Oppenheim Exhibit at Center for History

By Mary Chrastil, President
August 2011

 A major exhibition on the Oppenheim family and store opened at the Center for History on August 12 as part of the Center’s Fun Fest offerings.  The Oppenheim Legacy:  A Perfect Fit for North Manchester for 125 Years is based on over 600 artifacts and photographs provided in 2010 by Rick Eisenstein, nephew of Phil and Pat Oppenheim, the last owners of the Oppenheim Department Store in North Manchester.  When the store closed in 2000, it was the oldest family-owned department store in Indiana.  For the exhibit, additional items were added from the North Manchester Historical Society collection.   

 Mounting this exhibit was a growth experience for the Center for History staff and other volunteers.  We tried to do more than just put stuff on display, but instead to tell the story of this influential family and their long time involvement in the community.  Scores of photographs were mounted and hung; hundreds of labels were researched, prepared and placed.  “Infrastructure” items like display cubicles and screens were built.  Three-dimensional items were cleaned and attractively arranged, and over two dozen narratives were researched and written.  The following narrative gives a sampling of the variety and amount of work that went into this exhibit.   

One section of the exhibit presents the Oppenheim Store and its employees, including photographs of the various times the store was remodeled over its lifetime.  This part also includes photos of a 1905 baby contest, and ladies lined up around the block waiting to purchase nylon stockings after World War II shortages ended.  Biographies of the owners Jacob, Ben, Isaac, Jean, Phil and Pat Oppenheim are incorporated, as well as artifacts from the store when it closed. 

 Another section displays family artifacts and photographs, including children’s furniture, clothing and toys, dining room settings and linens, travel trunks and clothing, family entertainment, and family community service, including military service.  On view are items from Phil’s run for Congress in 1978 (including radio campaign jingles you can play!) and photographs of the various homes where the family lived in North Manchester, courtesy of Dave Randall and Werking Studios and Kyle and Stacy Trick.

 Throughout the exhibit are narratives about the family and their interests and community involvement, as well as reminiscences about working and shopping at Oppenheims. 

 A grant from the Community Foundation of Wabash County enabled us to build large display cubicles that created “rooms” within the larger exhibit space.  The cubicles can be moved and used for future exhibits, for example building a display “room” within one of the larger Center for History exhibition areas.  Jim Garman, Owen Sommers, and Richard and Althea Miller designed, built and painted the cubicles.  Assistance from Terri Michaelis and the Eel River Watershed Project helped us produce the oversize photo prints that add so much to the exhibit.  Carole Miller-Patrick helped pick the items to be displayed, and plan and construct the display areas. 

 The photography exhibit previously in the display area was moved and remounted by Chaz Bellman, Alex Day, Dalton Day, Hannah Thomas and Sabine Thomas.  Hannah and Sabine also painted display walls and researched and produced exhibit labels.  Alex, Dalton and Levi Richardson helped move artifacts from the collection area to the exhibit area   Jeri Kornegay helped us name the exhibit, and Beth Anderson helped prepare displays and, with Owen Sommers, design and build mannequins to display clothing.  Steve Lambert assembled the pedal car used by Phil Oppenheim as a child; it’s something special, and is currently displayed in our front windows.

 Also making contributions were James R.C. Adams, Steve Batzka, John Knarr and Allan White.  Mary Chrastil headed the project.  Mary, Joyce Joy and Nancy Reed were involved in every aspect of mounting the exhibit and were the key authors of its success.

 The Oppenheim Exhibit will be on display through 2012.  After that, a major portion of it will become part of the Center for History’s permanent displays. 

Tenth Anniversary and Mortgage Burning

 On March 26, the North Manchester Historical Society celebrated two happy events.  First, we celebrated our ten-year anniversary at the former Oppenheim Department Store building.  The Oppenheim store closed in October, 2000.  The building was purchased by the Historical Society in December, 2000.  The Society had been exploring various options for relocating its collection from the Town Life Center (former Thomas Marshall School) when the building became available.  The collection was moved to this site in the spring of 2001.

 The new location was of great benefit to the Society and to the community.  Rather than having three empty store fronts downtown, interesting and attractive window displays appear three or four times an year.  The community has used the building for receptions, reunions, and special events, and the Historical Society happily participates in community events such as Fun Fest, Harvest Festival, and the Bunny Hop. 

