Old Fashioned Christmas Photos

Here are a few photos taken at our Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration! We had a nice crowd of around 25 people, with plenty of cookies and carols to go around. Special thanks to our organist Nancy George, who accompanied the carolers on our historic pump organ. We hope you will all join us next year!

Santa Claus was generously played by Jim Winton. Here, he hears a wish list from our president emerita Sylvia Henricks.

John Kanouse, Dana Crapo, and our decorated tree.

FTHS member Ann Hansen visits with Santa.

Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration 2011

Join us for our annual Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration at the Meeting House (6510 S. Franklin Rd.) on Sunday, December 18 from 6 to 8 p.m. There will be traditional caroling, storytelling and socializing. As always, refreshments including punch and homemade cookies will be provided. Bring the whole family to this delightful holiday event!

Prophetstown State Park to focus on Native American history

While it's true that the FTHS generally focuses on the history of Franklin Township and the surrounding areas, as dictated in our mission statement, it's also true that much of our membership also likes to stay abreast of other developments in Indiana history, particularly when they may involve fun or educational programs in which people may want to participate.

So, for your further edification, we refer you to this article highlighting some 2012 developments in Prophetstown State Park.

Harvest Dinner 2011

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

Forty members and friends of the Franklin Township Historical Society met for their noontime Dinner and Annual Meeting on Saturday, October 29, at the New Bethel Baptist Church in Wanamaker. The fellowship hall was artfully decorated with fall colors for the “Harvest Dinner” prepared and served by Jim, Sue and Kevin Winton.

Society Vice-President John Kanouse greeted guests, and invited all to share in a few moments of silence in memory of our late president, Diana Stevenson. After the meal, enjoyed by all, John recognized the board members, presented the 2012 Budget, and distributed a page of “What We Did in 2011.” He spoke briefly of the value of our Society, both to individuals and to the community. Not only is our preservation of records, abstracts, and photographs valuable, but as we work with young people -- students and Boy and Girl Scouts – we try to encourage in them an appreciation of our community’s place in state and national history.

Our guest speaker was Nan Hendrickson, a retired teacher, who has, over the years, presented her talks on Hoosier Poet, James Whitcomb Riley, to wide and appreciative audience. With a few remarks about each poem, she recited “Little Orphant Annie,” “Out to Old Aunt Mary’s,” “The Bear Story,” and several others. Of the dialect, she said, “That was just the way we talked,” referring to her own Indiana childhood.

A distribution of door prizes concluded the day. For the prizes, we sincerely thank Wheatley’s, Exclusive Salon, Focus Therapeutic, and Mascari Cleaners. Three more events will complete our year’s activities – the Acton U.M. Craft Fair on Saturday, November 5, Christmas in Wanamaker on Saturday, December 3, and our Society’s Old-Fashioned Christmas at the Meeting House on Sunday, December 18.

Society members Ginny Compton, left, and Bob Fraley, right, greet speaker Nan Hendrickson, who holds a 1937 volume of James Whitcomb Riley poetry that belonged to her father.

Remembrances: Hittle Tile Factory

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

This interesting old photograph, its mounting broken, but taped to a piece of cardboard, and a torn edge also taped, is titled “Isaac Hittle Tile Co. 1880” It appeared in a March 12, 1976, issue of the Informer, under the heading “A Bygone Era.” The caption (unsigned) was “One of the oldest factories in Franklin Township was located one fourth mile north of Edgewood Avenue on Hickory Road. It was known as the Isaac Hittle Drain Tile company. It was located on the Isaac Hittle property, now owned by Ed Klasing and Bob Waterman. The factory made field drain tile around the year 1880.

“The mud for the tile came from the Hittle farm and was hauled in by steam engine and four wagons. It took three days and nights to bake a kiln full of tile. The farmers would drive for miles to get the tile the day the kiln was opened. The tile were so hot they would burn rings in the wooden wagon beds.

“The day the kiln was opened was a time the men swapped stories and watched the dogs fight. The man who was watching the kiln, at times would kill a rabbit and hang it in front of the fire door to cook.”

