Welcome to
The Friends of T.C. Steele
State Historic Site
The Friends of T.C. Steele SHS support group officially incorporated in 1991, although the historic site had volunteers and "friends" on an informal basis for many years before that. Then- assistant curator Rachel Perry was instrumental in organizing and gaining tax-exempt status for the fledgling group, drawing in part from the support of a local group interested in the natural and cultural resources of the area, the Friends of Brown County. At first, the Friends of T.C. Steele operated in partnership with the Indiana State Museum Society (ISMS). In 1993, the Friends of T.C. Steele SHS split from ISMS, largely in order to gain autonomy in gift shop operations. In 1996, the Friends of Brown County disbanded as a separate entity and combined with the Friends of T.C. Steele; the Friends of T.C. Steele agreed to take charge of their records and membership list, and committed itself to continuing an event of interest to both groups, the annual Wildflower Foray. The Friends of Brown County now exists as a permanent standing committee of the Friends of T.C. Steele whose primary responsibility is to organize the Wildflower Foray.
Over the years, the Friends of T.C. Steele have helped with site operations as docents and with building maintenance, garden and grounds maintenance, collections care, and special events (these last three in terms of both volunteer hours and financial assistance). In the ten years of its existence, the Friends group has tackled the following projects, among many others: establishing an endowment fund, contracting for reproduction draperies in the historic home, restoring Mrs. Steele's gardens-an enormous, ongoing project-reconstructing the lily ponds, rewiring the Dewar Log Cabin to accommodate interpretive exhibits, co-sponsoring an exhibit of paintings by Brown County artist Ada Walter Shulz at the Indiana State Museum, purchasing computer equipment for the historic site, and most recently, initiating an Adopt-a-Painting program and sponsoring a two-day furniture restoration workshop. Thanks to the Friends of T.C. Steele a new walking tour brochure which leads visitors to some of Steele's favorite painting locations is available at the site. The brochure has been produced with the assistance of T.C. Steele staff members and IU Art Museum staff members, using grant money from the Indiana Division of Tourism and matching funds from the Friends of T.C. Steele.
Friends' members work with their community organizations to link site events with community-wide activities such as the Brown County Art Renaissance (of which the site's Great Outdoor Art Contest is an integral part) and the spring Wildflower Foray, which is organized with the help of the Brown County Garden Club, Brown County Lions Club, Brown County State Park, Yellowwood State Forest, and Monroe Reservoir along with representatives of other DNR divisions, the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society, Hoosier National Forest and others.