 It was a leap of faith to purchase the structure.  Many wondered if the building was too large, thinking that we would never fill it.  At that time, the Historical Society had approximately 2,200 items in its collection.  Today, the collection boasts of over 23,000 items!  During Fun Fest this summer, we were hard pressed to find space for our special exhibits, traveling exhibit, movie screening, entertainers and bake sale on the main floor.  Collection storage and administrative space take up the upstairs, and we are starting to explore the lower level for additional gallery space.  We have had no problems filling the building!  And we are very pleased that the community trusts us to conserve, interpret and exhibit their treasures from the past.  Special thank you to the Harold and Eleanor Miller family for their donation of 1,200 farm-related artifacts in 2009, and the family of Phil and Pat Oppenheim for the donation of over 600 artifacts from the family and store in 2010.

 The second thing we celebrated was burning our mortgage on the Oppenheim Building.  Our final mortgage payment was made in January, 2011.  President Mary Chrastil noted that she had often heard of mortgage burnings, but had not experienced such a ceremony personally.  She then lit up a copy of the paid up mortgage for all to enjoy.  The NM Historical Society now owns the building free and clear, in only ten years and one month.  Thank you to all who have contributed to our efforts, with a special thank you to the Paul Speicher Foundation.

 Opera Curtain to Be Restored

 The North Manchester Historical Society is very pleased to announce that we have received a grant of $2,000 from the Community Foundation of Wabash County to help with the restoration of a rare Painted Theatrical Backdrop in our collection.  We commonly refer to such backdrops as opera curtains. 

 The curtain was donated by J. P. Freeman.  We contacted the Indiana Historical Society for information, and they referred us to textile conservator Jennifer Hein to get an estimate for the restoration.  She told us something very interesting.  Painted theatrical backdrops are very rare!  Because they are painted on fabric and because they were often folded up or rolled up, they were prone to cracking, rot, mildew and mold.  She told us she knew of only one other organization in Indiana that had a backdrop; we have since learned of two others.  Based on photographs, she thought ours was an excellent example based on the quality of its artwork and the brightness of its colors.

 The grant will cover a portion of the $6,500 cost to stabilize and restore the backdrop.  We have also received a private donation of $1,000 toward the project.  We hope to bring Jennifer Hein to North Manchester this fall to begin the project.

 Since we have this unexpected treasure in our museum, we decided to make it the centerpiece of our programming for the coming months.  Ms. Hein has agreed to allow the general public and high school and college art and history students to observe her work on a limited basis.  Watch for announcements on when the observations are scheduled.

Next spring, when the opera curtain restoration is completed, we plan on a series of programs centered around it.  Sample programs may include performances by historical interpreters and opera students, lectures on the businesses listed on the opera curtain, and lectures on the North Manchester Opera House and performances held there, and a lecture on the Chautauqua Movement in the 19th and 20th century. 

 By the way, as rare as the opera curtain is, we have the good fortune to have TWO of them in our collection!  You have no doubt seen the one on display, which could use some conservation work, but which is in good condition overall.  Charles Boebel wrote an informative article on this curtain published in local newspapers last fall.  Who knew that the opera curtains were so rare, and who would have believed that we have not one, but two, of them!

 Traveling Exhibits

 The Center for History is taking advantage of a wonderful program offered by the Indiana Historical Society.  The IHS gives not-for-profits the opportunity to display exhibits on topics of interest in Indiana History.  Their list of exhibits includes over 20 different choices.  Three exhibits can be displayed every year for free, and the Center for History is scheduling the maximum.  The exhibits can be booked for approximately one month.

 Our first exhibit was displayed in March, and featured The Care and Identification of Family Photographs.  Because the exhibit was a two-dimensional display, we decided to enhance it with items we have in our own collection.  We found 160 photographs, cameras, stereopticons, and other items!  We have tintypes, daguerreotypes, and a rare ambrotype.  We didn’t know what cartes de visite and cabinet cards were until we hosted the exhibit; but we found we had some in our collection!  In fact, we had an example of every item mentioned in the exhibit.  The exhibit that we added worked so well that we decided to keep it on display.  You can see The Care and Identification of Family Photographs at the Center for History through the end of the year.

 We just finished our second traveling exhibit of the year, Indiana Through the Map-Maker’s Eyes.  To enhance the 20-panel display, we exhibited maps and globes from the NM Historical Society collection.  Although the traveling exhibit is gone, the maps and globes are on display in our front windows through October.  They include some interesting Sanborn maps of North Manchester, originally made for insurance purposes but now a treasure trove of information for historical research.