A business card for “Isaac Hittle, Manufacturer & Shipper of Superior Drain Tile (From 2 ½ to 9 Inches), Gallaudette, Indiana. Prices per M: 2 ½ in. $10 ; 3 in.. $11; 4 in. $17.50; 5 in.. $26; 6 in. $37; 7 in. $45; Made to Order: 8 in. $60; 9 in. $85.”

The Society’s book Historic Treasures of Franklin Township, includes more about the Hittle Family. Of Isaac, the biographer says, “Isaac Hittle continued to live on the farm but had many other interests. He owned and operated a tile factory from 1875 to 1898, and also a threshing machine. He was a surveyor, and was secretary of the New Bethel Farmers’ Mutual Insurance Company until his retirement in 1924.”

Annual Membership Harvest Dinner - October 29

Join us for our annual Harvest Dinner on Saturday, October 29 at 1:00 p.m. This year's dinner will be held at New Bethel Baptist Church. Our guest speaker is Nan Hendrickson, who will share the poetry of Indiana's own James Whitcomb Riley.

Cost: $15 per person

Menu:

• Roast pork in pineapple sauce
• Roasted red potatoes
• Oriental slaw
• Vegetable medley casserole
• Rolls with butter and apple butter
• Choice of peach or cherry cobbler

To make your reservation, please mail your name(s) and a check for $15 per person to:

Franklin Township Historical Society
P.O. Box 39015
Indianapolis, IN 46239

Reservations must be received by October 22.

In Memory of Diana Stevenson

The president of the Franklin Township Historical Society, Diana Stevenson, passed away on September 26, 2011. In the following Remembrances column, president emerita Sylvia Henricks looks back at Diana's contributions.

It was a beautiful day, this past July 6, when the Franklin Township Historical Society visited the Propylaeum at 1410 N. Delaware Street. Preceding the event, Diana met some of us at the Meeting House and gave us a leisurely drive “into the city,” with a short detour through the Old Northside neighborhood to see the recently restored Central Avenue Methodist Church, built in 1891 with additions in 1900 and 1922, now the home of Indiana Landmarks.

Arriving at the Propylaeum, we still had time for a bit of visiting on the big porch, and a photograph or two of all 14 of us, before we entered the impressive front door for our tour. The 19th Century house, built as a private home, with a wide stairway leading to a ball room on the third floor, has been the home of a Women’s Club for many years. The Club’s original building stood on North Street, and was razed in 1923 when the Indiana World War Memorial Plaza was built. Organized in 1888, by a group of Indianapolis women, the club’s name means "gateway to higher culture."

Our group reassembled for lunch in the sunny first floor dining room where we enjoyed good food, cloth napkins, stemmed glassware, and gracious service. It was a day to remember.

I sat near Diana, and took her picture. Not one of us would have believed that Diana would soon leave us. Our President since 2009, we considered ourselves fortunate to have so energetic and personable a leader. Even before she became president, she made a valuable contribution to the organization in 2005, using her skill to promote our application to the National Register of Historic Places to have our Meeting House (the former Big Run Baptist Church and Cemetery) added to their list.

We shall miss her, but shall be forever grateful for the time she spent with us.

Cemetery Talk September 18

A Big Run Cemetery Talk is planned for Open Hours at the Franklin Township Historical Society Meeting House on Sunday, September 18.

Dana Crapo, the Society’s treasurer, is also its most knowledgeable person concerning burials in the Big Run Cemetery, across the road from the Society’s Meeting House at 6510 S. Franklin Road. Dana says he has long been bothered by extra names on headstones in the cemetery, not included in the cemetery records made by a locarecorder (Mrs. Leo C. Hoyt)) in the 1960s. (At that time the Big Run Church was still in operation. It became the property of the newly formed Historical Society in 1976.)

Dana, long wondering about those unrecorded names in the cemetery, now believes he may have the answer, that before the Big Run Church was built in the 1870s, there was a Willis Smither family burial plot on the site of the current Big Run Cemetery. That will be the basis for his talk at the Meeting House during Open Hours on Sunday, September.18, at 2 p.m. “I will provide maps and hand-outs,” he says, and invites all interested persons to attend.

Authors Fair - Sept. 24, 2011

The Franklin Township Historical Society is sponsoring an AUTHORS FAIR on Saturday, September 24, from 1 to 4 p.m., at the Franklin Road Branch Library. The event is free, and will provide readers and would-be writers with the opportunity to meet 10 (or more) local authors, look at their books, and perhaps buy an autographed copy or two.

