story structure on Tavern Street. The Institute at one time comprised 144 Institutes in Indiana and additional sixteen in Illinois at its height. The Working Men’s Institute has dwindled to this location. This is the oldest continuously operating library in Indiana. Their founding mission was the dissemination of useful knowledge to working men and their families. That remains their mission today.
William Maclure (October 27, 1763 – March 23, 1840)
Native to Ayr, Scotland, William traveled to the New York where he began to work with the company Miller, Hart & Comany. This company shipped trade goods between the United States and Britain. Maclure would head the London office of the firm. His job required an extensive amount of travel and he traveled to Ireland, France and the United States. After an 1796 visit to Virginia, he decided to make his home there. His successful business career allowed him to retire in 1797, when he was 33 years old. He visited France in 1803 where he became interested in geology.
Father of American Geology
When he returned to his home in Virginia he undertook the laborious task of creating a geological map of the United States. He joined the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia and was elected president, a post he held for 22 years. The work he did in geology has earned him the nickname, “Father of American Geology.
New Harmony
In 1825 he met Robert Owen, an American social reformer. He decided to join Owen in his experimental attempt at developing an ideal society at New Harmony, Indiana. Owen had outfitted a boat called the Philanthropist. The boat left Pittsbueg in January 1826 and travled down the Ohio River to Mount Vernon and then overland to New Harmonie. The boat, containing a number of renowned scientists, arrived in New Harmony on January 26, 1826. The boat has been dubbed the “The Boatload of Knowledge.”
While in New Harmony, he established the Workingman’s Institute in 1838. He continued to travel to Mexico and other places around the globe. He created a trust fund tp fund his various properties, including the Working Man’s Institute, after his demise. At his death there were 160 Working Man’s Institutes.
The Museum

This building serves as a library and museum. The museum fills three rooms on the second floor. There is an elevator up to the museum from the entry room, which is quite impressive. The museum, small as it is, contains a wealth of local artifacts and information. The exhibits include both the skeleton and story of a horse called Old Fly that had an interesting history during the Civil War as she carried her owner, George S. Barrett. into numerous battles. Born on April 4, 1855, she was owned by a lady named Hazel Nelson. She sold him to George H. Barrett when she was a week old. Barrett named her Fly. When the Civil War broke out, Barrett enlisted in the First Indiana Cavalry. Barrett and Fly went to war. Horse and rider participated in many battles during the war. Fly swam across many rivers. At war’s end the government wanted to buy the horses, but Barrett would not sell, even with an offer of $150 for her. The Army arranged transportation home for the two. Fly would spend the rest of her life doing farm work and raised on colt. Old Fly died a ripe old age here in New Harmony on February 4, 1893.
Other exhibits include a model Big 4 Railroad locomotive, Gatling Gun, an oil rig pump and tower.
Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Working Men’s Institute Museum & Library
407 Tavern Street
https://workingmensinstitute.org/

The episode is based upon my book, South Central Indiana Road Trips, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book is the first book in the 9 volume Road Trip Indiana Series. The books include all the historical markers, as of 2022, in Indiana with the text and back story. The books also include a nearly complete listing of virtually every tourism destination in the state. The destinations include parks, museums, drive in theaters, bowling alleys, wineries and much, much more. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it.
You can find my books locally at the at the Romweber Marketplace in downtown Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.