Musings • April 2026

We’ve Got You Covered in April

Our event calendar is bursting at the seams this spring with a variety of on-site and off-site programs for you to explore. For your convenience, we’ve made a checklist:

Stop by after lunch on Saturday, April 11 at 1pm to enjoy a special guided tour with our Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour.
Experience our current exhibits one more time in a personal way with Quinn Albert on Saturday, April 18 at 11am.
Check out Hebron’s Stagecoach Inn and Panhandle Depot every Saturday from 10am to 2pm to learn more about the history of Hebron and south Porter County.
Pop in to see a few artifacts from our Civil War collection, displayed temporarily to help announce an upcoming Civil War exhibit in November.
Don’t miss Professor Randa Duvick’s presentation on Thursday, April 23 at 1pm about her study of Joseph Bailly’s existing business records dating from the turn of the nineteenth century.
Finally, plan one more visit to see two exhibits—From a Bailly Point of View and Hillstrom Organ Works—which close forever after April 26.

Wherever we see you, we’re delighted to share Porter County’s history and art with you this spring.

Read our latest newsletter, the PoCo Muse News

WHAT TO DO

Afternoon Tour with Kevin

Saturday, April 11, at 1pm

PoCo Muse, 20 Indiana Avenue Valparaiso, IN

No RSVP Required

Saturday Hours at Hebron’s Stagecoach Inn & Panhandle Depot

Saturdays from 10am-2pm

127 N Main Street, Hebron, IN

Free and open to the public

Guided Museum Tour with Quinn

Saturday, April 18, 11am

PoCo Muse, 20 Indiana Avenue, Valparaiso, IN

No RSVP Required

Risky Business: Joseph Bailly’s Fur Trade Accounts

Thursday, April 23, at 1pm

Pines Village Retirement Communities, 3303 Pines Village Circle, Valparaiso, IN

No RSVP Required

WHAT TO SEE

From A Bailly Point of View

Through April 26, 2026

Though Joseph Bailly looms large in the memory of Porter County as its first nonnative settler, the lives and work of three generations of Bailly women—Marie, Rose, and Frances—truly shaped the Bailly homestead and public perception of the family legacy.

The PoCo Muse believes objects tell stories, and our new featured exhibit, From a Bailly Point of View (expanded from a 2018 exhibit of the same name), looks closely at artifacts from our Bailly Family Collection to shed new light on their legacy in Porter County.

Eunice Slagle & Montague/Urschel Galleries

Hillstrom Organ Works

Through April 26, 2026

Hillstrom Organ Works manufactured organs between 1869 and 1912. The company moved from Chicago to Chesterton in 1880 and became one of the town’s main industries at the turn of the century.

Robert Cain Gallery

Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor

The Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor was displayed on the courthouse square from 1943 until 1973 in commemoration of the Valparaiso citizens who contributed to the war effort during World War II. It was installed in the PoCo Muse in December 2022.

MORE TO EXPLORE

Muse News: April through June 2026

Stay up-to-date with all that’s happening at the PoCo Muse by checking out our most recent newsletter, Muse News.

PoCo Muse Magazine: Issue No. 11

The digital version PoCo Muse Magazine is free to read for everyone. This issue features topics from our exhibit, "From a Bailly Point of View," giving particular attention to the county’s thriving Swedish immigrant community in the late nineteenth century.

Looking Back: April 1926

Each day on social media, the PoCo Muse looks back by featuring century-old historical excerpts selected from the Evening Messenger and Valparaiso Daily Vidette newspapers.

At the Intersection of Art & History

The 25-minute video slideshow called "At the Intersection of Art & History" presents highlights from our permanent art collection and spotlights a few common themes found in the artworks.

Detail of Joseph Bailly’s account book from between 1799-1802; Executive Director Kevin Matthew Pazour gives a tour of Life Work: The Artists Hazel & Vin Hannell, 2025; the Stagecoach Inn at 127 N. Main Street in Hebron; Visitor Experience Manager Quinn Albert, Albert Photographic; dyed porcupine quills from the Bailly Collection; detail of a Hillstrom reed organ, Albert Photographic; two unidentified men sitting on the courthouse square with a view of the Lowenstine WWII Roll of Honor in the background, circa 1968.