Month: September 2019

Meeting and Raffle

Raffle drawing and general meeting - September 23rd at the Thiebaud Farmstead!  Still time to buy tickets!

We have been selling raffle tickets for two handcrafted treasures ~ a Windsor chair by Jerry Wallin and a pierced tin lantern by his late wife Sandra Wallin. Both pieces signify their motto ~ “Pride in work marked by superb craftsmanship and elegance of design.” Jerry specifically made the Windsor chair for this raffle, utilizing wood for the seat from a poplar tree that was struck by lightning in 2006 on the museum grounds. In addition to creating the beautiful chair, Jerry then donated the pierced-tin three-light lantern. Both are extraordinary works of art and could become yours!

Raffle tickets are $10 each or 3 for $25. The drawing will be held at the Monday, September 23rd meeting at the Thiebaud Farmstead at 5147 East Hwy 56. The Thiebaud house and hay-press barn will be open for touring from 5:00 to 5:30 pm. The stone wall entrance to the cellar is now complete and is an amazing restoration.  The tour, meeting and the evening’s activities are open to members and the general public as well.

A brief business meeting will begin at 5:30, followed by an intriguing guest speaker, Tom Beall.  Tom Beall, owner of the First Vineyard property in Nicholasville, Kentucky, where the Dufours settled before coming to Vevay, Indiana, will be the guest speaker. Beall is an innovative researcher who has delved into the John Jacque Dufour story, combining archived data with hands-on artifact discoveries. Restoring the Dufour’s First Vineyard has become his passion and making great wine is part of the adventure. He has quite a story to tell.

Refreshments will be served following the program. The drawing of the winning raffle tickets will be at 7 pm. We hope you’ll join us for this exciting evening.

 All Hallows Eve event coming Oct 18 and 19. Details soon!

Scan-a-thon – Saturday, September 14

SCAN-A-THON ~ September 14th ~ Switzerland County Historical Museum

Pictures and their stories are tangible ways to remember the past. A special project called The Indiana Album is capturing memories throughout Indiana that can then be viewed at www.indianaalbum.com. The Indiana Album, a non-profit organization, makes Indiana's hidden gems available by scanning, cataloging, and sharing historic items for all to discover and use. Subjects desired include photographs, postcards, and documents of all eras of Indiana houses, farms, businesses, schools, churches, bands, clubs, transportation, or interesting people (including portraits of prominent or pioneer residents, people participating in activities, or great snapshots of everyday life).

Do you have interesting photographs of a past or present family business, your ancestral home, street scenes, childhood snapshots, or other historic images? Have you collected postcards of Indiana? The public won't find them in your attic or tucked away in a drawer or closet. The Indiana Album scans privately owned photos and other documents and brings Hoosiers' collective history to the web -- one image at a time.

"Many lenders are too selective, mistakenly believing that their family items or recent snapshots are not significant enough," says The Indiana Album’s Executive Director Joan Hostetler. "We not only document history with a capital H, but also the everyday person's journey up to present day -- after all, history doesn't have an end date. We seek images of activities such as doing laundry, farming, construction, or going to the prom. Of particular interest are visuals of houses, commercial structures, or nearly any building as we plan to geo-tag the images and make them map searchable." Hostetler advises that if you are unsure if your photos fit the criteria, bring along the whole box for staff to decide.

Dig through your shoeboxes and albums and bring Indiana-related items to the Switzerland County Historical Museum at 208 East Market Street in Vevay on Saturday, September 14, 11:00 a.m. through 5:00 p.m.

Volunteers will make high resolution scans while lenders wait. All items will be carefully handled and immediately returned to the owners. Later the scans and catalog records will be uploaded into the online catalog for The Indiana Album. It is preferable for participants to make a reservation for the Scan-a-thon or they can learn how to submit their own scans by contacting info@indianaalbum.com or call 317) 771-4129.

The Switzerland County Historical Museum and the “Life on the Ohio” River History Museum will be open during the Scan-a-thon. Guests and participants are welcome to tour free of charge.
The Scan-a-thon is a unique opportunity to share and preserve Switzerland County’s history as part of Indiana’s story. We welcome you to participate.