 This year’s final traveling exhibit will be on display from October 17 through November 18, and will feature the World War II photographs of Indianapolis resident John Bushemi.  Our windows will display a salute to local veterans.

 The Center for History has brought IHS traveling exhibits to the community before.  Some years ago we hosted exhibits on Post Office Murals and on The Auto in Indiana. 

 We would like the community to recognize the Center for History as the place where these excellent exhibits are available to them on a regular basis.  You don’t have to travel to Indianapolis to see them.  Expect more traveling exhibits next year.

 Thomas Marshall House News

 This spring, the North Manchester Rotary decided to paint the Thomas Marshall House as its community project.  It had not been painted in several years, and chipping and flaking were becoming more and more apparent.

 Rotary members and a group of Historical Society representatives met and decided that the logistics of using all-volunteer painters was just too complicated, as it would involve constructing scaffolding and taking it up and down over a period of several weeks while volunteers painted.  The most cost effective and simple way to proceed was to do some volunteer work on the house, but hire a professional painter to do the painting.  The total cost was a bit over what the Rotary had budgeted, but the job was accomplished with contributions from the Historical Society, a little extra from Rotary, and a great price from the painter, Historical Society Member Jim Mishler.  It looks great!

 Some of the work was done by volunteers.  Rotary arranged to have the house power washed.  North Manchester Historical Society member Steven Batzka was in charge of scraping and painting the shutters, which are too delicate to withstand a power wash.  Deb and Brad Bauneller from Rotary (and also Historical Society Members) put the shutters back up.  We’re all set for many more years.

 Another Thomas Marshall House project will be taking shape this fall.  America in Bloom plans to plant a garden of old-fashioned plants around the house, such as day lilies, peonies, and hydrangeas.  An herb garden is also being considered.  Watch for fall plantings and spring blossoms next April.

 Thank you to Rotary and America in Bloom for adopting the Thomas Marshall House and improving the property.  The Historical Society plans to open the house with regular visiting hours in spring, 2012.  Our main concerns now are additional furnishings, creating a small exhibit on Thomas Marshall for the house, and securing docents who can provide tours and information during open hours.  Your help with any of these areas would be welcome!  Call Nancy at 982-0672.

Spruce Up, Clean Up

By Nancy Reed, Director
August 2011

 The opening on March 19, 2011, was preceded and followed by many volunteer hours of cleaning, painting, carpenter work to get new areas ready, moving of showcases and just good old elbow grease.  A group of Manchester College students helped us to remove wallpaper and paint the north room.  They also assisted in removing the displays in the front windows and removing the tape adhered to those windows.

Mary and Joyce carried most of the load on organizing and supervising this one and several that followed.  I was in and out of the hospital with tests and broken wrists (one in November and one in May).  [Just so you’ll know, I’m all well again and back to work.]

Next came a town-wide clean up day when many of the churches volunteer during Sunday morning services to go about town cleaning up.  In our case, a group from the First Brethren Church picked us to help and we divided them among our 3 floors and got a lot done to organize and clean things out.  Some washed our display windows, inside and out.  Some helped us clean out the garage, and there was much carrying of heavy items to the basement.  Another group swept cobwebs, replaced light bulbs and handled the dirty work of sprucing up the basement storage area.  A couple of brave ladies attacked the archival storage shelves on the second floor with dusters and a shop vac.  We didn’t get everything done (as we hoped might be accomplished), but enough that we felt it was a grand success.  It might be compared to the olden days when your aunts, uncles, and grandparents did spring and fall house cleaning.  Do any of you still do this?  As for the rest of it, it will have to wait for another day.  Any volunteers?

Activities continue and we’re busy planning so much for the rest of the year and for 2012.  You would be amazed at what our small staff accomplishes.  Stop by to see for yourself.  [And bring some friends or family with you!]

  Big Bake Sale

 2011 was our third year for holding a bake sale as a fund-raiser for the North Manchester Center for History.  With so much to do in preparing the Oppenheim exhibits, we found just the team of volunteers to take over the organizational part of putting on a bake sale.  Judy Glasgow, Nancy Schuler, Carolyn Reed, Loree Pritchard, Jeanette Lahman, and Bonnie Merritt capably did the phone calling for baked items,  getting workers for the sale, and working at the sale itself.

As for the baked items, and I say this every year, they were better than ever!  Seriously, the talent for baking has not been lost over the years.  The pies were numerous and scrumptious.  The cookies, fudge and brownies were hits with the children.  Lots of people purchased the snack mixes in individual baggies as they walked by our outdoor table during the Friday night “Cruise-In”.  Breads, yeast rolls, Danish pastry, muffins and cakes were grabbed up in no time at all. 

