The Johnson County Museum began in 1931 when the community donated historical items to celebrate the centennial of Franklin, Indiana. The donations have continued throughout the decades. As a result, we have a wonderful collection that reflects the history and people of Johnson County.

The collections are used in a variety of ways. They are displayed in our permanent exhibits, used for both temporary and traveling exhibits, and put on display during programs. Sometimes items are used for research and documentary purposes.

About 15% of the museum’s collection is on display at any given time, and we rotate the artifacts on display to both preserve the items and update our exhibits. Occasionally we accept items on a loan basis. If you are interested in loaning an item to the museum, please call (317) 736-4655.

The museum’s Curator is responsible for accepting new items into the collections. Generally the museum declines items if we have several duplicates or the item has no relationship to Johnson County and cannot be used in the museum’s exhibits.

Although, we cannot accept all donations, the museum appreciates all the offers they receive. If you are interested in donating items please call the museum at (317) 346-4500 or fill out the donation interest form below. We would be happy to discuss your donation over the phone or meet with you in person.

When offering a donation to the museum, you will be asked to fill out a “Temporary Deposit Form.” This form contains:

• Donor information and information about the items being donated
• Intent to donate to the museum pending acceptance by the museum Curator
• An agreement to reclaim declined items within 30 days

Once the item is accepted into the museum’s collections the donor will receive the following:

• A thank you letter for the donation
• Two copes of the Deed of Gift contract, one copy is signed and returned to the museum, while the other copy is your official receipt and can be used for tax purposes.