Westfield Washington Historical Society & Museum

05/25/2020

Memorial Day 2020. Never forget their sacrifices. Hope in 2021 we can do similar events like this described in this articles from Noblesville Ledger May 25th. 1927

05/12/2020

Leaving a legacy: Jeff Mikesell retires from Westfield Fire Dept.

Thank you to the Mikesell family for their dedication to Westfield Fire Department http://youarecurrent.com/2020/05/12/leaving-a-legacy-jeff-mikesell-retires-from-westfield-fire-dept/

Someone from the Mikesell family has been a member of the Westfield Fire Dept. for nearly a century, a legacy that ended May 1 when Jeff Mikesell retired. Mikesell said he aspired to be a firefighter since childhood, when his father was a firefighter with WFD. But the family’s firefighting service

05/07/2020

Telephones, School Buses, Doughnuts and Roberts Settlement

05/07/2020

The Horse Thief Detective Association

04/01/2020

One of our small business downtown neighbors has an anniversary today. The historic barn is one of the best examples how reuse can work. And be tasty! They are open for takeout! Call ahead! Rail

6 years ago today, we opened the doors to Rail! From just the two of us starting a grab and go market to now having a team of 25 running a full service restaurant, we’ve come a long way! We are so thankful to our landlords, Bob & Michelle Beauchamp, for believing in our vision for this old 1800’s barn, our family and friends for supporting us in this journey, our amazing team for their continued passion and hard work, and most of all to our wonderful community and guests who have supported us from Day 1! We love you all and are so grateful to be starting this next year.
~ Toby & Melanie

03/26/2020

During these hard times it is important to support local businesses even more than other times. Some of these are in very historic buildings, so people support them super extra on top of extra support! - Michael K
Rail Chiba Indy The Italian House on Park White House Donuts Westfield Super Bowl Pho Restaurant Cone + Crumb Jan's Village Pizza Greek's Pizzeria of Westfield

***Downtown Westfield Restaurant Update***
The Indiana “Stay At Home” order, which went to effect Tuesday night, does NOT include restaurants offering carryout and delivery options. Please continue to support our local Downtown restaurants!
Stay safe Westfield!
Chiba Indy Greek's Pizzeria of Westfield Rail The Italian House on Park Cone + Crumb Jan's Village Pizza Big Hoffa's Smokehouse Bar-B-Que Super Bowl Pho Restaurant Field Brewing Sunny's Chicken Westfield Grand Junction Brewing Co. Wolfies grill Westfield City of Westfield - Government Westfield Welcome Westfield Chamber

03/21/2020

Another item accessioned today. We need your help. 2020.2.1 (Westfield) Washington Township High School. Only name on the back of picture was Florence Rader. Please comment if you recognize someone. Make your comment in the detail pictures. Back row 1 = B1 from left to right; Front row 2nd person = F2 again from left to right. Westfield High School

03/21/2020

Social Distancing at the closed museum.

03/17/2020

Hamilton County Indiana

With a lot of the places closed where to go, it is a great time to do online research. Found this page with five death from Influenza 1918:
A Record of Indiana Men and Women who Died in the Service of the United States
and the Allied Nations in the World War.
1914-1918
http://genealogytrails.com/ind/hamilton/rollhonor.html
- Michael K

Hamilton County Indiana

03/15/2020

Anybody remember the basement gym? Any pictures? I don't recall... - Michael K

The pandemic has shut down the high school basketball state tournament series, the NCAA tournament series is canceled, and the NBA has temporarily suspended its season. We imagine many of you are missing basketball, so we’ve prepared this story for you. These shutdowns are reminiscent of when Carmel High School was closed during the flu epidemic a century ago in the midst of the wildest season of basketball in the school’s history. The flu outbreak in Clay and West Delaware Township was so bad that Carmel High School closed November 19 – December 30, 1918. The school reopened and closed two more times that winter. About 10 weeks of the schoolyear were lost. Carmel was closed longer than any other school in the county. That year Carmel was the first school in the county to start conducting medical inspections of its students. It was a novel idea that became a permanent part of the school system. Students who were ill were sent home.

The flu ban began three days after the first basketball game in which Carmel lost to Noblesville. The Carmel team was inexperienced. Only one player, Lester “Leck” Hinshaw, had returned for the 1918-1919 season as several of his teammates were ineligible due to poor grades. When school reopened in January 1919, Carmel traveled to Westfield to play in Westfield’s basement gymnasium, nicknamed the Rat Hole. The Rat Hole’s low ceilings gave two feet of clearance above the basket, a feature the home team was able to exploit to great advantage. A black mark on the ceiling above the basket told Westfield players where to place the ball for guaranteed points. In what is likely the most lopsided victory in county history, Westfield won 108-8.

