The jail was abandoned in the late 1960s and reopened as the Old Jail Museum in 1975. It features exhibits related to local history, art and the Old Jail itself. Items such as Indian artifacts, pioneer artifacts, period costumes and household furnishings are just a few of the things you'll see in the sheriff's residence, an interesting example of late Victorian architecture. The Stone That Withstood King Kong At Bedford's The Land of Limestone museum, you can see entertaining and educational exhibits that recreate how Lawrence County's famous resource, limestone, was used to build and embellish such distinguished architectural landmarks as the Empire State Building. Displayed are tools, murals, maps, fossils, historical news accounts and archival and architectural photographs, which demonstrate how this natural resource helped develop a rural 19th century Indiana county into an industrial center for a growing America in the early 1900s.
Admission is free.
For a trip back to the heyday of carousels and carnivals, visit Dale, where at Dr. Ted's Musical Marvels you'll find a colossal collection of street organs, nickelodeons, orchestrions, music boxes, phonographs, player pianos and a wonderful Wurlitzer carousel organ. Tour guides not only explain the history of the instruments, they make them come to life. So the next time you're looking for something different to do, take a road trip to one of these little-known wonders and bring home with you some interesting facts.