Skyline with Indiana State Museum, Indianapolis, Indiana

The Indiana State Museum is a museum located within White River State Park in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The museum housesexhibits on the history of Indiana from prehistoric times up to the present day. It has one of the four IMAX theaters in the state of Indiana.

The museum was started in 1862 by then-state librarian R. Deloss Brown as a natural history collection. For many years, the museum was located in various rooms in the state Capitol building in Indianapolis. It was moved into its first permanent home in the old Indianapolis City Hall building at 202 N. Alabama Street in 1967. The Indiana State Museum Society was established in 1969 as a private fund-raising support organization.

The museum moved to its current location, a new building at 650 W. Washington Street, on May 22, 2002. The building on the Indiana Central Canal in White River State Park cost about $105 million.

With more than 40,000 square feet (4,000 m²) of exhibit space, and over 300,000 artifacts in collections, the museum covers the history of the natural world, Native Americans, cultural history, and the future of Indiana.

Front of the Indiana State Museum