The Jimmy Stewart Museum is an insightful and detailed tribute to a true Hollywood legend. Chalk full of artifacts from his childhood, military service, life in California and illustrious film career, this is a must visit for any movie fan. The care and love put into the museum is very evident. Touring the many displays was preceded by a helpful introduction by one of the museum's employees. What I loved most is that along with the focus on Stewart's best known films, such as 'It's a Wonderful Life', ALL of his movies are recognized. There was also an interesting exhibit on the upcoming biopic about Jimmy's war experiences, leading up to the filming of ''Its a a Wonderful Life'. This museum is a truly great tribute to one of Hollywood's all time greatest actors! Highly Recommended!! read more

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The Jimmy Stewart Museum is a gem of a museum in Indiana, PA. It is a niche museum, but does an incredible job of covering his life, not just in Hollywood, but his military service and earlier life. There's plenty of photo opportunities, including the memorable George Lassos the Moon scene from Its a Wonderful Life. There is a theater room that usually shows some of his films, but is presently showing some trailers and behind the scenes footage from the upcoming "Jimmy" film to be released in November 2026. There are costumes on display from this upcoming movie as some of the actors & producers came by the museum a few weeks back and donated them. There is a decent gift shop and the employees that work there are incredibly kind in getting you oriented with the museum. If you are a fan of any of his movies, be sure to swing by the Jimmy Stewart Museum in his hometown of Indiana, PA, about an hour outside of Pittsburgh. read more

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Great value at$12 and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Plan on spending 3 -4hours if watching a movie. Jimmy Stewart Was an amazing man who did much more than make movies! read more

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A work trip to Indiana, PA was the perfect excuse to stop in at the Jimmy Stewart Museum. Finding parking was a breeze and navigating the elevator to the third floor has plenty of signs to prevent confusion. $12 for adults/$11 for students and I believe kids under a certain age were free. We came with our two little ones which meant we had to move through the exhibits in a bit more of a hurry, but I think this museum had tons of neat artifacts and histories that I wasn't familiar with or aware of. It was fun to see different trinkets and honors and props. I think this place is definitely worth the stop if you're in the vicinity. read more

Jimmy Stewart Museum - Jimmy Stewart Plaque and Museum Entrance - Art Museums Near Me - Indiana, Pennsylvania

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This museum has been in our list since we moved to the area four years ago, but we just barely made it a couple weekends ago when I had some work to do in Indiana. What a fun museum!! We weren't familiar with many of the movies he was in or frankly how many movies he had been in, but I grew up watching it's a wonderful life and my father was in the air force and always had a lot of respect for Jimmy Stewart. Lots of cool artifacts, stories, and memorabilia to see. Glad we finally made it! It was well worth the visit! read more

Some might question coming here because how much could they have about Jimmy Stewart, and on the third floor of the library? We were so surprised by this museum. It has so much information from relevant local history, to Jimmy's early life, his military life, his film career, and his family. We had a bonus exhibit of movie art and theme songs by a local artist. We had only planned to stay an hour, which was too short. We spent so much time in learning about him that we had to go quickly through the movies. And we were unable to stay for the showing of one of his movies in the theater at 1 p.m. The museum is thorough, well done, and worth your time. Parking is on the street, and you must pay the meter. Plan for at least two hours, unless you are staying for the movie. read more

So much information! So much memorabilia! The docents here are very enthusiastic and have lots of information to offer. All the Hollywood photos, costumes, awards are very interesting to see. Military service information that I had no idea about. My favorite bits where of his youth. Growing up in this town, helping out at the store his dad owned, his college days. The photos of the young man, comfortable in his home town. It's a very nice museum, with lots of information and leaves you with a nice warm feeling. Lots of gift items in their gift shop, we picked up a few things for the family and mailed home some of their postcards. Worth a couple hours of your day for sure. Add it to the itinerary. read more

Who doesn't love Jimmy Stewart!? One of the greatest of all time. A must stop in when in the area.

