Press Release:
Event Date September 26, 2015
Games at the Center for History for Harvest Festival
For something new at this year’s Harvest Festival, the North Manchester Center for History Center invites visitors to play games--some old-fashioned ones like hopscotch, jacks and dominos, and some newer ones like corn hole. You don’t need to be an expert. It’s not a tournament. It’s all just for fun. All ages are welcome.
Besides the games, the Center, 122 East Main Street, is open to the public with free admission during Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. There is a lot to see and do at the Center. In the news recently is the Center’s acquisition of a bicycle belonging to Mary K. Peabody. It’s on exhibit in our window well-protected from sun damage by our UV- protected glass.
The museum contains 9,000 square feet of exhibit space, where thousands of objects and photographs are on display. Visitors who have not come to the Center for the past few months will see many new displays and upgraded former exhibits. The Center features a new exhibit on prehistory and early settlers, including information on glaciers, mastodon bones, stone artifacts that are thousands of years old, and a sampling of animals the early settlers found here. Also on display are 23 delightful detailed scale model wagons and their hitches that Don Bechtold has loaned to the museum. We also are pleased to have a rare Rex Windmill on display. This full-sized artifact has been restored to working order and will only be available for viewing until December.
We once again offer scavenger hunts to our student and adult visitors. The children’s scavenger hunt has been revamped to take into account our new exhibits. Last year, students and their families had a lot of fun completing it together. To challenge other visitors, an adult scavenger hunt has also been created. Funfest visitors enjoyed both.
An Indiana Historical Society traveling exhibition Indiana Disasters will also be on display. The exhibit features photographs from IHS collections and other state institutions that capture unforgettable Indiana catastrophes while newspaper headlines, illustrations and survivor accounts show how Hoosier’s persevere in the face of disaster.
Two popular Historical Society movies will be shown on a continuing, revolving basis. Sit a while and learn about The Building of the Peabody Mansion, or see old family and friends in the perennially popular See Yourself in the Movies 1938.
During Harvest Festival, the Thomas Marshall House will also be open to the public with free admission from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Marshall House, located on Market Street next to the library, is the birthplace home of Thomas R. Marshall, Indiana Governor and Vice President of the United States. It has been restored to its original 1852 condition, and is furnished with artifacts of that period. Docents will provide tours and answer questions about the Marshall family.
Regular hours for the Center for History are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and for the Thomas Marshall house, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. the first Saturday of the month. Both attractions will close for their winter hiatus on December 14.