HTML Online Version

The Local History Services Department of the Indiana Historical Society has created an e-mail address specifically for COMMUNIQUE ONLINE. Beginning immediately, all press releases, notices and correspondence pertaining to COMMUNIQUE ONLINE should be directed to the following e-mail address: col@indianahistory.org.

Programs

Please confirm events specifics with sponsoring organization, especially if traveling any distance.

Starke County Museum Illuminates Tree with Candles

Real Candles?

Yes, the Starke County Museum has real candles on its Christmas tree. Come see an old-fashioned Christmas tree and all of the new exhibits at the Starke County Museum’s annual open house from 1 to 4 p.m. (CST) on December 2, 2007. The museum is located at 401 S. Main St. in Knox. At 2 p.m. participants will gather around Governor Schricker’s piano with Marilyn McCarty, as Ed Hasnerl and a host of other personalities lead the group in the cherished Christmas songs.

Guests will also have the opportunity to remember a friend or relative by placing a ribbon on the memory tree. Each year a memory tree, donated by Hensler Nursery, is placed on the grounds of the museum. For a $1 donation, a ribbon may be placed on the tree in memory of a loved one. Ribbons may be purchased at the museum from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday or at the Christmas open house on December 2, 2007.

Hillforest and Veraestau offer Christmas in the Country

The two premier historic house museums in Aurora, Hillforest and Veraestau, will offer Christmas in the Country historic home tour from 1 to 5 p.m. on December 8 and 9, 2007. Hillforest will be decorated in the traditional Victorian style and offer refreshments and periodic holiday entertainment. Veraestau, owned and operated by Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, will also offer guests a glimpse into Christmas past with decorations and entertainment.

Tickets are available at either home on the day of the tour. Tickets for the general public are $12 adults and $6 students. Members' discounted rates are $8 adults and $4 students. All children 6 and under are free.

Center for History Presents Christmas of 1967 in Copshaholm Specialty Tours

The year is 1967. The first Super Bowl has taken place, Strawberry Fields Forever is a new Beatles hit, NASA is hoping to land a man on the moon before the decade ends and America is watching the season’s premiere of TV shows like 60 Minutes as well as its long-running favorites Gunsmoke, Meet the Press and American Bandstand. In South Bend, the Olivers are hosting a gala open house to celebrate their family’s 70th year in Copshaholm, the 38-room home where they moved in 1897.

On December 9 and 16, 2007, performers will bring the mansion alive portraying Oliver family and friends at Christmas at Copshaholm: A Groovy Yuletide. Visitors can walk from room to room, exploring the 38-room Oliver mansion and enjoying a nostalgic trip to the past as they visit with mod girl Petula Buckingham, dressed in her white go-go boots and mini-skirt. On another floor of the mansion is Rick Sparks and his friend G.T. Ohe, who swap stories about their cars as well as their favorite prime time TV shows: Batman, Bonanza, Star Trek and Gomer Pyle. Nearby Susie Scepter, the prom queen, gushes over her favorite rock groups, the Monkees and Herman’s Hermits, while her mother (are those really pink curlers in her hair?) raves about the music of Lawrence Welk and Liberace.

Visitors won’t want to miss the ball room where hippie girl Moonbeam and her boyfriend Clover look through posters like Make Love Not War and talk about the their summer in San Francisco. Even the visiting nephew of the Olivers’ butler has a word or two to say (far out!) dressed in his Nehru jacket and love beads.

The story was written by local author Roger Chrastil, who scripted past Christmas at Copshaholm specialty tours as well as the Center for History’s recent Mystery at the Mansion.

Groovy Yuletide tours will leave every five minutes beginning at 12:30 p.m. with the last tickets sold at 3 p.m. Tickets for the specialty tours are $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $6 for youth ages 6-17 and $5 for Center for History members.

The specialty tours add a colorful component to Copshaholm, beautifully decorated for the winter holidays. A ten-foot silver Christmas tree in the ball room is festooned with ornaments. Mistletoe, holly and garlands of greenery drape fireplace mantels and stairways, and Victorian-style trees in other areas of the house complete the holiday decorations.

From Nov. 23, 2007, to Jan. 6, 2008, the decorated Copshaholm can also be seen on regular guided tours, which are offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday. Performers are not part of these tours.

