Winter 2016 - Tippecanoe County Historical Association

Tippecanoe counT y HisTorical associaTion
Life & Times
Information for members, Winter 2016
ouiatenon preserve
announced
at annual Meeting
A
t the January 26 Members’ Annual Meeting the Tippecanoe County Historical
Association along with the Roy Whistler
Foundation and The Archaeological Conservancy
announced the creation of the Ouiatenon Preserve.
The Ouiatenon Preserve, a Roy Whistler
Foundation Project, will be co-owned and operated by
the Tippecanoe County Historical Association and the
Archaeological Conservancy.
The Ouiatenon Preserve is located approximately one mile west of the Fort Ouiatenon Historical
Park along South River Road and the Wabash River.
A significant portion of funding was awarded under the Indiana Bicentennial Nature Trust and the
Indiana Heritage Trust with matching contributions
provided by the Roy Whistler Foundation and The
Archaeological Conservancy. The purpose of this effort
is to protect these unique, important and nationally
significant archaeological sites while simultaneously
creating a nature preserve that will improve the environmental and ecological health along the Wabash
River. These properties include 19 historic and prehistoric archaeological sites including the northern, eastern and western portions of Fort Ouiatenon and the
large Native American Kickapoo and Mascouten villages which were near the Fort.
Fort Ouiatenon is considered one of the most important archaeological sites in Indiana and is one of
the only preserved sites of its type in our country. Over
the next several years, in cooperation with NICHES,
areas within the preserve will be converted and restored from agricultural use to a lowland grass prairie.
A public entrance will be constructed along South
River Road to serve as a trail head, parking area, and
interpretation area. A pedestrian trail loop will be created connecting this area to the Fort Site and will include interpretive signage. The preserve can eventually
be included in an extension of the Wabash Heritage
Trail which currently terminates approximately one
mile to the east.
Concept illustration of The Ouiatenon Preserve
Through this effort, we will protect these sites
for future generations to research and learn from
while creating a wonderful place in our community
to enjoy nature and celebrate our incredibly rich and
unique Native American and early European history.
Additionally this project will help improve
the health of our environment and the river.
Annually the recipient of the Volunteer
of the Year award is selected by the staff.
This year we are honored to present to Mary
Anne McCarty the 2015 Volunteer of the
Year Award. Mary Anne has ancestors who
migrated to Tippecanoe County in the early
1830s. Mary Anne has been a member of
TIPCOA and TCHA for several years volunteering in the research library for over 15
years, helping with research and many other
projects. For the last six years she has been
typing court indexes from 30 years ago into spreadsheets, making searching for specific documents much
easier. It now takes just minutes to find family information while looking through the several hundred
court books we have in our library stacks.
Each court book takes at least 5+ hours to type
and Mary Anne has contributed several hundred hours
for our benefit in the research library. We are so very
lucky to have her dedication to making the Alameda
McCoullough Research Library a better place today
and for future researchers.
Kathy Atwell,
Terry Edgell and
Mary Anne McCarty
TCHA Life & Times
2
long-time staffer
John Harris Honored
T
his award was created and initially given
in memory and recognition of Mrs. Evelyn Ball and Dr. William Sholty for
their significant contributions to the Tippecanoe
County Historical Association. The annual honoree is selected by the governors and announced
at the annual meeting. The names of the recipients
are engraved on a plaque that is displayed in the
Alameda McCollough Research Library.
The 2015 honoree is a longtime friend of TCHA
— John Harris. John has worked in the history museum field since graduating in 1967 with a Masters in
History Museum Training from the
Coopertown Graduate Program in upstate New York.
In February of 1972, he moved his
family to Lafayette and became the
executive director of the Tippecanoe
County Historical Association. He
left this position 15 years later when
he accepted the job of assistant director of the Field Services Division of the
Indiana Historical Society (IHS.)
During his 19 years at IHS, he
helped create Indiana’s museum property law, was a founding member of
the Field Services Alliance (a national group), served
a three-year term on the Council of the American
Association for State and Local History (AASLH),
oversaw the County Historian Program, served on the
Indiana Historical Bureau’s Historic Markers Advisory
Council, and was promoted to Director of the Local
History Services Department.
After he retired from the IHS, he began helping
his wife, Joan, with her business — Heritage Photo
and Research Services. One of the services they offer
is consulting with museums, libraries, and archives. In
2009, with the aid of a grant, TCHA hired him to help
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Twitter: TippecanoeHistory and
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Instagram: TippecanoeHistory
Winter 2016
TC
set up TCHA’s collection management software program and begin processing the backlog of accessions.
The grant money ran out after a year, but he was having so much fun that he continued working as a volunteer one day a week commuting from Indianapolis.
