Montgomery County: History, Museums and Trails

Montgomery County brings together historic houses and museums, trails along Sugar Creek, and an annual late-summer event. Its cultural sites offer different perspectives on regional history: personal mementos, family belongings, architectural history and technology. Outdoors, named trails, activities and acreage provide concrete details to help with planning.

Museums and Historic Buildings

The General Lew Wallace Study & Museum preserves personal mementos of General Wallace and hosts educational and entertainment programs each year for learners of all ages. The Carnegie Museum of Montgomery County focuses on history, culture, science and art. It is housed in the 1902 Carnegie Library building, the first Carnegie library to open in Indiana. Here, a wide-ranging museum focus meets the history of a specific building.

Lane Place is the Greek Revival-style home of Senator Henry S. and Joanna Lane and also a museum. It preserves and displays furnishings and objects belonging to the Lane and Elston families, along with items from Montgomery County. The grounds are also home to the Speed Cabin, which once served as a refuge for enslaved people who had escaped.

Elston House was built between 1880 and 1882. Its significance lies both in its historical connection to a family that played a major role in shaping Crawfordsville and in its architecture: it is considered an outstanding example of the Eastern Stick style. The Linden Depot Museum is housed in an original, fully restored 1908 railroad junction depot. These sites therefore highlight different forms of architectural heritage.

The Montgomery County (Rotary) Jail and Sheriff’s Residence were designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023. The Rotary Jail Museum is one of three surviving rotary jails; its cellblock rotates. The Deer’s Mill Covered Bridge also combines architectural history with a distinctive name: J. J. Daniels built it in 1878, and it was named for the grist mill and woolen mills located there.

Trails, Sugar Creek and the Landscape

There are several options to consider for hiking and biking. The Sugar Creek Trail connects Crawfordsville High School with the Big Four rail corridor and continues to R.R. Donnelley Trailhead Park and Sugar Creek. The Sugar Creek Community Trail is a 4.5-mile trail for hiking and biking, following a former Big Four rail line in part. Its destinations and former use as a rail line give this route a different character from a trail described mainly by its length.

Sugar Creek Nature Park covers nearly 64 acres and has more than 4,000 feet of trails. Shades State Park covers 3,541 acres. These figures help put the two parks in perspective by their stated area, while the Nature Park also has a specific trail length. At the Deer’s Mill Covered Bridge, the area is maintained as an access point to Sugar Creek for canoeists. The activities described range from hiking and biking to canoeing.

Late-Summer Event and Directions

Every year in late summer, TASTE of Montgomery County brings together restaurants, caterers, craft breweries and wineries from Montgomery County. If you would like to combine your trip with the festival, check the specific event dates in advance. This makes the recurring event a potential seasonal highlight without implying a specific date for your trip.

The road route to Crawfordsville heads west on I-74, then takes Exit 34 onto US-231 North toward Crawfordsville and continues another six miles to downtown. Check the current route and road conditions before you travel.

Explore more destinations: Crawfordsville, Scott, Vanderburgh, Benton County, Marion, Vigo, Tipton County, St. Joseph

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