If you are a fan of the late Jimmy Stewart then this museum is for you! Nestled on the 3rd floor of the public library on Philadelphia St in Indiana, PA, it showcases not only the movie career of this iconic legend but also his birthplace, early life, his love of airplanes, his role in the military, and a tribute to his return visit to this town on his 75th birthday where a statue was dedicated in his honor next door in front of the Indiana County Courthouse. We were greeted by Ron who was not only willing to answer questions we had but also show some pre recorded films showcasing his life or even play one of his movies on their TV. There is a small movie theater in the museum where at 1:00 you can watch a matinee of one of Jimmy's famous films. Start where ever you like. My husband and I decided to check out his film career and notable awards. The movies go in a near chronological order and are also grouped by theme as well. Each movie has a "story synopsis" that alone is worth reading if it is of interest to you. Some of the films have actual props or awards Jimmy was given after the films were made. Check out the "Harvey" life size rabbit and the puppet near that movie's poster. Perhaps the most notable is "It's a wonderful life" which is the holiday classic. There is also a group devoted to Alfred Hitchcock, and another to the many Westerns Jimmy either starred in or had a major role. The exhibit ends with many awards he received over the years and his one academy award. From this side you can get a glimpse over the hill and see Jimmy's boyhood home which still stands today. Also on view is the actual front door to his Beverly Hills home. Another breathtaking display was a recreation of Jimmy's California office. Ron told me everything here is authentic and was donated by the family. Here you will see a special grandfather clock that was awarded to him, his tweed hat, letters from various Presidents, and his autopen machine. The latter was a way of duplicating his signature when he got older. Jimmy's boyhood bedroom is a recreation of what it might have looked like when he was growing up. The only thing in the room that comes from his boyhood home was a twin bed similar to the one he used. Here you learn that he actually made of map of Charles Lindbergh's famous Atlantic flight when he was ill as well as his life as a boy scout and became a lover of airplanes. The Indiana gallery showcases the life and times of the town of Indiana and tells the story of Jimmy's birth and upbringing. In this gallery is a replica of the same statue that sits in front of the courthouse and a recreation of his father's hardware store with actual donations from it. The store's location is just down the street which is now home to an S and T bank. The military gallery focuses on Jimmy's love of aircraft and his involvement with World War 2 and the many metals he was given. Highlights include 4 of his uniforms and a tribute to his stepson who died in Vietnam. Scattered throughout the museum are pictures of his personal life, his TV and radio life and of course the tribute given to him when he returned to Indiana for the statue dedication. In the center of the complex is a gift shop where among other things you can purchase a replica of the famous bell used in "It's a wonderful life." Made by the same company that produced the original it makes a great holiday gift. Ron also told us about many of the celebrities who have come here to pay tribute to him. Flash photography is not allowed but you are permitted to take pictures. A guest book is there if you wish to leave any thoughts of your visit. It would take hours reading through everything but truly was worth learning about a homeboy who grew up to stardom and his early roots. Please note due to Co-Vid 19 masks are required during your visit and public restrooms are available. read more

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Ok. I will update my review. The museum is under new leadership as of a year ago. Janie McKirgan is the new President-Executive Director. She served on the original board from 1995 to 1998. I had reviewed the museum a couple years ago and recently received a message from Ms. McKirgan based on my review to please revisit as it had been recently repainted and revamped. So, revisit I did, with much hope. Yesterday was a beautiful day for an hour plus drive to Indiana, PA, home town of the iconic actor extraordinaire Jimmy Stewart and home to the museum honoring him. Note that COVID-19 precautions are in place -- masks of staff and visitors are required as is social distancing. Ruth was the volunteer on premises today and did a great job greeting me and giving me the layout to get me started on my self guided tour of this 3rd floor museum inside the library building. Biggest positive: unlike my last visit, photos without flash are now allowed. That is huge! To also state positives here, the gift shop is well stocked of nice momentos and restroom was spic n span clean and pleasant to be in. And there is a large movie theater showing one of his films as I tour. Now, the museum. Based on my previous visit, I could see that timelines seemed to be prevalent of his ancestory and acting career and the hardware store layout had been moved. In addition my memory of office cubicle partitions were gone. As far as what I saw and my takeaways? There are memorabilia of his outfits and favorite hat worn in movie roles, his office (which I just found cluttered), his childhood bed, awards, plane info, uniforms, military info, hardware store info. Lots of space is taken up by movie posters, movie pics, and an odd assortment of VHS and dvd boxes of movies. There are some pics of his bday celebration when he revisited his hometown in his later years and blurry photos I complained about in my earlier review were gone. My main complaint stands-- that a lot of frames look to be cheap dime store finds, so poor a representation that I wouldn't use for anything on my own walls, much less on a museum wall or of an iconic display of anything related to Mr. Stewart. And the tags to describe the displays. It just as a whole looks poorly curated and underfunded. I realize the museum's intent is supposed to modest. But modest does not have to mean amateurish. When I see the word "museum" attached, I expect quality of presentation. Funding is an issue with this museum I see from researching. I hope the best for them. It is difficult having a museum for one subject. In order to have repeat visitors it needs to have benefactors for funding and an abundance of artifacts to change it up periodically. I wonder why there isn't more memorabilia displayed -- maybe home movies, things from his wife or children, hand written letters, report cards. I guess by the lack of funding and lack of family memorabilia it makes me wonder about the family's thoughts about the museum. read more

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Very unique and inspiring place with an amazing history! Who would have thought that such a great actor was a Princeton graduate and Air Force general! read more

we drove 1 1/2 hours to see the museum. a little hestitant not knowing what we would find since it's on the 3rd floor (yes there is an elevator) of the public library. We were not disappointed from the minute we walked in & greeted by Nona. The displays were amazing & extremely interesting. They do show a movie around 1pm but we didn't watch it. Would like to return read more

My sister and I went last Sunday. Enjoyed it tremendously. Jimmy Stewart, great man and a great American.

