Wednesday, July 7, 2021
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Vol. 51, No. 2
Milford (574) 658 658-4111 4111 • Warsaw (574) 269-2932 269 • Syracuse (574) 457 457-3666 3666
114 W. Market, Warsaw, Indiana 46580
%\ 7,0 $6+/(< %\ 7 %\ 7 7,0 $ ,0 0 $6+ 6 /( (< 6WDI 6W D I DI I: :UULWWHUU 6WDII :ULWHU Walk Wa lkin in ng in into too tthe he M ento en tone to ne H isto is tori to rica ri call Mu ca uWalking Mentone Historical Museum sse u , it is um is clear clea cl ear a considerable ea coons nsid ider id e abble le aamo moun mo untt of tthe un h he seum, amount tto own wn’s ’s h i to is tory r iiss on n ddisplay. i play is play But But soo m uch uc h more more r of of town’s history much tthat history is not so visible. For many years the Lawrence D. Bell Airccraft Museum on Oak Street in Mentone also h had the original section designated for many iitems about the history of the town. But when iinterest increased in donating items, the board oof directors voted Aug. 28, 2018, to rename the h history of Mentone portion of the building the M Mentone Historical Museum. It has a separate eentrance from the Bell Museum, too. Clearly, more space is needed to properly ddisplay all of the donated items. A fund for m maintenance and building has been set up tthrough the Kosciusko County Community F Foundation and a building committee exists. T The committee is considering whether to tear ddown the existing historical museum and bbuild a bigger one or add on to the existing bbuilding. Linda Cochran, a member of the board of ddirectors for the museum, noted originally the bbuilding that dates to the 1970s was designed ffor keeping Bell memorabilia. The first heliccopter didn’t arrive until the late 1990s. Bell w was the founder of the Bell Aircraft Corporattion and was born in Mentone April 5, 1894. But eventually, because of the increasiing interest in donating items and preserviing the town’s history, the board of directors w wanted to remember that history. “It’s our w way of keeping Mentone alive,” Cochran ccommented. There are interesting displays to be 0(1721(·6 3$67 ³ Lin da Cochran, left, and Tim ffound, including a library table donated by that has an outline of the Whetstone stand behind tow a table donated by the Tu n÷ s original plat. Photo by Tim tthe Tucker family that was built by John cker family Ashley. M Morgan in 1928. Etched on top of the table is the outline oof the original plat of Mentone. Tim Whetstone, another pile the information. Whetstone is also currently working on refurbishbboard member, said there was essentially nothing in An old photo shows one of the first cars built in ing a Bell Model 48 helicopter. It is the only one known M Mentone except for a couple of houses before the rail- Mentone. rroad came through in the early 1880s. Another goal is to put on display the many school to still be in existence. Both museums are open from 1-5 p.m. Sundays and Another display features War Mothers Unit 106, a related items. Mentone had its own high school until ggroup of women who contributed to the World War II ef- consolidation closed it in the early 1970s. “There is no by appointment. The museums are located at 210 S. Oak St. For more information, call (574) 353-7318. ffort by sewing, stitching and through other means. Also place to put them (school items),” Cochran said. If interested in donating to the community founoon display is some of the story of Russell Eber, a World In an attempt to draw more visitors to the museum, W War II veteran from Mentone who had a million dollar panels on the outside of the building by the entrance, dation fund, visit kcfoundation.org/donate and select eestate when he died. He was a woodworker who did his which are blank now, would hopefully have photos put the Mentone Historical Museum on the donation page. Checks can also be mailed to the Kosciusko County w work for the trailer industry. inside them. There are also binders containing genealogies of Expanding the hours of the museum is another Community Foundation, 102 E. Market St., Warsaw, IN pprominent local families as well as profiles of several possibility, assuming enough volunteers are available to 46580. The museum is also enrolled in the Kroger Comppeople with compiled newspaper clippings, obituaries cover those hours. “We are run by volunteers; many of munity Rewards Program at www.kroger.com. and more. Volunteers have donated their time to com- them are retired,” she said.
June 26th - August 7th at the North Webster Community Public Library FUN AND INTERACTIVE PROGRAMS, EDUCATIONAL EXHIBITS, OUR WATER HISTORY AND STORY