In February Westfield traveled to Carmel’s new venue, the drive-through of the legendary lumberyard, where Carmel would win its only games of the season. The court had a dirt floor, and the sidelines were lined with stacks of lumber. By the end of the game, players were full of splinters! When balls bounced out of bounds, children searched for them between the stacks with flashlights.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle was the cold. There was no heating element in the drive-through, which was nicknamed “the Igloo” and “the Refrigerator.” Players wore long johns under their uniforms. The temperature during one particularly frigid game reached negative three degrees. Despite the cold and the dust kicked up during game, it was not uncommon to have 250 Carmel fans cheering from their favorite lumber pile or from the stairways one either side of the court. In the three years played at the lumberyard, Carmel only lost three home games, one of these to a strong Purdue team. Carmel adopted the unofficial nickname “Lumberjacks.”

In 1922 Carmel moved into the newly constructed high school building that would later be referred to as Old North. The school boasted modern amenities, including a gymnasium with lockers and showers. By adapting their fast style of playing to suit their new hardwood court, Coach Earl Hinshaw’s team became a State contender in 1924 and 1925.

03/14/2020

Reminder the museum is closed today.

03/13/2020

Support Noblesville Gym!

Noblesville High School Gymnasium was built in 1923 in the Neoclassical style. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Contributing resource in the Conner Street Historic District (NR-1439).

03/13/2020

Due to the current Coronavirus outbreak and the safety of our community and workers, the Westfield Washington Historical Society Museum and meetings will be closed and cancelled until further notice. This decision was made as most of our members and workers are in the high risk category. We want everyone to be protected and safe. We will continue normal operations when deemed appropriate. Thank you for understanding.

Please stay tuned to Facebook for further updates and for new information on Phase II reconstruction of our log cabin.

Diana Peyton
President

03/04/2020

That looks like some old wood in there. Great job!

What an awesome ribbon cutting. Thank you @webster_legal_llc Webster & Garino for showing us what hard work and determination has to offer. We love our members 💕

02/29/2020

County historian talks women’s history

Great write up by Anna Skinner for the Current in Westfield about David Heighway program. Thank you!

Hamilton County Historian David Heighway recently presented on prominent women in the county to commemorate Women’s History Month. The Feb. 19 presentation was part of a program for the Westfield Washington Historical Society. “We are looking at women’s history in the county, particularly the ...

02/21/2020

Suffrage materials in the Indiana Digital Collections - Indiana State Library

Related to our program yesterday

“We are convinced that the time has arrived when the welfare of the nation would be most effectually conserved by conferring upon women the privilege of voting and holding political office.” – Ida Husted Harper from “Suffrage – A Right” … Continue reading →

02/20/2020

Great turnout for our talk with David Heighway!

02/19/2020

Program meeting with David Heighway

02/12/2020

February's Newsletter has been published and is in the mail or your inbox depending on your delivery method.

02/08/2020

Save a Historic Westfield Cabin organized by Terry Carrithers

Just a little math. We have 1251 likes on this page. THANK YOU! We need about $45,000 to reach our goal. If everyone on this page gave $35 (less than most spent on coffee a month) - we would be done with our fundraiser to save this cabin!!
We have several ways to contribute:
1. We have a GoFundMe account set up at http://bit.ly/3aBsauI
2. Please follow our page at http://facebook.com/westfieldhistory
3. Mailing it directly to the Westfield Washington Historical Society
PO Box 103
Westfield, Indiana 46074
We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for your consideration and donation to this cause.

Terry Carrithers Save a Historic Westfield Cabin Want to join me in making a difference to the history of Westfield? The Westfield-Washington Historical Soci

02/08/2020

Save a Historic Westfield Cabin organized by Terry Carrithers

We are so glad we were able to rescue the Log Cabin Home. It was a lot of work and cost a lot of money on top of the work, but worth it. Now we need your help. Please donate so we can do the next phase of this project - bring it back to life! We will post our newsletter soon with more details, but here the link to the GoFundMe and a little taste of the history:
Donations:
1. We have a GoFundMe account set up at http://bit.ly/3aBsauI
2. Please follow our page at http://facebook.com/westfieldhistory
3. Mailing it directly to the Westfield Washington Historical Society
PO Box 103
Westfield, Indiana 46074
We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax-deductible.
Thank you for your consideration and donation to this cause.

The Cabin was built on the land of Nicholas Barker along Shady Nook Rd just north of SR32 - (please don't trespass on the property, it is a construction site and under surveillance still!). According to the Original Land-grant map he claimed it in 1835. Originally from North Carolina, he spent some time in Southern Indiana before coming here. He came with his wife and children and more children came later :) It was an elaborate cabin home for 1835 Westfield! - Michael K

02/08/2020

Ready for Paula’s phone quiz?

