Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Historical Society Annual Meeting
The Elkhart County Historical Society will hold its annual meeting on Sunday, November 8th at 2:00pm. The meeting will take place at the Elkhart County Historical Museum and will feature guest speaker Randy Ray, Executive Director of the Northern Indiana Center for History. The program will also include the election of persons to serve on the Historical Society’s Board of Directors, as well as unveil the museum’s busy 2010 event and exhibit schedule.
Randy Ray’s speaking topic will discuss why history museums matter in a high tech world. With so much information available at our fingertips over the internet why should people still visit history museums? What can museums do to stay relevant and inspire in our ever changing world? Ray will discuss these questions and more as he breaks down how and why museums are still an important part of the 21st century landscape.
Three positions will be up for election to fill Board vacancies. Bristol High School alumna Lois Schmeling of Elkhart will fill a one-year term. Lois and the B.H.S. Alumni helped raise funds for the memorial brick walk at the museum’s entry. Karl Lehman of Goshen will fill a one-year vacancy. Karl is a certified public accountant. He received his B.A. in economics at Goshen College and a M.B.A. from Columbia University. Larry App of Bristol will fill a three-year vacancy. In addition to Larry’s Roundstone L.L.C. consultation firm, he also owns Perpetuating Remembrance, a business dedicated to recording oral history.
The new Board members will join Dean Hupp of Elkhart (President), Marcia Brenneman of Goshen (Vice-President), Ervin Beck of Goshen (Secretary), John Thompson of Granger (Treasurer), Ray Enfield of Elkhart, Robert Judson of Elkhart, Denise Kolb-Hernandez of Granger, Dick Hess of Goshen, Greg Miller of Goshen, Dan Watson of Bristol, Faye Peterson of Goshen, and Sara Smoker of Goshen.
Randy Ray’s speaking topic will discuss why history museums matter in a high tech world. With so much information available at our fingertips over the internet why should people still visit history museums? What can museums do to stay relevant and inspire in our ever changing world? Ray will discuss these questions and more as he breaks down how and why museums are still an important part of the 21st century landscape.
Three positions will be up for election to fill Board vacancies. Bristol High School alumna Lois Schmeling of Elkhart will fill a one-year term. Lois and the B.H.S. Alumni helped raise funds for the memorial brick walk at the museum’s entry. Karl Lehman of Goshen will fill a one-year vacancy. Karl is a certified public accountant. He received his B.A. in economics at Goshen College and a M.B.A. from Columbia University. Larry App of Bristol will fill a three-year vacancy. In addition to Larry’s Roundstone L.L.C. consultation firm, he also owns Perpetuating Remembrance, a business dedicated to recording oral history.
The new Board members will join Dean Hupp of Elkhart (President), Marcia Brenneman of Goshen (Vice-President), Ervin Beck of Goshen (Secretary), John Thompson of Granger (Treasurer), Ray Enfield of Elkhart, Robert Judson of Elkhart, Denise Kolb-Hernandez of Granger, Dick Hess of Goshen, Greg Miller of Goshen, Dan Watson of Bristol, Faye Peterson of Goshen, and Sara Smoker of Goshen.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Photos from the Barn Dance
These are some shots from our barn dance held on October 17th. Everyone from couples to families to friends gathered together in the auditorium and danced the night away to the tunes of the Barn Owl String Band. Caller Bev enthusiastically led the group through several fun contra dances that had just about everyone up and dancing the night away!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Gathering at Five Medals
Step back in time at the Gathering at Five Medals, a reenactment about the history of the Midwest from the 1660s to 1815. The event will be open to the public on Saturday and Sunday, October 24 – 25 at River Preserve County Park (next to Benton Elementary School on C.R. 31). Saturday the open hours are from 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and on Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Visitors are encouraged to wear walking shoes because the reenactment will cover several acres and includes some walking trails. The event is sponsored by the Elkhart County Historical Society, Elkhart County Parks, David and Janet Weed, and Interra Credit Union.You won’t want to miss this exciting event! Visitors can watch wool being spun, hear the sounds of a blacksmith’s forge, feel hand-made beadwork, and watch a roaring cannon fired by uniformed soldiers from the War of 1812! 200 reenactors are expected to participate in the weekend and will be traveling to Elkhart County from throughout the Midwest. The event will be divided into recreated encampments of voyageurs, French explorers and settlers, hunters, military units, merchants, and a Woodland Indian village. The event will offer unique experiences for visitors as they become immersed in historic settings in each thematic area.