The Oliver family moved into their newly-built house on Jan. 1, 1897. The Victorian mansion would be home to the family for the next 75 years. All of Copshaholm’s furnishings are original, showing the house as it appeared when the family lived there. J. D. Oliver was president of the Oliver Chilled Plow Works, located in South Bend. Copshaholm, part of the Center for History, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information, contact the Center for History at (574) 235-9664 or visit www.centerforhistory.org.

History Center Holds Exhibits Sale

The History Center will hold a Grand Exhibits Sale from Dec. 17 to 31, 2007. Museum-quality images from past exhibits will be offered for sale. This includes mounted photos from the recent Fort Wayne City Schools exhibit.

For more information about the sale, contact The History Center at (260) 426-2882.

George R. Mather Lecture Series Offered

Wells County Historian and historic preservation consultant Craig Leonard will present Wing and Mahurin: Fort Wayne's Architectural Pioneers at 2 p.m. on Jan. 6, 2008 at The History Center.

At 2 p.m. on Feb. 3, 2008, Rubin L. Brown will offer In Need of Change: Early African-American Doctors in Fort Wayne. Both lectures are part of the George R. Mather Lecture Series.

The History Center is located at 302 E. Berry St. in Fort Wayne.

Funding Opportunities

Museums Urged to Take Online Survey; Hearings on Museum Funding Announced

Museums of all kinds, from art to zoos, are encouraged to participate in an important new study on public funding in the United States. The survey will provide a detailed look at the size and scope of public support for museums from federal, state and local governments. The 30-minute confidential survey is being conducted by The Urban Institute, a non-partisan economic and social policy research organization based in Washington, D.C. through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The survey is part of a larger study which will examine how public funding impacts museum services in the United States. To fill out the survey,visit www.museumpublicfinance.org by 5 p.m. EST on Dec. 21, 2007.

IMLS, the primary source of federal support for the nation’s museums and libraries, embarked on the study to examine how the country’s museums are being encouraged and supported in significant ways, and how closely they follow the expectations set forth in the Museum Services Act.* The study will examine the way in which public funds are used and whether there are gaps between expectations for the institute’s authorizing legislation and the capacity for museums to meet their public service role.

Public Hearings to be Convened
As part of the same study, IMLS also announced that it will hold public hearings in three cities to collect opinions and perspectives how museums can best serve the public. Testimony will be solicited from community leaders, educators, public officials and representatives of regional, state and local organizations. The hearings will be open to the public and, in addition to invited testimony, time will be provided for comments from the public. Details about participation in the hearings will be released in early February 2008. The hearing schedule, subject to change, is as follows:

Mar. 10, 2008 The Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio
Mar. 12, 2008 The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Mo.
Mar. 14, 2008 The Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, Calif.

About the Study
In addition to the information collected from the online survey, the study includes an analysis of data by the Urban Institute about federal funding for museums provided by IMLS and other federal agencies; federal appropriations legislation that directs funding to particular museums; and information from the Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics, which tracks finances of non-profit organizations. The Urban Institute is also conducting interviews with museum professionals and museum funders in selected states to compare the impact of different funding mechanisms. The public hearings will be the last in the series of information-gathering efforts that will be part of a report IMLS will issue in the summer of 2008. This report will examine the following questions:

What mechanisms are currently used to deliver public funding to museums from the federal government and the state government in selected states?
For what purposes are state and federal public funds allocated to museums in those states?
How do delivery mechanisms impact the quality of services? Are there gaps?
Are there alternative funding models that could make a significant impact in addressing any identified gaps in museum services?

The report will describe the extent to which museums are encouraged and supported in their formal and informal education roles and will include perspectives about the expectations of the museum-going public as well as the experiences of museum professionals and recommendations.

For questions about the online survey, e-mail or call one of the Urban Institute principal investigators: Carlos Manjarrez at cmanjarr@ui.urban.org or (202) 261-5821; or Carole Rosenstein at crosenst@buffalo.edu (716) 645-2437x1468.

For questions about the public hearings, contact Mamie Bittner at mbittner@imls.gov or Celeste Colgan at celestecolgan@comcast.net.