In 2012, TCHA found the funds to pay him to work
half-time with the title of Collections Curator. He
again left TCHA the end of 2015 to devote more time
to their business and the new Indiana Album project.
John is honored to be awarded this recognition
and humbled to be among the familiar names already
on this plaque. Thank you John for the many years
of blood, sweat, and tears you gave to TCHA and all
the small local historical museums in Indiana and
nationally.
T
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th
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he Tippecanoe County Historical Association
will be hosting the 4th Annual River City Grapes
& Hops Fest on Saturday, June 11, 2016. This event will
again be held on 5th Street, between Main and
Columbia Streets, in downtown Lafayette, from 6:00
to 10:00 pm.
Attendees will have the opportunity to sample
various wines and beers from local and regional vendors and purchase from these vendors, as well. In addition, the Knickerbocker Saloon will provide musical
entertainment throughout the evening. Food will be
available for purchase from Sovereign Catering.
Tickets are $25 per person. Tickets are available at
the Knickerbocker Saloon, from TCHA Board governors, Tippecanoe Battlefield Museum Store and online starting April 1st at www.tippecaneohistory.org.
Tickets also available at the gate. Must be 21 to attend.
A designated driver ticket will be available at the gate
for $5.
Tippecanoe County Historical Association
is a private not-for-profit organization whose
mission is to enrich the lives of Tippecanoe County
residents and visitors by collecting, preserving,
and interpreting our unique and exciting history.
1001 South Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
765-476-8441
www.tippecanoehistory.org
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TCHA Life & Times
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Tipmont reMc enviroWatts
Trust Grant lights up
the History store
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T
he History Store at the Tippecanoe
Battlefield has developed into the leading
regional educational resource devoted to
the study of early U.S. Republic, including Indiana,
military and Native history and culture, and has
been featured on national television. While the walls
have been painted and energy efficient windows
installed the space was still a bit dismal with the
early 1970s fluorescent lighting running only down
the middle of the space. Now with a grant from
Tipmont REMC EnviroWatts Trust, a donation
from Kirby Risk Lighting, and installation by Long
Electric it’s a much brighter and welcoming space.
History Store before new lighting
new additions to the
permanent collection
W
e are appreciative of a recent donation to
the TCHA permanent collection that includes six paper and cardboard games produced by the Warren Paper Products Co. of Lafayette.
Although TCHA’s collection includes Warren puzzles
and playsets, this is the first set of Warren games to be
donated. The company was founded in 1921 by Donald
M. Warren, who chose Lafayette as the site for his production company due to its proximity to both Chicago
and Indianapolis. Manufacturing was located in the
Thieme and Wagner Brewing
Co. building
History Store with new lighting being installed
(125 S. 5th Street) and consisted of paper boxes for
products like candy, jewelry and clothing. In 1938, the
company moved to a remodeled wagon wheel factory at the corner of South and Earl Streets, where it
remained until recently. In the early 1930s, the company began producing paperboard dollhouses, puzzles
and playsets often under the side-line of ‘Built Rite
Toys’. In the 1940s, the demand for metal shifted
to supporting the war effort and metal toys were
replaced with paper toys, thereby increasing
the popularity of Warren Paper’s products. In the 1960s and 70s, the company
began to focus on low-end promotional
games, like those in our recent donation.
In the 1980s, the Warren Co. was the
third largest producer of puzzles in the
nation, but a series of ownership changes
eventually led to the company leaving its
home in Lafayette. Today, the fragile nature
of these products means few have survived intact
and TCHA looks forward to preserving these locally
produced toys for future generations to appreciate.
Winter 2016
TCHA Life & Times
4
Mark your calendars:
Heritage Day: 200 Years of Work and Play in
Indiana – May 7th
TCHA and the Tippecanoe County Indiana
Bicentennial Committee invite the community to
help celebrate Indiana’s Bicentennial with a special event honoring 200 years of history in
Tippecanoe County. This family event will
bring together many community organizations for a fun day of activities and demonstrations highlighting our unique local history
and place in the Hoosier story. On May 7th,
2016, Heritage Day: 200 Years of Work and
Play in Indiana will take place at the Tippecanoe
Battlefield Park in Battle Ground, Indiana from 10:00
am to 5:00 pm.
The event will include historical activities and
demonstrations for children and their families, all provided by community organizations, that celebrate two
centuries of Hoosier work and play. Admission to the
event is free.
First Thursday Preservation Labs at the
Arganbright Center, 5:00 – 7:00 pm
Get help preserving your family’s historic
documents and artifacts. On the first Thursday
evening of every month, TCHA collection’s
staff will be on hand to show you how to care
for different items in your personal collection.
Cost is $10.00 per person, $5.00 for TCHA
members. Includes supplies. Monthly Schedule:
February 4: Document cleaning – removing
surface soil from paper.
