Lake County Historical Society marks 150th year with future home uncertain

Celebrating 150 years of historical preservation was bittersweet last weekend as the community gathered in the second story of downtown Crown Point’s “Grand Old Lady,” which has been home to the Lake County Historical Society Museum for 43 years.

The celebration on September 27 included historical actors, live music, art displays, and food courtesy of local businesses like Beck’s Bakery. However, after the cake had long been cut and the crowds slowly trickled out of the museum, volunteers reflected on the remaining fact: The museum is now effectively homeless.

“The party’s over, now we face the task of boxing everything up,” said Diane Gora, Lake County Historical Society’s Executive Director.

Gora said she and others are “heartbroken.”

“It’s bittersweet,” she said. “It’s hard not to cry, packing things up and getting ready for today. I worry what will happen to these four rooms when we leave. Because when you renovate, you lose pieces of the past. There are layers of history here.”

On July 31, The Lake Court House Foundation, Inc. sent notice to The Lake County Historical Society stating that they have until Dec. 31 to vacate the space, Gora said.

The Lake Courthouse Foundation, which owns the courthouse, did not respond to the Post-Tribune’s request for comment. The foundation was founded in 1975 to save the courthouse, which faced demolition, from becoming a parking lot.

While the museum has occupied the courthouse since 1982, the historical society’s origins began with the city’s first pioneer settlers. Upon welcoming the audience to the 150th celebration, Lake County Historical Society President Jeanene Letcher revealed the origins of the society, which predates the Old Lake County Courthouse.

On Sept. 25, 1876, the first official meeting of the historical society was held at the Lake County Fairgrounds.

“It began as the Lake County Old Settler’s Association for Crown Point’s first settlers,” Letcher said. It then became a reunion among local families.”

The original society members would hold contests for the oldest member, youngest member, largest family in attendance, longest married couple, newest married couple, and oldest Union soldier.

“They would reminisce and tell stories,” Letcher said. “It was sometimes the only time some of the families saw each other, that one time a year as the historical society. In that same way, we welcome you all, our historical society family, to celebrate 150 years.”

The space that the museum has occupied for 43 years was once the courthouse hub where couples would obtain their marriage licenses. Letcher said 15,000 couples have come and gotten their marriage license on the grounds — a fact volunteers have kept at the forefront of every tour.

In their research, historical society researchers have pored through stacks of licenses, finding that the “Marriage Mill” earned its name nationwide.

“All 50 states are represented in those 35 years that it was considered the Marriage Mill of Lake County,” Letcher said.

During the event, three volunteers acted as historical figures Solon Robinson, Timothy Ball and Sheriff Lillian Holley. Dressed in the part, the performers regaled visitors with stories of their past and the town’s timeline.

Stephen Highsmith played Timothy Ball, who was a founding member of the Lake County Historical Society who was remembered as a prolific author and historian. Among the museum’s most treasured items are original books penned by Ball, chronicling the town’s earliest years from the Potawatomi people to the first white settlers.

“I’ve heard that these are the things they call trash,” Highsmith said. “But it’s treasure. We have Timothy Ball’s handwritten sermons, and even his rocking chair. If he was alive today, he’d be 199 years old.”

Highsmith, a retired Crown Point teacher, once researched alongside local celebrated poet and historian Charles Swisher, whose published works in the 1970s were largely dedicated to Crown Point’s history. During this time, they searched through countless documents that spanned generations to learn more about Crown Point’s history.

In light of the impending move, he said he feels the museum’s collection belongs within the walls of the Grand Old Lady.

“It’s a shame, because this belongs here,” Highsmith said. “We’ll have to find somewhere else to go. But it’s a shame. This history is so important. We as a whole have become a throw-away society, rather than one that wants to refurbish and preserve.”

Jackie Stuck, a Lake County Historical Society volunteer, played former Lake County Sheriff Lillian Holley, known for being the first female sheriff who was in office during John Dillinger’s famed jail escape in 1934.

“I’m disappointed that we were told this space is not available to us,” Stuck said. “We’ve been here for 40-plus years and have given people, especially young people, an opportunity to learn about local history. This is disappointing not just to the volunteers, but to the whole community. If we don’t stop eliminating things like this, there will be nothing to draw people to the area.”

Gora said that the museum did not previously pay rent due to an Indiana state bill that was passed in 1975 that protected buildings that contained museums and cultural centers.

Last year, the historical society applied for a grant but it was denied because the grant application required that they have a lease for the space they’re operating in. The organization’s lawyer looked into acquiring a lease to qualify for grants, which led to the current situation, Gora explained.

“Our lawyer found out the state bill had been repealed, and we had no legal right to be here,” Gora said. “Then we tried to negotiate and went back and forth. We were ready to sign a lease. Then, on July 31, we found a formal notice to leave the building.”

Gora said shortly after, the society was presented with two options: Vacate the building as of January 1 or transfer ownership of the museum’s collection and operation to the Lake Court House Foundation.

“It is their building, and we recognize they have every right to do this,” Gora said. “But our collection — these things have been with the society for decades. We feel we would be the better caretakers. We have a deep, vested interest in them.”

So far the society has catalogued 7,000 items and Gora estimates they have about another 10,000 to go. The historical society has loaned some artifacts to other museums, including Deep River Mill, Buckley Homestead, and the Old Sheriff’s House Foundation.

Community members like Alice Barcomb said they are upset the museum is leaving, adding how it contributes value to the location.

“This museum is amazing,” Barcomb said. “They are out of their minds to force the museum out of this location. It’s a travesty.”

The society members are still seeking a new location that is clean and temperature-controlled to preserve the older artifacts, as well as one that is accessible for those with disabilities.

“We don’t know where our future will be, but we do know we have to do our best to take care of the collection and keep it together as much as possible,” Gora said. “In the end, we want to reopen the museum and keep it in Crown Point.”

The museum will stay intact through mid-November at the request of a bride who is renting out the Maki Ballroom and wants her guests to be able to see the museum during their reception.

“I hope we can celebrate our 151st anniversary in a new space,” Letcher said. “We have the support of the community, and they want this museum to continue. I’m sad that the community is losing the museum here, but they’re not losing it completely.”

The museum’s open season is through the end of October. It is currently open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, visit the Lake County Historical Society website at lchs1875.org, email info@lchs1875.org or call 219-662-3975.

Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.