We started out overflowing three long tables and the top of a long showcase with baked items.  By the end of day one, we were down to two tables and by closing time on Saturday, everything was sold.  Total profit for the Center for History was nearly $725.   All of it will go into our annual fund budget to offset costs of running the Center for History. 

            Thank you workers:  Bea Knarr, Mary Miller, Phyllis Pettit, B.J. Grube, JoAnn Schall, Sally Welborn, Betty Hamlin, Peggy Gilbert, Cass Amiss, Loree Pritchard, Julia Hoover, Arlene Deardorf, Karen Hewitt.  Thank you bake sale committee, thank you Barb Amiss, Nancy Tiger and Nancy Schuler for putting in extra hours, and thank you Fun Fest attendees for buying from us.  We’ll be back next year.

 “See Yourself in the Movies” Project

             Many of you have seen the 1938 Tri-Kappa movie “See Yourself in the Movies”.  In case you haven’t heard of it, it was film shot by a professional photographer in 1938.  The Tri-Kappa group in cooperation with the Business and Professional Women, arranged for movies to be shot on specific days in North Manchester.  It was advertised in the local newspaper and the community was urged to turn out and be ready for the photographer to come to their workplace, church, school or business locations. 

A few years ago, Jim Adams and Charles Boebel did a voice-over to the originally silent film, by identifying as many of the people as they could.  The Historical Society is now undertaking a project to identify even more people in the film and then Jim and Charles will revise the script and add many more individuals. 

We held the first of those screenings at the Center during Fun Fest and many turned out to watch the movie and help us with identification.  A hundred or more names have already been added.

            We plan to meet at Peabody and Timbercrest and with other individuals so some long-time North Manchester residents can help us identify even more folks.  If you believe that you could help us, or if you’ve seen the film and recognized anyone, won’t you please call the Center for History at 982-0672 or Nancy Reed at 982-2858 and we will be grateful for your input.

            The revised 1938 movie will be sold on DVD, but probably not until next year.  Meanwhile, if you haven’t seen the movie, but would like to, copies are available for $15.00 by contacting the Center for History.  Group showings might be scheduled if you call to arrange it.  Do so quickly, because our deadline to cut off the identification process is November 1.

 A VERY SPECIAL THANK YOU to Owen Sommers who volunteers his extremely gifted talent of carpentry for so many numerous projects for the North Manchester Center for History.  He always comes when we need him.  He always has a solution to our dilemmas.  He frequently saves us money by making it work with what we have.  He is dedicated and gets the tasks done immediately.  He wants to help others in his retirement years and he is always happy and gracious. We couldn’t do the projects without you, Owen.  Thanks! 

 YOU CAN HELP.  HERE ARE SOME OF OUR NEEDS.

 Someone to clean and wax our tile floors with a professional machine.  This is heavy duty work.  We will supply the products if you will supply the manpower.

Used overhead cabinets (3 or 4) for our small kitchenette.

Volunteer docents for one Wednesday or Saturday each month, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for the Center for History.  We will teach you what you need to know.  If we had more docents, we could open more days and hours.  We like for docents to work in pairs, so bring a friend or we will match you up with another volunteer.

Volunteer docents and interpreters for the Thomas Marshall house.  We will need to teach you about the Marshalls and the times around 1850.  You will need to be available at least once a month to give guided tours and tell the stories of Thomas Marshall and North Manchester. 

Add your name to a list of people we might call to help us:  painters, carpenters, those willing to move heavy objects, cleaners, decorators for window and museum displays. We also need someone with excellent computer skills to assist with accessioning artifacts, keeping track of income and expense items on spreadsheets, working with a membership data base, fundraising mailings, and much more.  Just call the Center for History to have your name added to our list.  This is part-time, irregular work at your convenience.

Volunteer to set up a facebook page for us and maintain it.

We are searching for anyone interested in serving on a committee regarding historic house signs.  The current signs are in disrepair and we want to update and replace them.  Many more homes deserve to receive a sign and this will need to be researched.  Also, the covenants for receiving and keeping a history house sign need to be revised.  To volunteer, call the Center.       

To volunteer call the Center for History at 260-982-0672 or Nancy Reed at 260-982-2858.

