Travelling Smithsonian exhibit on display in Elkhart County

BRISTOL, Ind. – A travelling Smithsonian Institution exhibit on life in rural America will be on display at northern Indiana’s Elkhart County Historical Museum until mid-March.

The exhibit, “Crossroads: Change Comes to Rural America,” includes photos depicting farms, forests, small towns and rivers from Alaska to New Hampshire. Visitors can also hear residents talk on video about their experiences.

Museum officials have added local touches for display alongside the exhibit, including information about a family that settled in Elkhart County in 1858 and changes in agriculture, according to the South Bend Tribune. The display runs until March 15. Admission is free.

Museum director Julie Parke said museum officials are excited to “spark conversations we think are important to have about the intersection of urban and rural, the tensions between agricultural and manufacturing.”

Communities in several states including Michigan and Idaho are also hosting the exhibit.