The Sheldon Swope Art Museum in Terre Haute, Indiana, United States, was originally funded by a bequest from Michael Sheldon Swope (1843–1929), a Civil War veteran and jeweler who lived in Terre Haute much of his adult life. Planning for the art museum began on September 26, 1939, and the museum was officially open to the public on March 21, 1942. According to its mission statement, "The Sheldon Swope Art Museum collects, preserves and celebrates the best in American art with programs and exhibi