*The Museum Services Act authorizes IMLS to fund activities that:

encourage and support museums in carrying out their public service role of connecting the whole of society to the cultural, artistic, historical, natural and scientific understandings that constitute our heritage;
encourage and support museums in carrying out their educational role, as core providers of learning and in conjunction with schools, families and communities;
encourage leadership, innovation and applications of the most current technologies and practices to enhance museum services;
assist, encourage and support museums in carrying out their stewardship responsibilities to achieve the highest standards in conservation and care of the cultural, historic, natural and scientific heritage of the United States to benefit future generations;
assist, encourage and support museums in achieving the highest standards of management and service to the public, and to ease the financial burden borne by museums as a result of their increasing use by the public;
and support resource sharing and partnerships among libraries, schools and other community organizations.

2008 Museum Assessment Program Applications Now Available

Museums are encouraged to participate in the Museum Assessment Program (MAP), a confidential process of guided self-study, peer review and implementation. The program, administered by the American Association of Museums' (AAM) through a cooperative agreement with Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), enables museums to evaluate current practices, establish priorities to achieve professional standards and plan the best and most effective way to serve the community.

Apply to participate in MAP at virtually no cost to your institution thanks to a Cooperative Agreement between AAM and the IMLS.

Deadline: Feb. 15, 2008 (postmark deadline). Space is limited so get in your application early.

Costs: Assessment costs are based on your institution's annual operating expenses.

The 2008 Application & Guidelines is available for download at www.aam-us.org/museumresources/map/upload/2008_Application_Final.doc.

For more information or to be placed on the mailing list to receive a hard copy of the application, contact MAP staff at (202) 289-9118 or map@aam-us.org.

* Museums that were previously awarded IMLS funding for MAP may be eligible to participate in the same assessment if seven years have passed since the original award was received. Applicants are required to report on changes in operations that were made based on the earlier assessment. For the Feb. 15, 2008, deadline, museums must have participated earlier than Sept. 30, 2001.

Flexible Participation (apply anytime)

Formerly known as "fee-for-service", Flexible Participation allows you to apply for MAP at any time. Museums taking advantage of this option have found many creative ways to fund their participation with financial support from board members, friends groups, state or local governments, and even local chambers of commerce. The advantages to doing MAP outside of the annual deadline is that you can apply to the program at any time of the year, eligibility requirements are more flexible and your museum can begin the process immediately.

Deadline: Open

The cost for Flexible Participation:

$3,000 administrative fee for participating in the program
$300 honorarium per surveyor
Funds to cover the surveyor’s travel, meals and lodging during the site visit (an estimated cost of $725-850 per surveyor)
Meals for group meetings during surveyor visit (amount will vary)
Long distance phone calls, photocopying, photography and other miscellaneous charges (amount will vary)
Funds to implement the surveyor’s recommendations (costs as yet undetermined)

The Flexible Participation Application and Guidelines is available for download at http://www.aam-us.org/museumresources/map/apply.cfm. (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on Flexible Participation Application and Guidelines.)

Contact MAP staff at (202) 289-9118 or map@aam-us.org for more information about the Flexible Participation program.

Funding Available for Preservation Needs Assessments

The Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) is currently accepting applicants for a subsidized Preservation Needs Assessment. The deadline for application is Dec. 7, 2007. To be eligible, your institution must own a paper based humanities collection available to the public on a regularly scheduled basis. Forms and information can be found on the CCAHA’s website, www.ccaha.org.

IHS News

Holiday Dinner & Concert

The Indiana Historical Society's annual holiday dinner, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 12, 2007, will have a new look, new menu and feature a new performance. Join family and friends for a magical evening in Eli Lilly Hall featuring holiday fare and a not-to-be missed unique holiday dessert. Dinner will be followed with a special performance by the Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men & Boys.

This event sells out quickly and seating is limited. Tickets are $60, $50 IHS members, $40 children younger than 12; reserve by Dec. 3, 2007. Call the Membership Office at (317) 233-5658 to make your pre-paid reservations.

Call for Proposals

NCPH Seeks Annual Meeting Session Proposals

The National Council of Public History is inviting proposal submissions for the 2008 Annual Meeting Public Histories of Union and Disunion, to be held in Louisville, Ky., Apr. 10-13, 2008. For more information, visit www.ncph.org or email dave.neufield@pc.ca.

