Press Release: Harvest Festival Activities at Center for History, October 5

The North Manchester Center for History is open to the public with free admission during North Manchester’s Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 5.  Open hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Center continues to display several special exhibits besides its permanent offerings.  Buried Treasures presents items found during the downtown construction project the last two summers.  Items found in vaults under the sidewalk are on display, as well as photographs of former underground entrances to several buildings.  The Oppenheim Legacy:  A Perfect Fit for North Manchester for 125 Years continues, with photographs and artifacts from the Oppenheim store and family.  The Miller Collection of hundreds of antique tools and farm implements is also on display.

Visitors will also enjoy seeing the new window displays at the Center for History.  The windows are like mini-exhibits that change periodically.  Current windows were researched and designed by Center for History volunteers.  They include “Music:  Past and Present” prepared by Jane Ann Airgood and Carolyn Underwood, “Step Back in Time” prepared by Dottie Cole, “Toys from the Ed and Martha Miller Collection” prepared by Joyce Joy and Debbie Stoltzfus, and “Advertisements from North Manchester Merchants” prepared by Loree Pritchard and Carolyn Reed. 

During Harvest Festival, the Thomas Marshall House will also be open to the public with free admission.  The Marshall House, located on Market Street next to the library, is the birthplace of Thomas R. Marshall, Indiana Governor and Vice President of the United States.  It has been restored to its original (ca1852) condition, and is furnished with artifacts of that period.  Docents will provide tours and answer questions about the Marshall family.

Regular hours for the Center for History are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and for the Thomas Marshall house, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month.  Both attractions will close for their winter hiatus on December 13.