Vincennes has it going on this spring and summer, especially for people who love to experience history.
A good place to start exploring might be the Indiana Military Museum, home to one of the 10 best and most comprehensive collections of military memorabilia in the country.
Spread over 14 acres are tanks, planes, vehicles, flags, battlefield relics, enemy souvenirs and more — some one of a kind, such as Gen. Dwight Eisenhower’s uniform and a French hospital truck from World War I. Exhibits include recreated trenches and battlefield situations that bring military engagements — from the Civil War to the present — to life.
The museum is fascinating on any given day, but springtime always means honoring veterans of the two world wars. April 6-7 will see reenactors portraying soldiers in World War I, and May 4-5 will honor World War II veterans and casualties by recreating battles from that conflict. A similar World War II event on Aug. 31-Sept. 1 will include demonstrations and living history exhibits. Along with the “battles,” the days will be filled with speeches, memorabilia, vendors and food.
May 25-26 the area will host the Midwest’s premier Revolutionary War reenactment, the Spirit of Vincennes Rendezvous, with two battles on Saturday and two more on Sunday.
Accompanying events will include 18th- century craftsmen creating utilitarian and artistic wares, entertainers performing shows from that era and food vendors taking participants back in time with the tasty dishes they create.
When the clashes aren’t underway, visitors can wander the grounds of the George Rogers Clark Memorial and interact with members of the North West Territory Alliance before they go inside to see the 7 1/2-foot-tall statue of Clark and the seven 28-foot murals that depict his capture at Fort Sackville.
Along with all of this will be an 18th- century fashion show, Colonel Webbs’s Band of Musick, parade of uniforms and a film at the Visitors Center. In the evening the crowd will gather at the memorial as the Ancient Fife and Drum Corps, the River Valley Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, and a trooping of the colors close the event for another year.
For more information: VisitVincennes.org
