our history
Our History
In 1990, a group of visionary volunteers with the Junior League of Evansville began asking a simple but powerful question:
What if our community had a place where children could learn by doing?
By 1994, that idea took shape at Eastland Mall, where a collection of hand-made, home-made exhibits became the beginning of something special. Families showed up in droves. Children explored, touched, built, and played—and it was clear this “little children’s museum that could” was becoming something much bigger.
Within just one year, it transformed from a volunteer-led project into an official nonprofit: the Hands On Discovery Children’s Museum of Evansville.
The museum moved to Washington Square Mall, its second donated home, and continued to grow. Over time, more than 200,000 children walked through its doors, one class, one family, one moment of discovery at a time. The experience was so meaningful—and the demand so great—that hundreds of school groups were ultimately turned away each year due to limited space.
Our community had spoken: this wasn’t just a nice idea.
It was an essential resource.
With overwhelming support from families, businesses, and civic leaders, an ambitious vision took shape. The City of Evansville gifted the historic former Central Library downtown, and together, the community launched a capital campaign to transform it into a permanent home for children and families.
The museum closed for nearly two years—not as an ending, but as a bold step forward. During that time, the community came together to imagine what could be. Ideas were shared. Spaces were reimagined. Exhibits were designed with intention and purpose.
And on September 29, 2006, the doors opened again—this time as the Koch Family Children’s Museum of Evansville (cMoe).
Today, cMoe continues that same mission:
to create joyful discovery experiences that spark curiosity, inspire imagination, and help children develop the skills they need for a lifetime of learning.
It is a place where:
- children test ideas and build confidence
- families learn and grow together
- and play becomes the foundation for how children understand the world
🎥 Watch the Magan dedication video honoring the legacy that helped make this possible.
This story exists because of leaders like Karen Donovan Magan, whose work helped bring Hands On Discovery to life in those earliest days.
And that story is still being written.
Every visit to cMoe continues the journey that began in a mall with hand-built exhibits and a big idea. Every child who walks through our doors becomes part of that legacy.
We invite you to come experience it—
to play, explore, create, and discover what makes cMoe so special.
And if you believe in the power of this work, we invite you to be part of sustaining it.
Join the Karen Donovan Magan Hands-On Circle, or give any amount meaningful to you, and help ensure that cMoe continues to inspire children and families for generations to come.