Photo Gallery: French Lick West Baden Museum

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Photos by: Sierra Bruggeman

Those who find themselves curious about the rich history of Orange County need look no further than the French Lick West Baden Museum.

The museum, a shining testament to the wealth of history hidden in plain sight all throughout Orange County, is hosting a fund-raiser that will provide the opportunity of a lifetime.

Venturing to Cedar Farm in Laconia where, overlooking the Ohio River, the state’s only remaining complete Antebellum plantation remains, the lunch and tour opportunity is a prelude to the museum’s Civil War exhibit coming in 2022.

The opportunity to pay witness to this small slice of history is limited, with two lunch seatings of 50 individuals each being hosted at 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. CDT on Saturday, October 16. The cost is $100 per person. 

In addition to the lunch, a tour of the main house and spacious grounds, (including a cook-house, milk-house, ice-house, schoolhouse, tenant houses, livestock, and tobacco barns) will be provided. Gayle Cook, owner of Cedar Farm will be there to relay the plantation’s history. 

Those interested in reserving a seat should contact the museum at 812-936-3592 before the October 1 deadline.

However, one needs no occasion to indulge in the amenities the museum provides, as the information and welcoming atmosphere is reason enough to visit!


The sister cities of French Lick and West Baden once collectively accommodated 29 hotels, 17 illegal casinos and a population of roughly 6,000 residents! Pictured above is an original roulette table from the time period!
An original banner from the Hagenbeck and Wallace Circus, one of the six circuses under the American Circus Company.
Two original circus costumes on display at the museum!
Built over the course of several years by Peter Gorman, the diorama in the museum showcases the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus in all of it’s glory, depicting the arrival, set-up and execution of the show. It features over 150,000 hyper-detailed pieces, and highlights just how big the big top was!

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