Scheduled demonstrations will occur throughout the day, including how to fire a matchlock gun, cannon firings, period crafts, and a reenactment of a fur trade scenario. Each activity will be led by a reenactor dressed in period clothing who has mastered his or her craft. Bowl carvers, leatherworkers, carpenters, a blacksmith, natural dye demonstrations, basket weavers, quilters, and carpet weavers will show how each technique was completed using authentic replica tools. Some crafts will include scheduled in-depth programs, but all crafts will also be ongoing for visitors who wish to browse through the event.
The reenactment location will be near the site of Chief Five Medals Village from the 1760s to 1813. Five Medals was a prominent figure in negotiations between the Elkhart River Band of the Potawatomi and United States government. He signed the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 after the defeat of the Western Confederacy of Indian Nations in the Ohio Indian Wars. The village was destroyed in 1812 and 1813 by U.S. military during the War of 1812, but the community was abandoned during both campaigns. Remnants of the Five Medals Band lived in Elkhart County into the 1820s. The Woodland Indian village at the reenactment will pay tribute to the Elkhart River Band by showing examples of clothing, food, housing, and crafts practiced by the Potawatomi.
Food will be available throughout the weekend. Parking will occur at Benton Elementary School with an easily accessible gate along the school property into the event. The reenactment will occur rain or shine. Admission is $4.00 for adults and $2.00 for children. Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Elkhart County Parks administration office in Goshen at 211 W. Lincoln Avenue or at the main event gate.
Friday, October 23 is reserved for elementary school students to experience the reenactment. Teachers should contact Rebecca Oestreich at 574-848-4322 or rebecca@elkhartcountyparks.org to discuss field trip opportunities and lesson planning to correlate with State Standards. The event will emphasize curriculum covered in third, fourth, and fifth grade. Classes should pack a lunch because food vendors will not be available on Friday. Schools should expect to spend a minimum of two hours at the reenactment due to the event size and scheduled activities. Each class will be able to journey through the reenactment and interact with costumed interpreters. Tour guides will be available to help lead classes through the encampment areas.
For more information on this exciting and unique event, please contact Museum Director Nick Hoffman at 574-848-4322 or nick@elkhartcountyparks.org.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Mapping Elkhart County Officially Opens
The ECHM had its grand opening of its latest temporary exhibit last weekend. Everyone had a great time as they viewed the exhibit, munched on treats, chatted with friends, and listened to music by pianist Denny Olsen. If you haven't seen the exhibit yet, come and check it out!
The cutting of the ribbon to officially open the exhibit.
Elkhart County Historical Society members enjoying the refreshments while they chat and listen to the music.
Visitors using a magnifying glass to get a better look at the great detail on some of the early maps.
Museum volunteer Wanda Hoffman examines a plat map of Elkhart.
Museum Director Nick Hoffman and ECHS Board President Dean Hupp with his wife, Ruth.
Elkhart County Historical Society members enjoying the refreshments while they chat and listen to the music.
Visitors using a magnifying glass to get a better look at the great detail on some of the early maps.
Museum volunteer Wanda Hoffman examines a plat map of Elkhart.
Museum Director Nick Hoffman and ECHS Board President Dean Hupp with his wife, Ruth.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Mapping Elkhart County
Local history enthusiasts will not want to miss the upcoming maps exhibit at the Elkhart County Historical Museum. 30 seldom before-seen maps from the Historical Society collection will be displayed from October 2 at 4:30 p.m. – March 5, 2010 in the museum’s temporary exhibit gallery.
“Our temporary exhibit program is intended to highlight special items in the collection, but also tell a story about Elkhart County’s fascinating history,” says Museum Director Nick Hoffman.
The map exhibit will undoubtedly convey interesting pieces of local history.
Elkhart’s earliest known plat map completed in 1832 will be among the highlights. The map was signed by Havilah Beardsley and included land along the Elkhart River from Washington to Jackson Streets. Among the earliest plat maps to be shown will be Crane’s Addition to Goshen along Rock Run Creek (1832), Plat of the Town of Benton (1834), and a traveler’s pocket map for the Midwest (1834). Also included will be a unique national map published by J.H. Colton & Company, New York in 1856 that included Goshen.
Maps shown after the American Civil War will focus on improvements made to infrastructure. Before 1874 Nappanee was primarily a small farming community, and not until the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad created a route through the area did Nappanee grow. The surveyor’s map for the railroad’s development through the area will be shown. Essentially this plan laid the foundation for the growth of the city, and many residents from neighboring Locke moved south to live and prosper along the new railroad. A 1924 roads map and an 1888 drainage ditch map for Washington Township will also be included.
