The Hancock County Historical Society meets in the Old Log Jail and Chapel adjacent to Riley Park.
Tom Russo | Daily Reporter
Editor’s note: The Daily Reporter will feature our “Neighbors” each month, whether it be someone with an interesting hobby or profession, or a nonprofit group making a difference in our community. Here, President/Curator Michael Kester of the Hancock County Historical Society shares about the group’s vision for preserving the community’s past and its plans for the future. If you know a person or a group that you’d like to see featured in Neighbors, email [email protected].
Daily Reporter: How did the society begin?
Michael Kester: The Hancock County Historical Society was started in the First Presbyterian Church in Greenfield in 1964. This is young for a historical society, but we are continuing to expand and learn each year. After being gifted the Old Log Jail and the Chapel, we then had a permanent place to hold our meetings.
We’re fortunate in that the Hancock County Historical Society is housed in two landmark buildings in Greenfield’s Riley Park, directly on the National Road, just down Main Street from the James Whitcomb Riley Home and adjacent to the Hancock County Fairgrounds. The Greenfield Parks Shelter House and Senior Center are our near neighbors in a pleasant wooded setting.
Our main building is a postcard-pretty Methodist Chapel which was moved from its original site. The sanctuary serves not only as a display area for our collection of rare photos of the county’s churches and schools, but also as a still-consecrated church home for a small congregation that rents it from us. We also rent it as a venue for small weddings.
DR: What is your group’s biggest challenge?
MK: We’ve lost not only revenue but a large – and unquantifiable – portion of our morale. We’ve lost people, and we’ve lost memories, and we need a boost. We would welcome the opportunity to proclaim to our members and our community that the damage caused by COVID-19 has been greatly repaired by a CARES grant from the Indiana Humanities Council.
DR: What are your primary events or fundraisers?
MK: Our events change from year to year based on what museum collections we are featuring or promoting. For 2022, we have a special featured exhibition of Edwardian Dresses. The exhibition is called “Lawn and Lace.” We are constructing the exhibit from scratch and hope to have it ready for the public premiere in April. Other public events will include educational webinar series with various speakers, a cornerstone opening, World War II veteran’s personal writings called “Junior’s Story” and more.
DR: What else would you like to share?
MK: Our motto is “We Tell HiStories!” and so we do through a professionally printed multi-page newsletter, “The Log Chain.” It features illustrated biographies of our citizens, both the famous and the humble; and explores the social and economic development of Hancock County. We attempt to do a job of honest reporting, balancing the inspiring achievements of veterans and civilians during wars and pandemics with the tales of crimes and injustice that must be told lest we forget.
The Hancock County Historical Society is dedicated to rescuing, restoring and recording the images and voices of our citizens. We hoard the yearbooks of long-closed schools and rejoice when a descendant of the skinny kid pictured in the lower corner of a team photo grins and points to “Grandpa!” or a young musician in a group tour lingers to inspect a photo of a family band.
For more on the society or to volunteer, visit hancockhistory.org; facebook.com/hancockhistoricalsociety; instagram.com/hancockcohistory; or on YouTube. Email [email protected] or call 462-7780. Donations are accepted at Hancock County Historical Society, PO Box 375, Greenfield, IN 46140.
