The 2nd oldest synagogue building in Indiana. It is listed on the National List of Historic Places.

German Jewish immigrants arrived in Ligonier, Indiana in the 1850s and dedicated a cemetery in 1865. A congregation was organized in September of 1867 when a frame synagogue was built on Ligonier’s Main Street, south of the Henry Green residence.

The congregation prospered and grew requiring better quarters and more room. It was decided in 1888 to build a new temple. A lot was purchased from A.C. Jones where the present synagogue was built. The dedication of Ahavath Sholom Temple (Hebrew for Peace Loving) was held on September 5th, 1889 with Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise officiating. The neo-Gothic style 1,430 square-foot, one-room synagogue boasts stunning stained glass windows depicting scenes from King David’s life.

The Ligonier Jewish population peaked at about 200 families, declining in the 1930s when the population began to dwindle. By 1932 services were held only on High Holy days until the temple was closed at the end of World War II and the last Jewish service was held in 1954. After that, various churches owned the building until it was purchased by the Ligonier Public Library in 1985.

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 and received an Indiana Historical Marker in 2014. As of the summer of 2015 the building houses a museum for the Ligonier Historical Society.