If you’ve been following this blog long enough, then you know I’m obsessed with pocket-sized museums (see here and here if you don’t believe me). So I’ve made the executive decision to declare August 8th through 12th “Tiny Museum Week” because why the hell not? Enjoy!
In an itty bitty building that’s only five feet wide and fifteen feet deep, you will find a brand new museum called Indy’s Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum. For over thirty years, the owner Tim Harmon has been collecting miniature Statue of Liberty memorabilia. Exactly 400 objects are on display in the museum space. And it costs you, the visitor, just two quarters to see it.
Believe it or not, the Statue of Liberty’s iconic image is not trademarked so a lot of reproductions are out there in the world. The museum’s collection ranges from touristy kitsch to the downright bizarre. Harmon only has about half of his total collection on display. Visitors will see snow globes and paper weights, a Statue of Liberty Snoopy holding a hotdog instead of a torch, coins and stamps, a Statue of Liberty Barbie Doll in a Bob Mackie dress, condoms and cigarette lighters, Statue of Liberty-shaped maple syrup bottles, sprinklers and beer cans…the objects just go on and on. So if you carry a torch for the Statue of Liberty, then this place is a must-see.
