Carmel Clay History Museum

Carmel Clay History Museum got a glow-up recently, so any Yelp photos pre-2024 might not reflect the museum's current improvements. The building is fresh and new with lots of space to explore, but still located in the heart of Midtown Carmel just off the Monon Trail.On the first floor, you'll find a gift shop and displays of Carmel history and ephemera. On the second floor, you'll find more informative displays about historic Carmel families and Carmel's Quaker heritage.The third floor is my favorite. That's the children's floor, with play houses, lots of toys and games, and fun things to explore. The museum also hosts a weekly free storytime in the children's section. I love that there's another free place for kids to play in Carmel. Also on the third floor, you'll find a room dedicated to the schools around Carmel, Carmel high school sports, famous athletes, and vintage items in display cases. This floor also gives you access to the rooftop area, where you can look out onto downtown Carmel and the Monon Trail.This is a really cool resource for learning about Carmel's history. Whether you're a Carmel resident or not, you can feel the pride of the city just by walking around the building. Best of all: It's free to visit the Carmel Clay History Museum -- just pop in when they're open!

My mom volunteers here and it's been cool to see the opportunities that they provide for local residents and school children. They lead history walking tours for second grade classes around the city and also put on home tours. Last year's was mid-century modern theme and the houses were super groovy and interesting. The CCHS is located within an old train car along the Monon, called the Monon Train Depot. You can walk in and enjoy the mini museum without an appointment as well. Cute spot! Currently, they're doing mini virtual book readings on Facebook live for families.

This is a great organization! I first heard of the Carmel Clay Historical Society a couple of years ago when I learned about a tour of Scott Jones' mansion on 116th St. and thought, 'That would be cool to see; when else am I going to have that opportunity?' So I went on the tour and was so impressed with the tour and the docents that I soon joined the Carmel Clay Historical Society as a Lifetime member so I could be a party of it too. I love history and my community, and became aware of the quality events they hosted annually; I also just wanted to contribute towards their efforts. I am thankful CCHS exists and does the good work they do. As I begin attending their meetings and volunteered for two of their events, I realized how awesome the people are in the 'Society'. It is full of vibrant, intelligent, FUN, kind, and caring individuals of all ages that were a pleasure to volunteer with. The CCHS offers historical walking tours to ALL of the CC schools' 2nd graders, and I am a docent for that surprisingly fun 'adventure'. And the CCHS offers an annual Home Tour every December that is top-notch; it was super fun to help plan the tour along with the quality other committee members. Last year the tour was of mid-century modern homes, and they have already started planning this year's tour. You don't have to join the CCHS to enjoy their efforts though. You can visit the Monon Railroad Depot along the Monon trail (across from Bub's) and see the historic building, learn it's history, and see whatever exhibit they have inside (check online for hours). Last year it was the interesting history of basketball in Carmel. The CCHS has another building just south of the Depot that houses a well-organized archival collection of research materials on the Carmel-Clay area (an early Quaker community). Who knew that Carmel used to be called Brewittsville, then Tadpole's Glory, then Bethlehem, all before being called Carmel? Or that Rangeline Rd. (perpendicular to our current Main St.) used to be called 'Main St.' and was a toll road with a gate? Or that Hamilton County is named after Alexander Hamilton? You would be surprised how interesting our history is in this area; CCHS makes learning about our history exciting. Plus, no tests :) .... the learning is all for the fun of it this time around!