Historic Attractions

George Rogers Clark National Historical Park - 401 S. Second Street. (812) 882-1776. The park features a massive granite memorial which commemorates the conquest of the Old Northwest Territory. The Memorial is located on the site of former British Fort Sackville which was captured by Colonel George Rogers Clark and his army of 170 frontiersmen and Frenchmen. The moment of the fort's surrender on the morning of February 25, 1779 marks the birth of the United States north of the Ohio River. The memorial contains murals and a six-minute audio tape. The park Visitors' Center has exhibits, a gift shop, and a 23-minute movie.

Old Cathedral Complex - 205 Church Street. (812) 882-5638 (Rectory). Basilica of St. Francis Xavier and French & Indiana Cemetery. The current "Old Cathedral" was built in 1826, and stands on the site of three previous churches. The first was a crude log structure built about 1749, where the first Catholic Parish in Indiana was formed. Four bishops are buried in the crypt of the current Cathedral, and the adjoining cemetery is the final resting place of over 4,000 early citizens of Vincennes.

Old French House & Indian Museum - First & Seminary Streets. (812) 882-7886 or (800) 886-6443. This home of French fur trader and Indian interpreter Michel Brouillet was built about 1806. The house is an excellent example of French Creole architecture, and is furnished much as it would have been when Brouillet lived there with his large family. The loft features an exhibit on the fur trade. When Vincennes was founded in 1732, a group of Piankeshaw Indians established a village called Chippecoke near the fort; the French House now sits in the heart of what was once that village. Appropriately, an Indian Museum is now situated in what was once Brouillet's back yard. The Museum's exhibits trace the four periods of American prehistory and include the bones of a mastodon found near Vincennes.

Grouseland - 3 West Scott Street. (812) 882-2096. The home of William Henry Harrison and his family from 1803-1812, when Harrison, later ninth US President, was Governor of the Indiana Territory. Harrison was a native Virginian and had a successful military career prior to entering politics in 1795. During Harrison's governorship of the Indiana Territory, Grouseland was the focal point of the social and official life of the Territory. The opulent mansion includes the Council Room where Harrison met with various Indian tribes, and the Harrison bedroom with its "grouse" wallpaper. The Francis Vigo Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was responsible for saving Grouseland from destruction in 1909, and has since restored the home to its original condition and opened it for tours.

Indiana Territory Capitol, Elihu Stout Print Shop, Maurice Thompson Birthplace - 1 West Harrison Street (begin tours at Log Cabin). (812) 882-7422. From 1800 to 1813, while Vincennes was the capital of the Indiana Territory, the Territorial Legislature met in a variety of locations. One of the buildings from which the Territory was governed has been preserved here; considered the oldest major government building in the Midwest, it is now used to interpret early government in the Territory. Next to the capitol building is the Elihu Stout Print Shop, a replica of the building where Elihu Stout printed the law of the Territory as well as the Territory's first newspaper, the Indiana Gazette. The site also includes the Maurice Thompson birthplace, the small frame house where the author of Alice of Old Vincennes was born; and the Log Cabin Visitors' Center, where visitors may view a videotape on Vincennes history.

Old State Bank - 114 N. Second Street. (812) 882-7472. This building, the oldest bank building in Indiana, housed one of twelve branches of the Second State Bank. An excellent example of Greek Revival architecture, the building contains its original vault and has been restored to the appearance of an early bank in 1838.

Fort Knox II - Fort Knox Road (3 miles north of Vincennes). (812) 882-7422. Fort Knox II was one of three forts built and garrisoned by the US Army in the Vincennes area to protect settlers and to control the strategic Wabash River during the period of early settlement. Around 1809, Vincennes became the center of military activity for the Indiana Territory, and Fort Knox II served as the staging area for the troops that fought at the Battle of Tippecanoe. The fort's location is outlined with short posts and interpretive markers tell the story of the site. Picnic and restroom facilities are available.

Indiana Military Museum - 4305 Old Bruceville Road (2.8 miles from the Holiday Inn). (812) 882-8668. The Indiana Military Museum is dedicated to fostering the memory, understanding and appreciation of US military history. The museum has one of the most outstanding displays of vintage vehicles, weaponry, uniforms and artifacts from the Civil War through World Wars I, II, Korea, Vietnam and Desert Storm. The museum includes both outdoor displays featuring tanks, artillery and helicopters and an indoor museum with uniforms, flags, battlefield relics, captured enemy souvenirs, and World War II toys, Homefront items and vehicles.