Calling all military history buffs! With these museums, battlefields, and memorials, you can explore Southern Indiana’s unique history spanning 250+ years from the Revolutionary War to WWII and beyond.
Vincennes is Indiana’s oldest city and home to George Rogers Clark National Historical Park, a site that commemorates George Rogers Clark’s capture of Fort Sackville from the British during the Revolutionary War. Clark and his men marched across 180 miles of wilderness in February 1779 to launch a surprise attack on the British in Vincennes, successfully capturing Fort Sackville. Clark’s expedition and occupation of the land north of the Ohio River led to Great Britain ceding its claims to the Northwest Territory in the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the American Revolution.
Fort Knox II sits three miles north of Vincennes on a bluff overlooking the Wabash River. This site was used as a military installation from 1803 to 1813. Fort Knox was the mustering location of the army that fought the battle of Tippecanoe in November of 1811. It is now part of Vincennes State Historic Sites.
Vincennes is also home to Grouseland, the mansion William Henry Harrison lived in when he was governor of the Indiana Territory. Harrison was a major figure in the Battle of Tippecanoe and the War of 1812. He later served as the 9th President of the United States. The house has been restored and is open for tours.
The Indiana Military Museum in Vincennes is home to an incredible collection of artifacts including planes, tanks, and helicopters used in various wars. Special events throughout the year honor those who served in World War I, World War II, and the Vietnam War.
The Evansville Wartime Museum in Evansville tells the story of city’s role in World War II. By the end of the war, 75% of Evansville’s factories produced war ordnance including ammunition, landing ship tanks, and P-47 Thunderbolt aircraft. The museum features an original P-47 Thunderbolt and offers rides in WWII-era tanks and planes at special events throughout the year.
During WWII, Evansville produced 167 LSTs (landing ship tanks) as well as many other ships. Evansville’s shipyard employed over 19,000 people at its height and built more LSTs than any other shipyard in the US.
Today, the city is home to the last operational WWII landing ship tank in existence. Docked on the Evansville riverfront, the USS LST 325 Ship Memorial is a floating museum that offers tours given by dedicated volunteers and experienced crew members the last. This ship participated in the Normandy Landings at Omaha Beach on D-Day in 1944.
In Corydon, Battle of Corydon Memorial Park marks the site of the only Civil War battle fought in Indiana. On July 9, 1863, 450 Harrison County Home Guards attempted to defend the town against 2,500 Confederate Cavalrymen as one of the first events in Confederate General John Hunt Morgan’s famous Raid of Indiana.
