County Museum to Discuss History of the Elkhart County Fair

Museum Director Nick Hoffman will present a history of the Elkhart County Fair on Thursday, July 16 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. The program will focus on the creation of the fair in 1851 to its rebirth in 1908 after several years of idleness.

“Everyone who visits or participates in the 4-H Fair today is connected to a long history that began before the American Civil War,” says Hoffman.

In 1851 the Elkhart County Fair started on Goshen’s courthouse square and provided farmers with a venue to learn about new laborsaving devices and compete for premiums for excellence in husbandry. The fair took a break during the American Civil War, but after hostilities subsided the fair began looking for methods to generate interest and profit for urban dwellers.

Baseball games, sideshow performers, and horse races became the popular attractions starting in the early 1870s. Attendance skyrocketed due to attendance by urban residents who had little interest in farming, but wanted to participate in the entertainment features. Twenty years later the County Fair created the midway with the inclusion of a merry-go-round. Hoffman will discuss these early rides and mechanical inventions that have become common features.

“Few people are familiar with the fair’s history,” says Hoffman. “Hopefully we can provide that linkage and demonstrate how and why the fair has changed since its inception.”

Participants will view early posters, correspondence, photographs, and brochures from the fair. The program will occur in the museum’s auditorium. Attendees are encouraged to share stories of their memories at the fair. For more information please contact the museum at 574-848-4322.

Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Bristol

The Hilbish Store, circa the late 1800's. Now home to the Red Bird Tavern.

On Thursday, June 18 the Elkhart County Historical Museum will be leading a walking tour of historic downtown Bristol. From 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. participants will be guided around the 180-year-old community by museum staff member Frank Fisher.

Participants on the Bristol walking tour will get to view the oldest church continually used for worship in Elkhart County, two buildings on the National Register for Historic Places, and the site of the old Bristol Banner. They will also hear stories of the ghosts that supposedly haunt a couple of the structures. A couple stops will include a brief look inside the buildings.

“All the landmarks on the tour have fun and interesting histories,” says Curator of Education Rebecca Oestreich. “For example, the Red Bird Tavern is named after the original owner Red Rigby who was known for his red whiskers and hair.” The Italianate commercial building that houses the Red Bird Tavern dates back to 1862 and once housed a Knights of Pythias hall upstairs.

The walking tour of Bristol starts the beginning of a series of summer walking tours that will explore historic neighborhoods in Elkhart County. “Over the next few years we plan to lead groups through areas all over the county,” says Oestreich. “There are so many interesting neighborhoods that are full of historic structures and fascinating stories.” The next walking tour will be on August 15th and will focus on the Baintertown Canal System. Once a thriving business district, Baintertown is now a ghost town, but remnants of the community are still visible.

The Historic Downtown Bristol Walking Tour will begin and end at the Elkhart County Historical Museum. Pre-registration for the walking tour is preferred. For more information or to sign up, please contact Oestreich at 574-848-4322 or email at rebecca@elkhartcountyparks.org.

Museum to Celebrate D-Day 65th Anniversary

Saturday, June 6th marks the 65th Anniversary of D-Day, the day Allies stormed Normandy beach in France and began to turn the tide in war torn Europe. The Elkhart County Historical Museum is celebrating this important date in WWII history with a day full of activities looking into the history of this great day.

“D-day is actually a military jargon term that refers to the start date of a military operation,” says Curator of Education Rebecca Oestreich. “Many operations during WWII had a D-Day but the one that took place on June 6th, 1944 has become known as the D-day because of the way it changed the direction and dynamics of the entire war.” D-day therefore deserves a special recognition when recounting the war today.

Included in the program is a memorial service, talks on the history of D-Day, and a scheduled time period for veterans to share their war stories. In addition to the scheduled program, the museum will also have WWII objects from its collection on display. These include field and dress uniforms, German helmets, and weaponry. Many of these objects are not normally on display so this is a great opportunity to see the collection.

The museum is also encouraging participants to bring in a photo of themselves or a loved one who served in WWII. The photo should be accompanied with a note card-sized description of who the person in the picture is, what their role was in the war, and any other interesting information you might want to add. The pictures and descriptions will be put on display in the auditorium throughout the program for visitors to look at.

