Built
in 1835 by Indiana University's first president,
Andrew Wylie, the museum is one of Bloomington’s
oldest structures and is listed on the national
register of historic places.
On the Wylie House steps, outdoor
interpreter Sherry Brunoehler (left) and volunteer
Carol Wise await visitors. Living history herself,
Wise has designed numerous costumes the old-fashioned
way. She has hand stitched period dresses for
some of the interpreters to wear at the museum.
Last August, children
from Bloomington’s Kid City group at the Allison
Juke Box, visited the Wylie House. In the museum’s
garden (left to right), you will find Sherry Brunoehler,
Wylie House outdoor interpreter ; Nic McGinnis, Allison
Juke Box staff member; Kid City group participants Sam
Baker, Louis Lopez, Cody Brock and Rose Johnson (behind
the pole beans).
Food storage
Food preparation
The dining room
For more than 20 years, Andrew Wylie
lived in the house with his wife Margaret and ten of
their twelve children. Andrew's cousin, Theophilus Wylie,
his wife Rebecca and his family lived in the house from
1859 until 1913.
Sleep tight—
ropes were used beneath feather mattresses to hold
the bedding. The ropes periodically had to be tightened
to keep the bedding from sagging.
The Wylie girls bedroom—a place for sleep and quiet play.
Wylie House is an historic house museum re-creating
and interpreting the Wylie home of the 1840s.
Guided tours
March through November,
Tuesday through Saturday,
10:00 am - 2:00 pm, or by special appointment
Admission is free, but donations are always welcome
In the 1840's, the garden
was a place to grow plants to be used for food production,
medicinal purposes and the creation of dyes to color the
cloth produced by the family.
