Now in our 6th year, the Santa Claus Museum takes you on a walk through time exploring the birth of this tiny town as it was first laid out on paper in 1846. Moving from one room to the next, you can immerse yourself in historical documents, photos and artifacts illustrating the progression of the town from Santa Fee (pop. 65) to the present day Santa Claus (pop. 2,300). Among the highlights, Postmaster James Martin’s fight to retain the town name of Santa Claus and his yearly efforts to answer waves of children’s letters to Santa that overwhelmed his tiny post office every December.

In addition to the history of the town, museum founder Patricia Koch has also included mementos from her family including her father, world-renowned Santa Jim Yellig.

One of the newest additions to our selection of locally made merchandise items here at the museum is, well, simply divine. We now sell an assortment of delicious cookies made by the Sisters of St. Benedict. The sisters bake their tasty treats at the Simply Divine Bakery on the grounds of the Monastery Immaculate Conception in Ferdinand, Indiana.  In 1852, the first Benedictine women arrived in the United States from St. Walburga Abbey in Eichstätt, Germany. The Benedictine Sisters settled in Pennsylvania and Kentucky before making their way to Indiana.  In 1867, four sisters arrived in the German-Catholic settlement of Ferdinand, Indiana, where teachers were needed who could speak fluent German. By 1886, there were 72 sisters living in the Ferdinand community.