Entry No. 28 — the Indianapolis file — filed under: statue of liberty
Indy's Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum
Originally a 10x16 foot room on 10th Street, this quirky micro-museum has relocated to a 200-square-foot space in the Factory Arts District. It houses over 700 kitschy Statue of Liberty-themed memorabilia collected over decades, including Lady Liberty-themed Barbies, lawn sprinklers, and toothbrush holders.
The story
Most people see Lady Liberty as a 305-foot copper monument standing in New York Harbor. Tim Harmon saw her as a candidate for a lawn sprinkler, a toothbrush holder, and a Barbie outfit. For years, Harmon quietly amassed hundreds of Lady Liberty-themed objects, packing them into a tiny 10-by-16-foot room on East 10th Street. What began as a personal hoarding obsession turned into Indy's Teeny Statue of Liberty Museum—a dense shrine to American novelty manufacturing.
The original footprint was small, but the collection has since migrated to a 200-square-foot space inside the Factory Arts District on Brookside Avenue. The physical footprint remains micro, but the density is staggering. You are surrounded by somewhere between 700 and 1,000 individual representations of the torch-bearer, ranging from green plastic foam hats to Statue of Liberty condoms. It is a monument to what happens when a national symbol gets endlessly licensed, molded, and sold as plastic junk.
What it's like
Pay your nominal admission fee and step into a 200-square-foot room where every inch of wall and shelf space is occupied by green plastic and torch motifs. Navigating the space takes only a few steps, but scanning the densely packed display cases for the weirdest artifact—like the lawn sprinklers or hygiene gear—will take much longer. Hours can be unpredictable, so make sure to verify they are open before heading to the Brookside Avenue campus.
The move: Pay the nominal admission fee to browse the dense shelves of green plastic torches, and see if you can spot the most bizarre item, like a Statue of Liberty condom or lawn sprinkler.
- 📍 Mass Ave / Factory Arts District
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 1125 E Brookside Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46201
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Factory Arts District — Since the micro-museum is located right on this 16-acre historic campus, you can easily wander into neighboring maker spaces and local distilleries.
- 1000 Words Gallery — Head less than half a mile east to balance out the mass-produced green plastic kitsch with fine visual art by emerging Black and Brown creators.
- Chatham Passage — Drive down toward Mass Ave after your visit to trade a room packed with foam torches for a quiet subterranean grate wafting the scent of fresh roses.
Good to know
Who created this collection?
The collection was built over several decades by local collector Tim Harmon, who gathered hundreds of Lady Liberty novelty items.
Where is the museum located now?
It moved from its original East 10th Street room to a 200-square-foot space inside the Factory Arts District at 1125 E Brookside Ave.
What kind of items will I see?
The collection holds over 700 items including Lady Liberty Barbies, lawn sprinklers, toothbrush holders, green foam torches, and novelty condoms.
Do I need to check open hours in advance?
Yes, operating hours can fluctuate, so confirm they are open on Brookside Avenue before making the trip.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: wthr.com · wfyi.org · Atlas Obscura · stuckattheairport.com
last checked: 2026-07-21