A Summer For History: The Billy Sunday Home Museum
WINONA LAKE — As the Indiana Bicentennial approaches, the history that surrounds the county becomes more and more relevant. For the next few weeks, “A Summer For History” will produce a story a week concerning a different museum located in Kosciusko County.
The Billy Sunday Home Museum, located at 1111 Sunday Lane, Winona Lake, is unique. “The house is pretty much in the original condition,” stated Terry White, the FGBC church liaison for Grace College, tour guide for both the Museum of Winona History and The Billy Sunday Home Museum. After Helen “Nell” Sunday’s death in 1957 the building was declared a historical site nearly right away and a great many of the Sunday’s belongings were able to be collected along with the house.
The house itself was built in the bungalow architectural style and designed to be utilitarian and simple. The Sunday family had it built in 1911, and they built it to be in line with their own values. Many of the belongings on display in the house were gifts from grateful friends and those that followed Billy Sunday’s ministry.
“He [Sunday] preached to 100 million people in his lifetime,” White stated. “His largest tabernacles seated 18,000 people but he had outside sermons that were probably bigger.”
The Billy Sunday Home Museum is open from 2-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. A donation of $2 for a tour of the museum is suggested but not required.