Anybody else have other details about Westfield Washington Township phone systems? Article by Paula Dunn in the Noblesville Times - Michael K
https://thetimes24-7.com/MobileContent/Columnists/Columnists/Article/Ready-for-Paula-s-phone-quiz-/13/163/64126?s=1

It’s been a long time since we’ve had a quiz, but I’ve got a doozy this week, thanks to Ed and Claire Snyder, Jim and Jan Snyder, and Tom and

02/08/2020

A Roberts Settlement success story

Great article by Paula Dunn - Michael K

It’s Black History Month! What better way to celebrate it than to devote a column to one of Roberts Settlement’s biggest success stories?That small African Amer

02/07/2020

The father of the Underground Railroad who funded Harriet Tubman’s rescue missions - Face2Face Africa

Important this month and every month - Michael K

One of William Still’s major accomplishments was teaching himself to read and write in a period when laws prohibited enslaved Africans and black people in general from doing so. Despite having little formal education, he was able to read everything available to him and studied grammar. This will b...

02/02/2020

Pretty exciting when you do research on a bronze marker for School No.1 and find a mention about the Rhodes Family incident! With information part of it I didn't realize would be there - more to come later :) and in the Newsletter - Michael K

02/02/2020

The cabin sees the light of day after 106 years. Please donate to our fund to rebuilt it and make it available for all to see! https://bit.ly/3aBsauI

02/02/2020

The cabin has been saved. As of Thursday, January 30th, the Westfield Cabin we have been trying to save has been disassembled and stored in a secure location.
The cabin was originally built by Nicholas Barker in about 1833 as one of the original landowners here in Westfield. The cabin was converted into a barn in 1914. In 1958 the barn was extended to its final size completely hiding the cabin. In 1978 the Noblesville Ledger wrote an article about "The Case Of The Mysterious Log Cabin", bringing light to the old cabin if for only a short period. 42 years later, a developer found out about the cabin when contacted by our President, Diana Peyton. The Developer gave the cabin to Diana and the Westfield Washington Historical Society. Diana was instrumental in putting together the plan we are currently using to save and reconstruct the cabin. This plan has been sent up in multiple phases.
We as the Historical Society have been able to empty out the barn and prep the cabin for deconstruction. Diana found our cabin historian, Steve Lalioff who created a schematic of the cabin and numbered all the logs to aid in the reassembly once we are ready. This part was completed between January 15th and January 27th.
Once this part of Phase 1 was completed we were ready to take down the barn that surrounded the cabin. This was accomplished on January 28th by the developer, Langston Development, who surgically removed the barn to expose the cabin for the first time in over 106 years.
Next was the deconstruction of the Cabin. We contracted Artesian Design to take apart and store the cabin properly in our secure location. This was also done in 1 day, on January 30, done properly and we were able to save all but 3 logs that we were sure couldn’t be saved.
Now that Phase 1 is complete we are ready to move to the next phase. This is where we need your help in raising funds to complete bringing the Cabin back to life as a part of Westfield’s downtown area.

Now, see why we are so excited! We need your help to raise funds to save and reconstruct this historic cabin. We are accepting donations of any amount – everything counts. We have several ways to contribute:
1. We have a GoFundMe account set up at http://bit.ly/3aBsauI
2. Please follow our page at http://facebook.com/westfieldhistory
3. Mailing it directly to the Westfield Washington Historical Society
PO Box 103
Westfield, Indiana 46074
We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so all donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for your consideration and donation to this cause.

02/01/2020

Woohoo! 1200 likes for our page! Thank you all! With our big Log Cabin project we need all the eyeballs we can get so please share our page with friends and family, local and out of town and state, and people just interested in history!

01/30/2020

Paula

What Paula said

Join in on the excitement with your Historical Society by joining or renewing your membership today. Watch for a letter from us with your renewal form enclosed and return it asap. If you have moved drop by the Museum any Saturday and update your address and renew your membership. We want everyone to join us in the excitement of the cabin restoration.
PM

01/28/2020

Today we deposited an additional $2,550 donations to our Cabin Fund.
Thanks you to the following donors who wrote us checks.

Carol Henderson
Joe Roberts
Jim Ake
Todd Barnes
An Anonymous Donor (you know who you are)

And All of the GoFundMe Donators

Your generosity is greatly appreciated. We now have
$5,195 in our first week.

More updates coming as we progress in disassembling the cabin and storing it. Phase 1 is well underway.

01/28/2020

Our Treasurer Terry posted a few updates on the GoFundMe page for our 1830s Log Cabin home rescue and rebuild project we need your help with! https://www.gofundme.com/f/disassemble-an-1830039s-historic-log-home?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=m_pd+share-sheet

01/25/2020

Save a Historic Westfield Cabin organized by Terry Carrithers

Our GoFundMe has been up for 7 days and we have collected just over 5% of what we have asked for. Not bad, but also not great. Long way to go. We have more details and history to share soon, so make sure to keep following our page. Please let others know that might be ready to help! https://www.gofundme.com/f/disassemble-an-1830039s-historic-log-home?d=9QJq5yom9%2FIQAY0BkomhAUd36%2FbBGI4v0Ja%2FhSXoh9Y%3D&fbclid=IwAR0zBhfvKeTXGiZl1eHST2f5K9Ewp9C5HLEj2oYnlSBFJHWd4vE6OSpLolU

Terry Carrithers Save a Historic Westfield Cabin Want to join me in making a difference to the history of Westfield? The Westfield-Washington Historical Soci