Blog Posts

Pioneer Day & Cabin Re-dedication

10/16/2019

The Dearborn County Historical Society is excited to co-host with Indiana Landmarks again this year and provide Dearborn County with another historic walking tour of a downtown area. This coming Saturday, Oct. 19th from 10:00-3:00, attendees will have the opportunity to explore Aurora’s National Register-listed historic district which spans 25 blocks of nineteenth- and twentieth-century buildings.

Tickets are still available and can be purchased online in advance at https://www.indianalandmarks.org/event/historic-downtown-aurora-tour/
Ticket cost is $12 per Indiana Landmarks member, $15 for the general public in advance. Day-of-tour tickets cost $20 per person and can be purchased at event headquarters, the Aurora City Building at 235 Main Street.

Stops on the tour include:

David and Jennie Stapp House c. 1883, 306 Fourth Street
Livery stable now a private home c. 1878, 216 Judiciary Street
Baltimore and Ohio Southwest Railroad Passenger Station, now Aurora’s Local History Library c. 1859, Second Street
Improved Order of Red Men Lodge – a renovation in process, c. 1860, 211 Second Street
Great Crescent Brewery located in a rehabilitated brick building c. 1843, 315 Importing Street
First Presbyterian Church, c. 1850, corner of Main and Fourth Streets
City Building, c. 1886, 216 Third Street

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August board meeting

8/18/2019

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Please note that our board meetings are moving to the third Wednesday of the month. Starting this week, August 21st, 5:30 at the Vance Tousey House.

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Giveback Blood Drive- in support of Cassius Slayback

7/31/2019

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Team Cassius Challenge!
Cassius was only 6 years old when a cancerous tumor was removed from his brain in April 2018. Since then, he has undergone hours of physical therapy and chemotherapy, and received numerous blood transfusions that can only come from volunteer donors. Help us give back by rolling up a sleeve!
The Hoxworth Blood Center's donor bus will be at the Dearborn County Historical Society from 12:00-6:00 pm, Tuesday August 13.
Visit www.hoxworth.org/groups/dchs or call 800-830-1091 to schedule your appointment to donate.

SPECIAL GROUP CHALLENGE -
Schedule your appointment to donate for Team Cassius and on the day of the blood drive, register your team on-site with a DCHS member.

First Place: a $100 gift card will be given to the Slayback family in the name of the largest team donating at the blood drive.
Second Place: a $75 gift card will be given to the Slayback family in the name of the second largest team donating at the blood drive.
Third Place: a $25 gift card will be given to the Slayback family in the name of the third largest team donating at the blood drive.

For more information, contact the
Dearborn County Historical Society, Vice President, Jenny Awad at 513 310 8078.

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2019 Fairy Tea Party

5/27/2019

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- UPDATE June 19, 2019 - This event is now sold out! Thanks to everyone who already purchased tickets. See you Saturday!!

It's time to start registering for this fun event held in the new Hoosier Room at the historic Vance Tousey house.
11:30 - 1:00, Saturday June 22, $12:50 per person (purchase your ticket below)
Ticket includes lunch, crafts, wings, photographs and lots of prizes.

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2019 Annual Meeting

5/7/2019

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The 2019 Annual meeting of the Dearborn County Historical Society was held Thursday, May 2nd and the historic Veraestau, in Aurora. Approximately, 65 attendees chose to join us for a free tour, appetizers and information on the Jesse Holman family, including recently acquired, never before seen, rare photographs of the Holman family donated to DCHS by the Ralph Rees family. To learn more about the Holman family, visit our RECORDS & RESOURCES page.

The Historical Society chose to honor 2 award winners of their Outstanding Historian Award for 2019. The first award went to the City of Aurora, in honor of their Bicentennial. The Aurora Historic Preservation Commission was honored and appreciative of the recognition. Want to know more about what they do? Visit their website for more information.
The second award was presented to Dearborn County Historical Society's own Vice President, Jenny Awad. Jenny was instrumental in spearheading the restoration work at the Angevine Cabin and the renovation work currently happening at the Vance Tousey house. Both projects have taken countless hours and energy including meeting with contractors, obtaining bids and most importantly writing grants to cover these projects. All the while, continuing to plan DCHS programs and accept and log accessioned items.
Congratulations to both winners!

A short business meeting wrapped up the evening, where board members and officers were elected for new terms. To see our current officers, see the ABOUT US page.

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#LocalHistoryMatters

4/18/2019

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DCHS board members participated in the 2019 Dearborn County CASA Teen Summit this year and were encouraged by the number of students who appreciate the importance of local history. Every 8th grade student in Dearborn County had the opportunity to attend this year at the Lawrenceburg Event Center. In collaboration with Indiana Landmarks Southeast Field office, we provided an interactive display designed to get the students thinking about the importance of historical items and structures.

2019 CASA Teen Summit

DCHS board members Judy Ostendorf, Sheila Bigelow, Joyce Baer, & Indiana Landmarks Director at the Southeast Field Office, Jarrad Holbrook

The display included

a shuttle used in weaving and part of the loom located inside the Angevine cabin
a Brownie camera ca.1919
a dough-boy helmet from WWI that belonged to local veteran Carl Haag, ca. 1914-1918
an old wringer washer
an old hand crank siren
a wagon hub from a Studebaker wagon, ca. approximately 1880
and an old hand crank egg beater ca. 1940s

Students were amazed at the difficulty and energy required to use many of these items. Amazing conversations were had with the students about the importance of preserving historical structures, knowing your personal history and the careers that are available in museums, historical societies and archives.

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Angevine Cabin Restoration Work Continues

4/18/2019

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Curious about the progress being made at the Angevine Cabin? The winter was a formidable opponent but we have completed phase 1 of our restoration work at the cabin. We were honored to be the topic of a recent post from Indiana Landmarks about the ongoing project. A final walk through to inspect the new Perma-Chinking was completed by Dearborn County Historical Society board members on Saturday, March 30th. The next step in the process is to repair the porch, including porch railings and floor boards. Thank you to Woodward Woodcare for helping us to restore and protect this valuable landmark, and to all those who donated to make this project possible. Watch for more updates as work on the porch progresses.

Photo credits : Marilee Hamilton, 2019.

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Christmas in the Country

11/12/2018

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Sunday, November 25th, 2:00-4:00
Join us at the historic Vance-Tousey house at 508 West High St., just before the Lawrenceburg tree lighting ceremony, for a family-friendly FREE event.
We'll have:
*A Visit & Pics with Santa by the fireplace at the Angevine Cabin
*Door Prizes include gift certificates for DJ's Bakery, Hickory House BBQ, Strong's Pizzeria/Sugar Shack, Whiskey City Sweet Retreat, & Wang's Hot Chicken
*Crafts at the Boy Scout Cabin
*Vintage Gifts at our holiday shoppes