Upon arrival, D-Day veterans should pick up a special ribbon recognizing their involvement in the important day.

“Unfortunately, those that lived through WWII and the D-Day invasion are aging. Therefore, it’s crucial to recognize these veterans and hear their stories while we still can,” says Oestreich.

For more information please contact Oestreich at 574-848-4322 or email at rebecca@elkhartcountyparks.org.

Program Schedule
10:00 - 10:30 Memorial Service
11:00 – 12:00 Talk: Fooling Hitler - The Fake D-Day Invasion Plans
By Marcia Brenneman, Elkhart County Historical Society board member
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch break
Look for discount coupons to Bristol area restaurants.
1:00 – 2:00 Talk: Military Operations during D-Day
By Nick Hoffman, Elkhart County Historical Museum Director
2:15 – 4:00 Open microphone.
Anyone in the audience is welcome to share stories of their experience either on D-day or during WWII in general. Both people who served in the war abroad or felt its effect back home are encouraged to participate.

Rally Pole Raising

Truth-In-Jazz Will Play at County Museum

On Friday, May 22nd, Elkhart County Historical Museum will be swinging to the sounds of the Truth-In-Jazz. The free concert will occur from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. in the museum’s auditorium.

Music is such an important part of our local history, and we hope to celebrate this tradition by hosting one of Elkhart’s most celebrated bands. Besides being known as the former Band Instrument Manufacturing Capital of the World, Elkhart is also home to many distinguished performing artists.

The Truth-In-Jazz is an 18 piece big band formed in 1998 by Truth Publisher David Ogle with the help of Steve Pettit and under the direction of Gay Burton. Dave Plank acts as the current Director. The band’s instrumentation is based off the big band standard developed by the great William “Count” Basie: 4 Trumpets, 4 Trombones, 5 saxophones, Bass, Piano, Guitar and Drums.

Having recently restructured with a brand new sponsor, Goshen Health Systems, Truth-In-Jazz is excited to be back and is playing better than ever. The band is also in the process of launching a new website, www.truthinjazz.com, so get online to discover more information about the band and visit their calendar page to see where they are playing next!

Light refreshments will be sold by the Elkhart County Historical Society. Come early to catch a front row seat!

For more information please contact the museum at 574-848-4322.

Museum to Recreate Political Rally Pole Tradition

Have you ever imagined what early political rallies were like in Elkhart County’s history? On May 16, the Elkhart County Historical Museum will provide a glimpse into rally pole raisings that were a popular form of campaign life in Michiana. The pole raising will occur from 12:00 to 1:00 p.m. and will be followed by a talk on local pole raisings that occurred in Elkhart County from 1832 to 1900.

Before yard signs became fashionable, residents would demonstrate their support by erecting campaign poles in their town squares. Democrats used hickory poles, a tradition that stemmed from Andrew Jackson’s (who was nicknamed “Old Hickory”) campaign in 1832. Republicans used poles of oak or tamarack. Often the poles were over 100 feet tall and displayed large banners proclaiming the owner’s political support.

Pole raisings were a fascinating tradition that occurred during Presidential elections, Political parties in most localities even competed to see who could raise the taller pole.

Pole raisings were popular community events complete with musical entertainment, picnics, and speeches that usually chided the opposition. Among the most notable pole raisings occurred in New Paris. Democrats from Goshen and New Paris raised a campaign pole in Jackson Township in 1848. The pole was over 100 feet long and displayed a banner inscribed with the party ticket of “Cass and Butler.” Both Democrats and Republicans continued this tradition into the 1890s with pole raisings in most Elkhart County communities.

Though the museum’s pole will not be 100 feet long, the scaled version will provide a good example of an early pole raising. The pole will be raised in front of the museum. Visitors are encouraged to picnic and watch the pole raising and hear speeches from the time period by two costumed reenactors representing a Democrat and Republican. Visitors can also help decorate and raise the pole. Children can also design their own flags to fly on the pole. After the pole is raised, Museum Director Nick Hoffman will give a talk on the history of pole raisings as well as other political rallies that occurred in Elkhart County from 1840 to 1900.
For more information, please contact Museum Director Nick Hoffman at 574-848-4322

Museum to host automobile show on July 11