March 3: Demonstration on using a humidification chamber to relax rolled documents and
photographs, instructions for building your own
chamber. Assistance in Document cleaning
continues.
april 7: Paper repair – mending minor tears
and damage to documents.
May 5: Document encapsulation – enclosing documents in clear mylar.
June 2: Open Lab – bring in material that covers any
of the previous months’ topics.
Stay tuned for more!
Winter 2016
Making Family Time Capsules at the Arganbright Center, February 20, 2016, 2:00 pm
Hear the history of creating time capsules then
work together with your
family to select items,
photographs and more
to enclose in your own
family time capsule.
Select a date for it to be
opened, and decorate the
container. Containers
and craft supplies will be
provided; families should
come prepared with their
own items to add to the
capsules. Cost is $5.00
per family.
Lafayette and the Farewell Tour: Odyssey of
an American Idol at the Arganbright Center,
March 9, 2016, 6:00 pm
General Lafayette, born the Marquis de Lafayette
in Auvergne, France, was truly an American Idol in the
19th century. The proof is that 80 counties, cities and
towns were named after him as well as streets and
roads everywhere. In this program, Alen Hoffman,
translator of Lafayette in America in 1824 and 1825, a
first-hand account of Lafayette’s Farewell Tour of
America, will describe the full extent of his reputation
and explore its origins. Without the Farewell Tour, this
city might be known as “Digbyville” today. Copies of
the book will be available for purchase.
Free Admission.
Collector’s Show & Tell Quarterly at the
Arganbright Center, March 15, 2016, 12:00 pm
TCHA members can join us to show their favorite
collectibles. Bring an item to share with the group or
just come to listen & learn about the interesting items
cherished by local collectors. Cost is free! Future meeting dates: June 14, September 20, and December 20.
New Members since the
last newsletter:
Milton & Marilyn Dehne
Norris Darrall
James and Karen Mullen
Todd White
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TCHA Life & Times
5
Winter 2016
sewing circle to Meet
at prophetstown
J
Don’t Forget Winter is
coming This summer!
oin a group for sewing Feast clothes. All levels of
experience welcome. Learn appropriate material and
updates on current knowledge of clothing. Make patterns specifically to fit you. RSVP by the Friday before
each class to [email protected] or 765-4768411 ext. 4. The Feast Sewing Circle will meet at the
Farm at Prophetstown Gibson Farmhouse, 10:00 am –
1:00 pm according to this schedule:
February 6: Chemises for Children and Adults
February 20: Skirts
March 5: Bed Jackets and Men’s Shirts
March 19: Corsets I
March 26: Corsets II and Men’s Pants
i
n celebration of Indiana’s bicentennial, the Tippecanoe County Historical Association, in partnership
with Purdue University Galleries, will present to the
community the exhibit George Winter: Reflections on the
Native Peoples of Early Indiana. This exhibit will showcase works from the Historical Association’s permanent collection by Indiana artist George Winter. This is
designated an Indiana Bicentennial Legacy Project and
promoted by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission
and Tippecanoe County Bicentennial Committee. This
exhibit and the lectures and workshops associated with
it will be at Purdue University’s Fountain Gallery, 330
Main Street, Lafayette, IN. It will open to the public
Tuesday, June 21st and close August 13th. The gallery
is open daily noon to 7 pm except Sundays and Mondays. A members only opening is scheduled for the
evening of June 21st , there will be light refreshments
and entertainment. Invitations will be mailed in May.
TcHa 2016 Board of Governors
plan ahead for the Feast
of the Hunters’ Moon
2016 – October 1 & 2
2017 – September 30 & October 1
(The 50th Anniversary of the Feast)
2018 – October 6 & 7
Terry Edgell, President
[email protected]
Dr. Diane (Di) Begley
[email protected]
Walt Griffin
[email protected]
Quinten Robinson
[email protected]
Shane Weist, Secretary
[email protected]
Kevin Cullen
[email protected]
David Hovde
[email protected]
Jeff Schwab
[email protected]
Colby Bartlett, Vice President
[email protected]
John F. Thieme, Treasurer
[email protected]
Del Bartlett
[email protected]
Robert (Pete) Bill
[email protected]
Craig Graham
GIARC@underwood
agency.com
Amy Harbor
[email protected]
Matt Jonkman
[email protected]
Carolyn O’Connell
[email protected]
Benjamin Ross
[email protected]
Preston Smith
[email protected]
Todd White
[email protected]
1001 South Street
Lafayette, IN 47901
765.476.8411
www.tippecanoehistory.org
Return Service Requested
Nonprofit Org
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Permit 82
Lafayette IN
ancient Greek tragedian
Aeschylus,
teaches many lessons.
Time as he grows old