Surveying equipment and map drawing tools will be displayed alongside the maps. The equipment will demonstrate how surveying and map drawing was completed throughout history. Visitors can try a reproduction of a surveyor’s compass that was commonly used in the 1830s. Several transits from 1890s – 1990s will be shown, as well as an engineer's chain, Jacob’s staff, and surveyor’s tapes that were used in Elkhart Township during the 19th Century.
Among the highlights will be a collection of map-making equipment used by Ambrose Bierce. During the American Civil War, Bierce served as a First Lieutenant as acting topographical engineer for the Union Army, and participated in the Western Theater of the War from the Vicksburg Campaign to Sherman’s March to the Sea. Bierce’s field desk, surveying books, transit, telescope and several original maps will be displayed. He briefly stayed in Elkhart County prior to the conflict and is perhaps best known for his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The Bierce Collection is on loan from the D.W. Strauss Family.
Showing important groupings from the collection is part of a long-term strategy to complete an inventory of the Historical Society’s holdings. Gradually the collection is being moved into a new storage facility and this will provide space to develop new permanent exhibits that tell Elkhart County’s history. Many priceless pieces of local history, such as a Goshen Guards militia flag (1840s-1861), are being rediscovered and reconciled in the collection records.
“Our goal with the temporary exhibit schedule is to show the invaluable pieces of local history kept in the Historical Society collection,” says Hoffman. “Few people know the magnitude and importance of this collection; we are literally the county’s attic.”
In 2010 the Museum will feature exhibits that showcase the Historical Society’s folk art collection (spring) and regalia from local secret societies and fraternities (fall).
The Museum will host a gallery opening on October 2 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. The evening will include hors d’ourves, music, and brief comments from Director and Curator Nick Hoffman.
“Our temporary exhibit program is intended to highlight special items in the collection, but also tell a story about Elkhart County’s fascinating history,” says Museum Director Nick Hoffman.
The map exhibit will undoubtedly convey interesting pieces of local history.
Elkhart’s earliest known plat map completed in 1832 will be among the highlights. The map was signed by Havilah Beardsley and included land along the Elkhart River from Washington to Jackson Streets. Among the earliest plat maps to be shown will be Crane’s Addition to Goshen along Rock Run Creek (1832), Plat of the Town of Benton (1834), and a traveler’s pocket map for the Midwest (1834). Also included will be a unique national map published by J.H. Colton & Company, New York in 1856 that included Goshen.
Maps shown after the American Civil War will focus on improvements made to infrastructure. Before 1874 Nappanee was primarily a small farming community, and not until the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad created a route through the area did Nappanee grow. The surveyor’s map for the railroad’s development through the area will be shown. Essentially this plan laid the foundation for the growth of the city, and many residents from neighboring Locke moved south to live and prosper along the new railroad. A 1924 roads map and an 1888 drainage ditch map for Washington Township will also be included.
Surveying equipment and map drawing tools will be displayed alongside the maps. The equipment will demonstrate how surveying and map drawing was completed throughout history. Visitors can try a reproduction of a surveyor’s compass that was commonly used in the 1830s. Several transits from 1890s – 1990s will be shown, as well as an engineer's chain, Jacob’s staff, and surveyor’s tapes that were used in Elkhart Township during the 19th Century.
Among the highlights will be a collection of map-making equipment used by Ambrose Bierce. During the American Civil War, Bierce served as a First Lieutenant as acting topographical engineer for the Union Army, and participated in the Western Theater of the War from the Vicksburg Campaign to Sherman’s March to the Sea. Bierce’s field desk, surveying books, transit, telescope and several original maps will be displayed. He briefly stayed in Elkhart County prior to the conflict and is perhaps best known for his short story An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. The Bierce Collection is on loan from the D.W. Strauss Family.
Showing important groupings from the collection is part of a long-term strategy to complete an inventory of the Historical Society’s holdings. Gradually the collection is being moved into a new storage facility and this will provide space to develop new permanent exhibits that tell Elkhart County’s history. Many priceless pieces of local history, such as a Goshen Guards militia flag (1840s-1861), are being rediscovered and reconciled in the collection records.
“Our goal with the temporary exhibit schedule is to show the invaluable pieces of local history kept in the Historical Society collection,” says Hoffman. “Few people know the magnitude and importance of this collection; we are literally the county’s attic.”
In 2010 the Museum will feature exhibits that showcase the Historical Society’s folk art collection (spring) and regalia from local secret societies and fraternities (fall).
The Museum will host a gallery opening on October 2 from 4:30 – 7:30 p.m. The evening will include hors d’ourves, music, and brief comments from Director and Curator Nick Hoffman.
Monday, September 21, 2009
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