 North Manchester Historical Society to Participate in Pilot Program

 The staff and board of directors will be participating in a piloting assessment for the Indiana Historical Society this fall.  We were one of a few museums to be matched up with one other similar museum around the state to assess one another.  North Manchester has been matched with the Madison County Museum at Anderson, IN.  They will be critiquing and learning from us and vice versa.  If all goes well, this is a project that will be offered around the state.  We feel lucky to have been selected.

 News Notes  

 December – See our special Christmas windows, always grand and colorful.  We hope to do a display of dolls from various eras.  If you have a collection that you would be willing to loan, please contact Nancy Reed at 982-2858 or the Center at 982-0672.

 Tours – we have group tours being booked throughout the year.  Would your church group, graduating class, social club, family reunion, anniversary party, or friends and relatives like to see and hear about our exhibits?  Ask us about our special rates for group parties.  Then call to book a tour with us.  We’ll be glad to tailor your tour for whatever your time limit allows.  It takes a minimum of one-half hour to see everything—fast.  An hour is better and 1-1/2 hours will be filled with historic facts and stories that we’re certain you will enjoy.  Touring the Center for History is a very nostalgic trip.  Another part of your tour can be to visit the second floor to see how we archive and store our over 23,000 items and know where they are when we need to retrieve them.

 At the request of Manchester College we have added their African Art collection to our storage area.  We anticipate getting a grant that will help us restore and stabilize this collection and hope to build a special humidity controlled area in our basement to display these valuable items.  We expect the process to take more than a year to complete, so stand by for more details of our progress.

 Watch for the release of a new hand-made, DeWitt model car.  It is made of wood, is very durable and just right for giving to a child.  They may be available for Christmas.

 New projects pop up daily.  We never know what opportunity is going to present itself, but we look forward to them.  They make our museum ever-changing and always interesting.

CENTER FOR HISTORY CELEBRATING 10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

This month (March 2011) the North Manchester Center for History will be celebrating its 10th year in the former Oppenheim building. We are proud to announce that during this 10-year period our collection has increased from 2,200 items to nearly 23,000 documents, artifacts and local historical treasures. This article highlights the humble beginnings of the collection and some of the people that made it possible.

As early as the late 1960s, articles of historic worth were stored on the third floor of the city hall building. Though not organized in a formal display, these items were available for public viewing on a limited basis. At some point the items needed to be moved and were stored above the Wible Shoe Store (Burge Building) on Main Street, site of the current AT&T wireless store. By 1972, the North Manchester Historical Society organized under the able leadership of Max and Sally Allen. Items of historical interest continued to be collected by this group and by the sesquicentennial year collections were very active and publicly solicited. In 1984, with the growing number of items, an organized method of logging accessions was adopted. In 1990, two former classrooms in the Town Life Center (formerly Thomas Marshall School) were rented by the Historical Society to once again display and store the artifacts. Max and Grace Kester supervised the creation of attractive educational displays. Rosemary Manifold and Catherin Smith were in charge of accessions for many years, and the collection continued to grow with the addition of donations from the general public. This are of the Town Life Center was given the name, North Manchester Historical Society Museum. Phil Orpurt became quite active as curator of this museum and spent many long hours collecting, recording, displaying an preserving items for future generations to enjoy.

With a need to vacate to Town Life Center classrooms and the growing pains of available space, an advisory committee of the historical society was formed consisting of David Grandstaff, Emerson Niswander, Jim Adams, Steve Batzka, Shirley Mishler, Dick Miller, Mary Chrastil, Steve Hammer, Ferne Baldwin and Ralph Naragon. This committee focused on finding a new home for the museum. While their meetings and fact-finding progressed, the Oppenheim Store came up for sale. The Oppenheim Store, a staple in North Manchester for 125 years, began in 1875 with Jacob Oppenheim opening the Oppenheim New York Cheap Store.

In 2000, negotiations began and progressed to the purchase of the site in December 2000; the collection was moved in 2001. Emerson Niswander helped secure Oppenheim store artifacts for the collection during the auction when the store was liquidated. Countless volunteer hours and hired contractors began to prepare the Oppenheim building for housing the 2200 items that had been collected. A specially chosen Museum Committee consisting of former advisory committee members, Mary Chrastil, Steve Hammer, David Grandstaff, Ralph Naragon, and with the addition of Arthur Gilbert, Phil Orpurt, Bonnie Ingraham, Tim Taylor and Robin Lahman began to steer the museum into the 21st century.