Visitor Studies Association Invites Proposals

The Visitor Studies Association is seeking proposals for conference presentations and pre-conference workshops for Theory, Practice, & Conversations,its 21st annual conference. Deadline for submission is Dec.15, 2007, for the conference, scheduled for July 15-19, 2008, in Houston, Texas.

For more information and a complete description, visit www.visitorstudies.org/conference_about.htm.

Association of Midwest Museums Seeks Annual Conference Session Proposals

The Mountain-Plains Museums Association and Association of Midwest Museums seek session proposals for their 2008 joint annual conference, Meeting in the Middle. The meeting is scheduled for Oct. 20-24, 2008, in Kansas City, Mo. Proposals are due Jan. 18, 2008. Visit www.mpma.net for more information.

Awards

NCPH Seeks Award Nominations

The National Council on Public History Awards is seeking applications and nominations for the following:

Consultant’s Award – criteria to be posted online this fall
Student Travel Award – 5 matching travel grants to attend the 2008 annual meeting
NCPH Book Award – deadline Dec.1, 2007
G. Wesley Johnson Award – deadline Jan. 11, 2008
New Professionals Award – deadline Jan.11, 2008
Student Project Award – deadline Jan.11, 2008
Robert Kelly Memorial Award.

More information is available at www.ncph.org.

Exhibits

International Trees at Center for History

Holiday trees decorated with unique ornaments celebrate the community’s rich ethnic heritage in International Trees. The festive exhibition is on view from Nov. 18, 2007, to Jan. 6, 2008, at the Center for History. Many of the community’s cultures share their holiday customs and traditions by decorating trees in this exhibition. This season, trees representing the African American, Celtic, German, Hungarian, Italian, Mexican, Philippine, Polish, Spanish and Swedish cultures can be seen.

Just 100 years ago in the United States, fewer than one in five families decorated a Christmas tree for the holidays, but the custom quickly grew. By the 1930s, the Christmas tree had become a nearly universal part of the American yuletide custom.

Museum hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. Admission ranges from $5 to $10. Senior and student discounts are available, and members receive free admission.

The Center for History is located at 808 W. Washington St. in South Bend. For more information, call (574) 235-9664 or visit www.centerforhistory.org.

Traveling Exhibits

The Golden Age at Bartholomew County Historical Society

The 19th state's rich literary heritage at the turn of the century is highlighted in The Golden Age,featured at the Bartholomew County Historical Society. Drawn from collections at the Indiana Historical Society, Indiana State Library and Indiana University's Lilly Library, the exhibition explores what came to be known as the Golden Age of Indiana Literature, a time period in which Hoosier authors achieved both national prominence and popular acclaim. Indiana writers in the late-19th and early-20th century catered to readers who preferred writing that idealized traditional values or offered escape from an ever-changing world. A 1947 study found that Hoosier authors ranked second to New York in the number of best sellers produced in the previous 40 years.

The exhibition examines some of the many writers who contributed to the state's literary golden age, but concentrates on the lives and careers of four individuals who loomed large during this period – George Ade, Meredith Nicholson, Booth Tarkington and James Whitcomb Riley.

The exhibit will be on display from Dec. 6, 2007, to Jan. 2, 2008. The society is located at 524 Third St. in Columbus.

Hoosier Family Album Displayed at Monroe County Library

The Monroe County Public Library will host Hoosier Family AlbumDec. 3, 2007, through Jan. 2, 2008. When first developed, photography was practiced largely by professional photographers. As evolving technology made it possible for the average Hoosier to own a camera, the subject matter of photographs became much broader. This exhibit examines how photography has been used to document everyday occurrences in Hoosiers' lives, such as vacations, holidays, education, religion, work and romance. Some of the scenes represented in the exhibit are a turn-of-the-century dancing class going through the steps in New Castle, a group of Brookville residents gliding across an ice-skating pond, the Greenfield baseball team preparing for a game around 1918 and Christmas stockings hung by the chimney with care in an Indianapolis Woodruff Place home.

The library is located at 303 E. Kirkwood Ave. in Bloomington.

