The Kokomo Automotive Museum started as a dream of the local Pioneer Auto Club. To fund their dream museum, the club initiated the annual Haynes-Apperson Festival, now held over the July 4th weekend. They held the first festival in the late 1970s. Twenty-two years later, their dream museum became reality. Today the Kokomo Automotive Museum houses about a hundred cars, many of which were built in Indiana. The museum highlights Haynes and Apperson automobiles, both made in Kokomo. In fact, the museum is home to the world’s largest collection of Haynes and Apperson automobiles under one roof. Read more
things to do in kokomo
World’s Largest Steer and Giant Sycamore Stump
A tornado swept through Kokomo, Indiana, just days before our visit. Sadly, the tornado destroyed homes. It leveled a Starbucks. It uprooted towering trees in Highland Park. Fortunately, it didn’t touch Old Ben’s home. Old Ben, the World’s largest steer, as well as a giant sycamore stump, are on display behind glass in the Highland Park visitor’s center. Read more
Touring the Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo
Who takes over two years to build a mansion, lives in it for fewer than five years and then leaves town? Monroe Seiberling did. We visited the Seiberling Mansion in Kokomo, Indiana, which now serves as the Howard County Historical Museum, and learned the fascinating stories of the home and those who lived there. Read more
Elwood Haynes Museum: Automotive Pioneer Invented World’s Strongest Metal Alloy
As field superintendent in Indiana’s new natural gas industry, Elwood Haynes needed a way to get from gas field to gas field. So he invented a horseless carriage. There were several automobiles being developed around the country at the same time, but Haynes called his vehicle “America’s first,” and the title stuck. Haynes also invented Stellite in the early 1900s. Stellite was world’s strongest known metal alloy. The Elwood Haynes Museum in Kokomo, Indiana, tells the story of Haynes, his inventions and his contribution to history. Read more