Jeanne Andersen served as Director as collection information was transferred to professional museum software and labeled using standard museum techniques. Key volunteers were Bernice Ford, Eunice Butterbaugh, Joyce Joy, Debbie Chinworth, Carolyn Leffel, Ann Curtis, Evelyn Niswander and Ferne Baldwin. Window displays were established, several special temporary exhibits were presented, and planning was done for permanent exhibits. Under the leadership of Bill Eberly, in 2007 the Center for History established regular hours when the public could view exhibits. At that time, Nancy Reed became Director. The full circle had been made, as Nancy had been instrumental in storing and exhibiting the small collection housed in the City Hall building so many years before.

Several "mini" collections have been key additions to the overall collection. Ferne Baldwin and Bill Eberly were influential in obtaining items that had been stored at Manchester College or were in the College Museum. The Harold and Eleanor Miller family donated over 1,200 farm related artifacts collected over four generations. And the family of Pat and Phil Oppenheim recently donated over 600 items from that family.

Today, in 2011 we celebrate the goal of paying off the mortgage on the museum. On March 26, the Historical Society will host a reception, behind-the-scenes tours of our building and extensive collection, and a mortgage burning. The Board of Directors of the North Manchester Historical Society feel the museum is an attractive new asset for Main Street and an important step for the society and the town of North Manchester. We are pleased that the community trusts that the Historical Society will take good care of its memories and artifacts, as demonstrated in the rapid growth of our collection.

To donate items for consideration, contact Joyce Joy, curator, at 982-0672. You can also visit us at 120 E. Main St., North Manchester; or at www.nmanchesterhistory.org.

Submitted by Mary Chrastil, President (2011), North Manchester Historical Society.
Source: The Paper, March 9, 2011

North Manchester Historical Society
By William R. Eberly, January 28, 2010
 
The North Manchester Historical Society began in 1972 with twelve members.  In just two years the membership had grown to a hundred and twenty-five.  The first major project was to have a rededication of the covered bridge in North Manchester, which was built in 1872. This is one of the most northerly covered bridges in Indiana left in its original location that is still usable.  .
 
The Society began publishing a quarterly Newsletter in 1984, which continues to this day.  Each issue is sixteen pages and is usually illustrated with pertinent photographs.  The latest issue is dated November 2009 and represents Volume XXVI Number 4.  That’s more than 1600 pages of mostly original articles and notes. 
 
Thomas R. Marshall, Governor of Indiana 1909-1913 and Vice-President of the United States under Wilson 1913-1921, was born in North Manchester in 1854.  The house still survives even though Marshall does not!  The house was moved three times.  About 1992 the last private owners decided to either sell or raze the house.  The Historical Society bought it and moved it in 1994 to a fourth location on town property adjacent to the Public Library.  Efforts were made to restore the house to its original 1850 condition and to locate some furnishings of the 1850s.  It was dedicated August 12, 2005.  A historical marker from the Indiana Historical Bureau was installed and dedicated August 10, 2007.
 
In 1909 a small factory along the railroad at the west end of town began manufacturing an automobile, the DeWitt.  It was a high-wheel buggy type of car.  Various labor problems and a major fire closed the factory in 1910.  It was never rebuilt.  Two young men in North Manchester built a replica of the DeWitt that would actually run on the open road. Their car was presented to the Historical Society in 1973.  These same two men produced about fifteen additional replicas, many of which were sold to theme parks, theater groups, etc.  A few models were battery-powered for use indoors.  There is only one original, unrestored DeWitt in the world, and we hope to have it on display at our museum, some time.  We want to promote the DeWitt as one of the key icons of North Manchester.
 
The Society began collecting artifacts relating to North Manchester and early pioneer life in the area.  We had never had a very good location to display this collection.  Finally, in 2001, we bought the old Oppenheim store building on Main Street to develop as a museum.  This was one of the best known stores in Northern Indiana for a century or more.  There is a display area on the first floor of ca. 11,000 sq. ft., plus additional space on the top floor and basement of 18,000 sq. ft. 
 
When we moved into the “new” old building, we had about 2,000 catalogued artifacts.  Much work on the infrastructure of the building was needed.  Implementing a system for accessioning and storing artifacts delayed the development of the public viewing space on the main floor.  After we had a grand opening of the museum display hall in 2007, we began to receive many more items.  Just recently our Office Manager said we now have nearly 20,000 accessioned items.   We have many items yet to be processed. 
 
We are now in the process of setting up a web site for the Historical Society.  It can be accessed through www.nmanchesterhistory.org .   We publish a short historical essay every month or so in the local News Journal.  About fifteen such articles have appeared so far.
 
