House Museum
Moore-Youse
Moore-Youse Home Museum
Volunteers from the Delaware County Historical Society provide guided tours of the Moore-Youse Home Museum. The house is furnished with the belongings of three generations of Moore-Youse women, including such notable items as Muncie’s first piano and several original paintings by J. Ottis Adams. Entry is free to DCHS members, otherwise admission is $2.00.
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Need more information?
Call 765-282-1550, or e-mail us at delaware2675@att.net.
Planning A Visit?
The Moore-Youse Home Museum is open to the public the first Sunday of each month from March – November.
Hours are 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
-or-
by appointment.
The Museum is closed December – February.
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When Mary (Youse) Maxon died in 1982, she left her house and its contents to the Delaware County Historical Society, with the provision that the organization establish and maintain a museum of Delaware County History on the premises. The Moore-Youse house became a home museum, and the Heritage Library Resource Center was established next door. Three generations of Moore-Youse women and their families lived in the house. Each of them added to the exceptional mix of furniture, china, linens, and other household items, endowing the home with its own unique charm. A number of paintings by Muncie artist J. Ottis Adams also decorate the walls.
Rebecca Hackley originally owned the land on which the house was built, having been given 672 acres by the U.S. government for work done by her father, William Wells. William was the adopted son of Miami Indian Chief Little Turtle. The house was built in 1849, by Anderson Carter, who purchased the land from Daniel H. Andrews and his wife, Mary Jane Gilbert. Mary Jane was the daughter of Goldsmith Gilbert, founder of Munseytown (Muncie).
The house first came into the Moore family after Samuel Porter Wilson purchased the two-story structure in April of 1864. Two months later he sold it to his daughter, Clara Jane (Wilson) Moore. The Moore’s enlarged the four-room house in the 1870′s to better accommodate their growing family. They added an entry hall, dining room, kitchen, an upstairs bathing area, a sitting room, and another bedroom. Porches appeared after 1883. When Clara died in 1904, she left the house to her daughter, Mary Elizabeth (Moore) Youse, a.k.a. Mame. When Mame died in 1943, she left the house to her daughter Mary (Youse) Maxon.
If you would like to schedule a group tour, please call us at (765) 282-1550.
The society’s mission is to enrich the lives of the people of Delaware County through the preservation and interpretation of our heritage.