These traveling exhibits will be on loan from the Indiana Historical Society. For more information about the IHS traveling exhibit program, go to www.indianahistory.org/LHS < http://www.indianahistory.org/LHS> and click on “Traveling Exhibition.”

Organizations in the News

Eiteljorg Museum Receives Grant

The Nina Mason Pulliam Trust awarded a $150,000 grant to the Eiteljorg Museum of American Indians and Western Art.

Historic Treasures of the Benjamin Harrison Family Come to Indiana

The President Benjamin Harrison Home is bringing back home to Indianapolis a historically valuable collection of more than 800 artifacts, acquired from the president’s descendants with the financial assistance of an anonymous benefactor.

Among the artifacts are:

The commission of Benjamin Harrison to brigadier general signed by President Abraham Lincoln
William Henry Harrison’s appointment as envoy to Columbia signed by Henry Clay and John Quincy Adams
A Centennial badge, commemorating the 100-year anniversary (1789-1889) of the swearing in of George Washington as President of the United States, worn by President Benjamin Harrison. The badge was designed by the Tiffany Company from an original design by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, a renowned sculptor, and is stored in its original Tiffany box.

Many of the artifacts in The Harrison Collection have never been in the public domain. The collection includes a group of medals, Revolutionary War documents, correspondence between Ben and Mary Lord Harrison before their marriage, and documents from President Harrison’s administration.

Because of the number of items in the collection and the hours of research required to catalog them all and prepare them for exhibition plus an extensive renovation of the home scheduled for January through mid-February, the public will not be able to view the collection until a special exhibit is mounted in Spring 2008.

The Harrison Home will be mounting a fund-raising campaign in order to repay the benefactor, who loaned the Harrison Home the money with which to purchase the collection before the items were put up for public auction. In addition, plans are underway for a capital campaign to construct an appropriate permanent exhibition facility, because the size of the collection creates the need for additional space for displaying, researching and storing the documents securely.

Marshall County Historical Given Grant

The Marshall County Community Foundation awarded the Marshall County Historical Society a $7,000 grant to purchase a new copier. The new piece of equipment replaces four other machines and will allow the museum to network its computers and provide color copies. The copier will be shared with the Wythougan Preservation Society, the Marshall County Genealogical Society and the Yellow River Festival.

Hillforest Given Log Cabin and Property

Hillforest members Maribeth and Marty Rahe donated to Hillforest Historical Foundation the historic log cabin and surrounding .4 acres adjacent to Hillforest. The log cabin is believed to be one of the oldest such structures in Indiana still on its original site. It was uncovered inside the old "Markwalter" house as it was being dismantled.

People in the News

Jill Gordon has been named as the Information Coordinator of Education/Family Learning Department at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Gordon previously worked as the Curator of the Johnson County Museum of History in Franklin.

Donn Werling will retire as Executive Director of the The History Center in Fort Wayne, effective Nov. 30, 2007. Todd Pelfrey, who served as the Associate Director for more than three years, will succeed Mr. Werling. Mr. Pelfrey previously served as Assistant Manager and Chief Interpreter at the Olentangy Indiana Caverns in Ohio. He holds a bachelor of arts degree from Muskingum College in Ohio and a master's degree in American history from the University of North Dakota.

Job Opportunities

Curator, Johnson County Museum of History, Franklin, Ind.

The Johnson County Museum of History is seeking a dynamic and energetic person to fill the full-time position of Curator. The candidates should be organized and able to multi-task. They will be responsible for the keeping of adequate records pertaining to the provenance, identification and location of the museum’s collections, and the application of current professional standards of collections care and maintenance. Exercise overall care, storage and conservation of museum collections. Supervise museum volunteers and interns regarding accession, registration, cataloging and storage of museum collections.

The Curator is also responsible for exhibit design and development. This includes overseeing construction of new materials and the installation of exhibit items. Prepares and installs artifacts for museum’s permanent and temporary galleries, including special exhibits and traveling exhibits.

Works with the public by conducting museum tours and lectures both at the museum and community locations, also answers visitor’s questions about museum collections. Provides copies of collection photographs to both private individuals and businesses. Talks with potential donors about their items and the museum’s current donation po