From the beginning the Historical Society had monthly dinner meetings followed by a program.   After a number of years interest and attendance dropped to a few dozen or so. For the past two years, there has been a significant increase in numbers attending our programs.  We are averaging now about 80-100 at our programs; once we had about 220 and another time 140 in attendance.  Many people come to hear the program who do not share in the dinner. 
 
The museum is closed for about three months during the winter, though when there are requests we gladly open it to special groups and other visitors.  At the official reopening, usually in March, we have been having a special program event for children.  It was called a Bunny Hop or Hop Into Spring.  Co-sponsored with the Tourism Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, there are live animals present for the children to pet (chickens, ducks, rabbits, lambs), art contests with prizes, a photographer to take pictures of the children with a giant bunny rabbit (in costume), planting seeds to take home, etc. 
 
We are fortunate in having the elementary school (representing two townships) close, even within walking distance.  We have scheduled several kinds of events and activities with the children.  This year the fourth grade students came by classes (there were five classes of 4th graders) and were given special tours of the museum.  Docents led small groups (6-7 students) through the exhibits. 
 
Also this year, in cooperation with a planning committee of teachers, we provided a series of interactive work stations (about 15 or so stations) for the third grade students.  These centers featured historical and practical activities, such as paper modeling (origami), how to set a table, how to sew on a button, how to pound nails and drill holes (carpentering), playing marbles and jacks, etc.  Each student worked out a ticket to get involved in five activities, so at any one time there were only two to five or six at one place.  They would spend about five to ten minutes at a station.  Surprisingly, this event was a great success with these third graders.  Though they did not come to see the museum exhibits, they did look around.  More importantly, they did have a real good time “at the museum” and enthusiastically expressed interest in returning.  We also hosted the second graders to some special activities in the museum.  Often the children return with their parents to see the museum.
 
In 2007, fourth grade students around the state were challenged to study a significant building in their community and construct a model of that building, which would then be entered into competition with other student projects.  One of our local fourth grade teachers picked up on that idea.  His class studied the history of the Thomas Marshall birth house, already mentioned above.  Various members of the Historical Society assisted them in that study.  The class then picked a committee of five students who constructed an actual model of the Marshall house.  In the state competition at Indianapolis, their exhibit placed third.  They gave their exhibit to the Museum (where it is now on display) and also donated their prize money to the support of the Museum.
 
In 1938, the Tri-Kappa Sorority sponsored a film production titled “See Yourself in the Movies”.  It was taken at various places about town, showing many people, businesses and random footage during special town events.  Several Society members are planning to repeat this kind of filming now about 70 years later.  Both of the two films will then be recorded on a DVD for sale by the Society.
 
An affiliate of the Historical Society, the Manchester Historic Homes Preservation Group, has purchased several significant historic houses that were in danger of destruction and has restored them with the help of Historic Landmarks.  They are now proposing to work on a third building in North Manchester downtown, the very visible Cigar Factory.
 
The Manchester College Art Department has agreed to provide an intern who will spend about 15 hours a week assisting in a variety of tasks at the museum.   These students will be taking a course in museum management of which the internship is a vital part.  The student will be exposed to all facets of museum work.   The work is monitored by the Art  Professor and the student is supervised directly by the staff at the museum.  We had one intern in the fall semester of 2008 and another in the spring of 2009.   They made valuable contributions to our museum program.
 
We are also cooperating with another program at Manchester College.  A biology professor has received a large grant ($1,000,000) to study erosion and pollution of the Eel River as it flows through and near North Manchester.  Our part is to serve as an educational center for various aspects of the study.  The first part of the museum display will be a 3-dimensional model of the entire Eel River Valley.  In real life, the Eel River is about 100 miles long and drains about 815 sq. mi.  The model is 8 feet long and the carving of the valley is taken directly from USGS topo-graphic maps.  This project is being carried out by the Art Professor mentioned in the above paragraph.  A wheeled cabinet or base for this display was delivered on December 23, 2009.
 
We have been assisted by a number of local merchants and businesses.  One special gift should be noted.  The local bindery and book conservator (originally the Heckman Bindery and now owned by the HFGroup) set aside $5,000 for our use of their services over a five year period.  We now have an extremely rare map of Wabash County being restored by their experts.
 