Other features of the afternoon will include a panel led by three authors who represent different aspects of current writing. Brenda (Kight) Lempp will talk about her poetry which she began writing at age 13. She has self-published two chap books which include some of her experiences growing up as one of nine children. She attended Acton Grade School, graduated from Franklin Central and from Franklin College where she earned a journalism degree. She now lives in Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband and their three children.

Panel member Greg Seiter has a full-time job with the AAA Hoosier Motor Club as public affairs manager, and is also a free-lance writer for several publications.including AAA’s Home & Away and SOUTH. He is a graduate of Perry Meridian High School and the University of Indianapolis. He lives in Franklin Township with his wife and two children.

The third panel member is Anne Meyer, a graduate of Broad Ripple High School, and Indiana University. She also did graduate work in Education at Ball State. She received her Diaconal Minister’s Order from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She has written many strories, articles, and devotional literature. She has four children, and 6 grandchildren “from 2 to 5 years old.” She lives in Franklin Township with her husband, and is a member of the Acton United Methodist Church.

The panel will each give a brief summary of his/her writing experiences, and then respond to questions from the audience. There will be drawings for several door prizes during the afternoon, a table of used books on writing for sale and light refreshments.

Everyone is welcome. Authors displaying their works will include Joe Skvarenina, Debbye Butler, Duane Nickell, Brenda Lampp, Cindy Whitis, Theresa Hatfield, Gary Straber, Betty J. Spahr, David Ostheimer, Sylvia Henricks,and perhaps others.

Marjorie Main, again on the silver screen

We posted last year when the Historic Artcraft Theatre in Franklin, Indiana showed a classic Marjorie Main film. Marjorie Main was born right here in Franklin Township -- in the town of Acton, to be precise -- and appeared in more than 80 films, often opposite big-name stars such as Humphrey Bogart and John Wayne. She is best known as Ma Kettle, from the series of popular comedies.

If you missed your chance to see Acton's big-screen diva in action -- or if you'd like to see her again -- thank your lucky Hollywood stars, because they're doing it again!

This year, the Artcraft is showing the classic comedy Ma and Pa Kettle Go To Town the weekend of September 30-October 1. Get your tickets early; the theatre, which can seat over 500 attendees, has been known to sell out for popular films. People come from all over the world (literally!) to see movies at the vintage theatre. You can pre-order tickets at the Artcraft's website.

The Historic Artcraft Theatre is a 1922 vaudeville house and movie theatre that is now in the care of Franklin Heritage, Inc. It is staffed by volunteers, and all proceeds from events and ticket sales go toward restoration and preservation of this historic jewel. Arrive early and tour the building, or have a snack at one of Franklin's local eateries.

IHS Civil War Trail: Tennesee Revisited trip

The Franklin Township Historical Society is not affiliated with the Indiana Historical Society, but the members of both organizations have similar interests. For that reason, you might be interested in this recent press release from the IHS:

Join us as we continue our travels in celebration of the Civil War Sesquicentennial this fall. During this trip, we explore both well-known and less familiar Civil War sites in Tennessee. Noted author and historian James Hoobler, senior curator for the Tennessee State Museum and former executive director of the Tennessee Historical Society, joins us and brings to life notable Tennessee battles and generals.

Our tour begins with a visit to Civil War and Reconstruction at the Tennessee State Museum. We travel on to Shiloh to learn about the controversial Battle of Shiloh and its connection to Indiana and General Lew Wallace. From there, we follow John Bell Hood’s campaign, learning about the Battle of Franklin with stops at Fort Granger, Winstead Hill, Carter House and Carnton Plantation, the setting for the New York Times bestseller Widow of the South. We’ll also visit Harrison House, a private home and formerly General Hood’s headquarters, and enjoy a progressive dinner in three significant Civil War era homes: Elm Spring, Rippavilla Plantation and Ferguson Hall.

To register or receive more information please contact Jennifer Hiatt at 317-234-2670 or e-mail at jhiatt@indianahistory.org.