Now, I'm not a huge Jimmy Stewart fan, though I think of him first and foremost from "The Glen Miller Story" and, preparing for our visit, we watched "Vertigo." Still, I had a great time at this little museum. The exhibits did a good job covering Stewart's (and his family's) life in Indiana, his personal life with his wife and friends, and his movie career. Most impressive was how much of his personal stuff has survived and is on display. They did a good job putting out a huge selection of material in a relatively small space without it seeming cramped. The museum is located in the same building as the local library, though it has its own separate entrance. The Stewart family hardware store was located on a spot near here for something like 100 years. It's also next door to the county courthouse (be sure to check out the Stewart statue there and the war memorial). There is plenty of metered parking on the street. My only critique might be, now that we're in the 21st century, pictures on a wall with interpretive signs are a bit old-fashioned. In the future, I'd love to see more interactive exhibits and more sensory experiences. They screen movies throughout the day in a wonderfully well-done theater; in addition to some of Stewart's films, they have short biographies of his life as well. The staff is very friendly, perhaps a bit more than I'd have been comfortable with. There is no flash photography in the museum but you can leave and re-enter with your ticket/sticker (we left for lunch and came back refreshed to take in more of the museum). It was not too crowded, even on a weekend. Worth the drive, worth the price of admission, and I would recommend it. read more

Jimmy Stewart Museum - Jimmy Stewart Museum entrance and state historical marker. - Art Museums Near Me - Indiana, Pennsylvania

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The perfect tribute to Jimmy Stewart! This museum features items from Jimmy Stewart's life, curated by him for display. Housed on the top floor of the library, the museum welcomes Jimmy Stewart fans from all over the world to celebrate their hometown hero. My favorite item in the collection is the legendary front door to his Roxbury Drive home in Beverly Hills. Be forewarned that the museum has a strict no-photo policy. read more

This museum is great! If you are a fan of Jimmy Stewart or at least love any of his movies, it is worth it. I didn't realize all of the things he accomplished in life besides movies. He was quite the man and it all started in Indiana, PA. read more

Fantastic! They really did a lot with their modest space on the 3rd Floor of the the Indiana Public Library Building. In recent years, apparently, they've expanded the exhibition from one room to about six, with a surprising number of fan memorabilia, Indiana town history, and replicas of rooms in which Jimmy used to live and work. Not only can you learn all about one of America's greatest old-time actors and the town he grew up in (going back as far as the first settlers), but you can also see the uniform he wore in the war, his childhood bedroom, and his Beverly Hills office. The man at the ticket booth never introduced himself (i.e. I don't know if he plays a larger role than the one at the cash register), but he was definitely a Jimmy connoisseur and really enjoyed introducing each and every customer to the museum. He came out of the box office to greet us (I saw him do the same for the people after us -- of course this isn't the most frequented place, so they have the luxury of treating every customer like their only and most important one) and show us the order in which we should go through the museum since all the posters were placed chronologically. If you ever find yourself in Indiana, this is a must-do! read more

My wife is a huge Jimmy Stewart fan and always wanted to see this place, so we made a day trip several years ago to check it out. The admission price was modest and well worth it to see movie memorabilia, posters, an Academy Award, clothing, front door from his LA home, and other exhibits. They also have a small movie theater to watch his classic films and a gift shop. By the time you leave, you'll have a good understanding of the kind of actor he was. They just don't make actors like Jimmy anymore. Well worth seeing if you're a classic movie buff. read more

Even if you are not familiar with Mr. Stewart this is a must see if you are in town. The museum is located on the top floor of the library (separate entrance). It is $7 pp. It covers his personal life, military career, radio career, and movie career. There are pictures, news clippings, books, uniforms that he wore, other artifacts, and a replica of his office, a movie theater, and several televisions that play some of his movies. In town the local theater also runs "It's a Wonderful Life" for the holidays. There is a statue outside and inside the museum it has the dedication speech. He is very beloved by this town and it is inspiring to see how him and his family were a contributing members of the community. It made us feel like he was a truly great man in so many ways. read more