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Location
Visitor tip
Book a guided tour to maximize your experience—reviewers consistently praised knowledgeable tour guides who shared fascinating details about the Sheriff's family, jail operations, and local history that aren't immediately obvious from self-guided visits.
Best time
Visit Fridays or Saturdays between 11am-3pm for the best experience, as these are the recommended hours when staff and tours are available.
Visitor tip
Don't miss the working phonograph in the jail area—reviewers specifically highlighted this hands-on exhibit as engaging for children and a fascinating example of pre-electricity technology.
Quick Facts
- Type
- Natural History Museum
- Location
- Historic Sheriff's Residence & Jail (1866), Danville, Indiana
- Hours
- Fridays-Saturdays, 11am-3pm (March-December)
- Highlights
- Period rooms from early 1900s, historic jail, virtual tours available
What visitors say
I visited the facility several years ago, accompanied by my mother, Edith Carolyn Apple. I believe it was prior to the space being opened as a public museum. My mom was a teenager when her family moved into the home after her father…
Home is beautiful but jail cells were cluttered with storage and pitch dark. Could not walk through or see anything. Maybe they want this to be more of county history rather than the history of the home itself. As the house was the…
This place is filled with historical facts about the Sheriff and his family that lived in the house. Also about historical happenings of that era. Hard to believe that the Sheriff and his family lived in the same house along with…
From 34 Google reviews
Did You Know?
- The building served as both a Sheriff's residence and jail simultaneously from 1868-1974, with the Sheriff's family living above the jail cells
- The museum features a working phonograph that requires no electricity, which visitors can interact with and experience
- Digital collections are available online through the PastPerfect Online Gateway, allowing remote research access
More Family Fun Nearby
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