Members' Lunch at the Propylaeum

submitted by president emerita Sylvia Henricks

A day-trip is always fun, and the Society members who drove into Indianapolis in early July to visit the Propylaeum on Delaware Street for a tour and lunch had a good time. The big “Queen Anne style” mansion is the headquarters for a woman’s organization to “encourage the appreciation of the arts for the public, and especially for women." The name itself means “Gateway.”

It was organized in 1888, under the guidance of May Wright Sewell -- a painting of her by T.C. Steele is in the entrance hall – who became the first president. The group built an imposing stone clubhouse on North Street where they remained, sponsoring many groups for women, until the building of the World War Memorial in 1922 forced them to move. (Our member Joe Seiter brought a postcard of that first building to show us.)

The ladies purchased the house and lot at 1410 N. Delaware in 1923. The house had been built in the 1880s by a brewer whose wife wanted to live on the near north side, known as “the Gold Coast” area. It has many fine details – 12 foot ceilings, “pocket-doors.” A broad, carpeted staircase ascending three floors. A ballroom is on the third floor, along with the servants’ quarters. Six bedrooms and baths are on the second floor. Downstairs, the fireplace fronts are decorated with tile, believed to be Rookwood.

Later owners were George McCulloch, owner of the Indianapolis Star, and President and General Manager of the Indiana Transit Co. Another brewer, with many financial interests became the third owner, In the 1920s the College of Music and Fine Arts, a forerunner to the Jordan College of Fine Arts at Butler University, bought the property, but “decided to free itself from the financial burden, and the house was purchased with Liberty Bonds by the Propylaeum for $65,000. (Most of the above information is from a brochure given guests.)

As funds have allowed the house has been restored. It is a beautiful example of elegant living in a bygone era. We –14 of us—enjoyed a lovely meal in one of the formal parlors, the table set with stemmed glasses, china and

flowers.

It was Evelyn’s birthday, and the hostess put her at the head of the table, with a tiara on her head. Our meals enjoyed and finished, our thank-you’s expressed to the hostess and the servers, we left through the “Georgian Style” front door with its hand-wrought iron grill, to return to our humbler, but no less treasured, Southside homes.

General Lew Wallace Study & Museum

A few days ago, I had the privilege of making a special tour of the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum in Crawfordsville, IN, an easy morning's drive west of Indianapolis. If you have not had a chance to learn about this great American hero and author, I encourage you to make the trip!

Lew Wallace fought in two American wars (most notably in the Civil War, where he successfully defended both Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, OH from major Confederate attacks), served as governor of the New Mexico territory -- where he famously made a plea bargain with Billy the Kid, who later violated the agreement by breaking out of prison -- and served as the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. He presided over the trial of the conspirators who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. He was also an artist, a musician, an inventor and technological enthusiast. But he is best known as the author of the best-selling novel of the 19th century, a Biblical epic titled Ben-Hur. The book has been made into four motion pictures -- one of which is still tied for the record of most Academy Awards ever won by a single film -- an equally groundbreaking Broadway stage play, two stage musicals, and more.

The study, an exotic building of Wallace's own design and decorated with carved faces of characters from his books, is a delightful tour for those interested in history or architecture. It has been preserved in an almost undisturbed state -- it still contains Wallace's furniture, library and personal effects -- and is currently undergoing restoration on the interior to restore the original paint and intricate murals that were covered at some point in the past.

Also open is the visitor's center, originally the site's carriage house -- the gift shop is located in the stall belonging to the horse Wallace rode in the Civil War -- which houses an informative exhibit on historic preservation. For tour information, please visit the General Lew Wallace Study & Museum website.

Special Events

For Civil War enthusiasts, the museum is hosting a number of lectures and reenactments throughout the month of July, including lectures on the Underground Railroad, Civil War photographer Matthew Brady, and Mary Todd Lincoln. For more information, please visit http://ben-hur.com/aboutus/newsevents.html.

Lunch at the Propylaeum

Join us Wednesday, July 6 for an exclusive FTHS Membership event! We'll have a private tour of the historic Propylaeum, followed by a delicious lunch. (A donation of $1 is requested for the tour, and the full menu can be viewed here.)

For more information on the Propylaeum, visit thepropylaeum.org.

If your FTHS membership is not current, don't worry -- an annual membership is only $10, and you can renew it at any time! Visit our website's membership page for more information.

To RSVP to this event, email Nancy at nanvana@gmail.com.

