Milan '54 Museum Takes Step to Protect "Hoosiers" Artifacts

Monday, April 11, 2022 at 10:18 AM

A new fire suppression system has been installed at the museum in response to the Hog Rock Cafe fire in 2020.

(Milan, Ind.) – The Milan ’54 Hoosier Museum is taking a proactive approach to preventing disaster.

A state-of-the-art fire suppression system has been installed at the museum at 201 West Carr Street to help protect some of Indiana’s most iconic sports heritage treasures.

The Milan ’54 Hoosiers Museum features the world’s largest collection of props and uniforms from the 1954 “Milan Miracle” and the movie Hoosiers.

The pre-action system provides 24 hour a day protection and was installed in response to the 2020 Thanksgiving Eve fire that destroyed the nearby Hog Rock Café.

Funding for the $92,000 project was provided by a Heritage Support Grant provided by the Indiana Historical Society and made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc. as well as grants from the Rising Sun Regional Foundation and the Efroymson Family Fund.

“We are very thankful to all our funding partners on this project” said Tom Kohlmeier President of Milan 54, Inc. “This is the largest project that we have undertaken since the museum opened in 2013. No matter how large of an insurance policy we may have, if fire destroyed the museum, a very special part of Indiana’s sports heritage would be gone forever.”

The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.milan54.org.

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