We cooperate with a number of civic and service organizations in town.  We are especially close to the Chamber of Commerce.  Each year the Chamber sponsors a great festival, called the FunFest.  This year the theme was “Under the Big Top”.  We invited Mr. Tom Dunwoody, the Executive Director of the International Circus Hall of Fame at Peru, Indiana, to speak before our regular meeting on July 13, 2009.  Our display windows at the Museum were filled with Circus models and memorabilia.  We had a Big Bake Sale.  We had two DeWitt replicas on display, one a two-seater, four passenger electric model.  And, of course, we had the museum open during the entire festival. 
 
A local committee (including some Historical Society members) helped prepare North Manchester for participation in the America in Bloom competition in 2008.  We were entered in the 5,000 to 10,000 population category.  North Manchester was awarded first place (in the nation, among those towns that entered the competition).  We were awarded a plaque and trophy for this honor. 
 
North Manchester received a “Special Recognition” for its Historic Preservation. Out of a total of 125 points in this section, we received a score of 115.  To quote the local News Journal, the Judge said “that the heritage of North Manchester is one of its strongest areas.  She applauded the hard work of the Historical Society in the creation of its museum.  She commented on the well-maintained collection of historical archives and beautifully constructed displays in the museum.  She also extolled the efforts of the ongoing Thomas Marshall Birthplace Home project, citing it as an ‘important piece of history worthy of its ongoing preservation efforts’. 
“National AIB spokesperson Laura Kunkle explained further why Manchester was given special recognition for its Historical preservation:  “Few towns of this size can boast a 29,000 sq. ft. museum with more than 16,000 artifacts.  The Historical Society uses state-of-the-art techniques to document and preserve this town’s rich heritage.  Displays and vignettes have been created by volunteers and feature excellent interpretation.” 
 
We were more than pleased by these glowing commendations from a national organization.
 
Most recently, in fact the first of October, the Indiana Historical Society announced that they had selected the North Manchester Historical Society to receive the 2009 Outstanding Historical Organization Award.  This award is made annually to a local or county historical society, organization, or site in Indiana which has demonstrated remarkable public services and programs to its community.  The award was presented at the Founders Day Dinner at Indianapolis on Monday, December 7, 2009.  This is quite an honor for our Society and our Town.
 
On January 28, 2010, the North Manchester Chamber of Commerce honored us with the 2009 Community Spirit Award.  It was given based on “your innovation, your commitment, and your contributions, which have greatly impacted the character of our community.”  Again, this recognition from our own community is much appreciated.
 
As mentioned before, all of our work is done by unpaid volunteers except for the recent addition of a worker supported by the National Able Network SCSEP program.  Two of our volunteer workers must be named.  Nancy Reed serves as the Director of the Museum and is in charge of the exhibits and program. She spends countless hours each week in this role.  Joyce Joy is the Office Manager and takes care of receiving, cleaning, accessioning and storing all artifacts as they come to the Museum.  In addition, there are several dozen volunteers who help in a multitude of ways.  Some help in the office, some serve as docents during the open hours, some do carpentry and other physical tasks. 
 
A museum committee was established in 2001 to plan for the development of the Center for History.  The committee included Mary Chrastil, chair; Art Gilbert; David Grandstaff; Steven Hammer;  Bonnie Ingraham;  Ralph Naragon;  Phil Orpurt;  Tim Taylor;  David Tranter;  and Robin Lahman.  Jeanne Andersen was employed as project manager, later Director of the Center.  She served in this capacity until 2007.  The Board also employed Bill Firstenberger of Winona Lake, Indiana, a professional museum planner, as a consultant.  Prior to the move to the Oppenheim building, Phil Orpurt had served as curator of the collection for a number of years.
 
From the beginning, the following have served as president of the Historical Society:  Max and Sally Allen;  Al and Ruth Anne Schlitt;  Steve Batzka;  Robert Nelson;  Gene Graham;  Duane Martin;  Keith Ross;  Ramona Miller;  Max Kester;  Nancy Reed;  Ferne Baldwin; and Bill Eberly.
 
We have a Board of twelve elected members plus three ad hoc members.  The present Board of Directors includes Bob Amiss; A. Ferne Baldwin, v.president;  Darlene Bucher;  Mary Chrastil;  Bill Eberly, president;  Art Gilbert;  John Knarr;  Mike McKee;  Karl Merritt, secretary;  Viv Simmons;  Tim Taylor;  Joe Vogel;  Nancy Reed, director;  Joyce Joy, office manager and custodian of artifacts; Ralph Naragon, treasurer.  Many volunteers work at various tasks in creating and building displays, hosting visitors, and planning and leading program events.
 
 
William R. Eberly
January 28. 2010