IHS "Grave Matters" Cemetery Trip

The Franklin Township Historical Society is not affiliated with the Indiana Historical Society, but the members of both organizations have similar interests. For that reason, you might be interested in this recent press release from the IHS:

On June 9 join IHS Membership and Local History Services staff for an exciting day-trip to Spring Grove in Cincinnati, Ohio, one of the Midwest’s oldest historic cemeteries!

Founded in 1845, Spring Grove boasts over 400 acres of beautifully maintained gardens and cemetery spaces. The tour group will be treated to an in-depth, one hour walking tour by Spring Grove’s chief horticulturalist. The trip will include stops at two additional cemeteries in Indiana for brief walking tours.

Indiana cemetery experts Jeannie Regan-Dinius of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and Sheila Riley of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis will accompany the group and make presentations throughout the day. Lunch, snacks and transportation via coach will be provided.

Space is limited, so register now! To secure your spot, please contact Jennifer Hiatt at (317) 234-2670 or jhiatt@indianahistory.org. The registration fee is $40 for IHS members and $60 for non-members (includes Individual membership).

Please note: for the purposes of the walking tours, guests should be able to stand and walk for up to an hour at a time.

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

Beech Grove, our neighbor community to the north west, is the subject of a new book. being sold by the Beech Grove Library. Produced by Arcadia Publishing, as one of their Images of America Series, the 127 page book is well-written, interesting and full of new and old black and white photographs. Eleven of the photos are of postcards from the collection of our own society member, Joe Seiter. The text is written by Jim Hillman and John Murphy, “with the Beech Grove Public Library.”

The Foreword by former Beech Grove Mayor Donald Joe Wright gives an overview of the earliest days of the area, when the prominent families were the Churchmans, McGregors, Boltons and Cottmans. The Churchman property was then in Franklin Township, and George Cottman, who became a historian, wrote at one time of attending school at “No.9,” the one-room Franklin Township district school known as Poplar Grove.

In 1904 construction began on a large repair facility by the Big Four Railroad (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St.Louis Railway). Beech Grove as a town also had its beginning, at first only four homes and two businesses. But as the repair facility for engines and passenger cars grew, so did the town. Beech Grove was incorporated in 1906. The Shops were completed in 1908.. “Of the original 2400 acres the railroad had acquired, 640 acres were reserved for the Shops and rail operations, and the balance formed the original land for the town itself,” the authors wrote.

The name of the facility has changed over the years. In 1923 it took the name of its parent Company, the New York Central Shops. During World War II, it had its busiest years with 5000 men and women employed, but after the war railroad traffic declined, and in 1968 the NYC Railroad merged with Penn Central, and the facility became the Penn Central Shops.

The Federal Government created the Amtrak passenger rail system, which used the repair facilities of the Penn Central Shops in1975. In 1986 Amtrak took control of the facility, renaming it Amtrak Shops.

The attractive paperback, which sells for $23.50 at the Beech Grove Library also records the growth of Beech Grove, its businesses, schools, homes and celebrations. Beech Grove opted, in 1970, not to join UNIGOV, the county-wide consolidation with Indianapolis, and maintains its own government and municipal services. The Society has added a copy of the book to our collection of local histories, and you may look at it at our Meeting House.

2011 Quilt Show

We had quite a turnout for our 7th Quilt Show! If you missed the event, here are a few detail pictures highlighting the gorgeous pieces that were entered. You can view the full gallery at https://picasaweb.google.com/FranklinTownshipHistory/7thQuiltShowApr162011#.

Remembrances - Poetry

Today, we bring you one of Sylvia Henricks' "Remembrances." You can read more of Sylvia's columns weekly in The Franklin Township Informer, or in her book From The Ash Grove (available directly from the FTHS, and via the web site).

Brenda Lempp of Madison, Wisconsin, has been writing poetry, she says, since she was 13 year old. She was born and grew up in Acton, the third oldest of Clifford and Betty Kight’s nine children. Now married to her high school pen-pal from Germany, Steffan , who is a mathematics professor at UW-Madison, she is the mother of three children, and has recently published her second collection of poems about her childhood.

