The Museum
Exhibits and Artifacts
 Cherry Rope Bed Made in Jasper, IN
Spinning Wheel 1870
The North American House was built in 1838 by Thomas J. Storey. The house
was used as a stagecoach stop and an inn. The house has also served as a
drug store, wallpaper store, boarding house, and private residence.
In 1961, Dalton Bolser, along with others that were interested in preserving
the historical landmarks in Vernon. Dalton, along with volunteers and
local artists, raised enough money to buy the North American House to serve as
the society headquarters and as the museum and arts center. Soon, interest
in preserving the county's history spread so the group became incorporated as
Our Heritage, Inc., Jennings County Historical Society. A major renovation project that spanned over 10 years gave new life to the three-story museum and Vernon landmark. Today visitors can come to the North American House to explore the history of the town, county, and the establishment itself. |
Featured Exhibit
Preservation Project
In February 2007, the society moved the smallest Victorian Pattern home
in Indiana from
North Vernon to Vernon. The tiny, one room house was
formally a railroad office owned by Eldo Hicks. Eldo and his 4 sons
engineered railroad bridges from this small office from the late 1880s to
about 1910. Restoration
efforts
and hundreds of volunteer hours resulted hundreds of volunteer in
magnificent improvements to the structure and was honored with a dedication
ceremony in April 2009.