Brenda and I became acquainted several years ago when she worked for the Informer. After graduating from Franklin Central, she attended Franklin College, earning a degree in journalism. Brenda has worked for newspapers in Indiana, Florida, and Illinois. She has also taught, substituted, supervised a school lunch room, volunteered in school libraries, edited school yearbooks, and “clowned around as Buzzy the Clown with Happy’s Clown Club.”

Poetry has always been a big part of her life, she admits. She has led a poetry group for 20 years, and is a member of the Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets and the Wisconsin Regional Writers’ Association and. She published her first chapbook, Yellow Smiles, in 2000, and her poems have appeared in several publications.

Last year she produced her second book, Collecting Memories, Childhood Poems, dedicating it to her parents. So large a family provided Brenda with countless images and memories of the life they shared in Acton., images of home-made fun and happy times.

Brenda signed and sent two copies of her latest book, one for the Historical Society and one to me. In a note she said that she recently shared in a reading for the Wisconsin Festival of Poets. “I dedicated my reading to Mildred Mahler, and I read two of her poems,” Brenda wrote, “and several from my chapbook.” (Mrs. Mahler, named by some “Acton’s Poet Laureate” wrote many poems from which Olga Woolman and I chose some for a Township Historical Society’s publication, Apron Pocket Poems, printed in 1980.)

Collecting Memories contains 41 of Brenda’s poems, with the title poem on the back cover.

Being a poet, is a meaningful part of her life, Brenda Kight Lempp says, although she admits “I sometimes am too busy to write.” “But,” she adds, “I can’t stop writing.”

Brenda’s first chapbook, Yellow Smiles, Family Poems, about her three children, Kiki, Kari, and Kevin, was published in 2000. Her latest book, Collecting Memories was completed last year. Both books are in the Township Historical Society’s collection of local authors.

In Collecting Memories, Brenda writes about her own childhood in Acton where she grew up, one of nine children of Clifford and the late Betty Kight. She dedicated the book to her parents. Her poems reflect a happy, if sometimes crowded household, family fun, and many of the small-town pleasures of life in Acton.

The first one in the book is “Mom’s Favorites.”

I miss my childhood days
when mom cooked peppery sausage, biscuits and gravy,
or hot French toast topped with grape jelly.

For a snack after school,
we loved hot buttered sugar and cinnamon toast,
Those cold Indiana winters were warm
with Mom’s special home-canned vegetable soup.

For dinner, cornbread crumbled with white navy beans
or garden green beans cooked with potatoes and ham.
And oh, I could never resist smothered liver
or a rhubarb crisp cooked in Mom’s old iron skillet.

(three holiday meals omitted)

When I get homesick, there’s nothing
like cooking Mom’s favorites,
Just the smell of a bacon and egg sandwich at breakfast
takes me back home.

There’s only room for the two final verses of “My Special Place.”

Sometimes I look back,/ and I see the little girl/sitting by the lamp.
I hear the refrigerator murmur,/ the clock tick on the wall.
I feel the thirst for knowledge/ and the flow of words on paper.

Years later,/ I still want that corner in my life.
There is my special place/ the lamp warmed me/ the bench hugged me
The clock listened to me, / the refrigerator soothed me,/And words flowed from my pen.

The next best thing to writing poetry is to read it. Thank you, Brenda.

2011 Events

2011 promises to be busy! You can always check our online events calendar to see what's happening, but here's a quick reference of dates to save for this year's special events:

April 16 - 7th Quilt Show at Zion Education Building

May 15 - Croquet Tournament during Open Hours at Meeting House

June 4 - Postcard Exhibit during Open Hours at Meeting House

June 26 - Old Settlers Day in Wanamaker

July 6 - FTHS Members Tour and Lunch at the Propylaeum

July 17 - Vintage Toy Exhibit during Open Hours at Meeting House

September 18 - Big Run Cemetery Walk during Open Hours

October 16 - Ghost Stories during Open Hours at Meeting House

October 29 - Membership Harvest Dinner

December 18 - Old Fashioned Christmas Celebration at Meeting House

We're always adding more events to the calendar, so be sure to subscribe to our email list and check back for updates. If there's an event or topic you would like us to cover, be sure and let us know! You can visit us in person during Open Hours (the first Saturday and third Sunday of every month from 1 to 4 p.m., May through October) at the Meeting House, 6510 S. Franklin Rd., or contact us through our website.