Lake County museum looking for new home; must vacate old courthouse by Dec. 31

Chicago Tribune

15 hours ago

Time travel is a possibility at the Lake County Historical Society Museum.
The museum, housed in 4,000 square feet on the second floor of the Old Lake County Courthouse in downtown Crown Point, is filled with donations that go back to the 1800s when both Crown Point and Lake County were in their infancy.
Finding new homes for these museum treasures, including diaries from Civil War soldiers, an 1821 Gutenberg printing press and a symphonion music box and cabinet from 1890 that still plays, is now the job of Executive Director Diane Gora and some eight volunteers.
Gora herself is an unpaid volunteer.
'We were given notice on July 31 that we have until Dec. 31 to vacate the space,' Gora said.
Notice was given from the Lake Courthouse Foundation, owners of the courthouse, who couldn't be reached for comment.
'We can't afford the rent right now,' Gora said.
The museum has been housed in the courthouse for 43 years this month.
'We've had a good 43 years,' she said.
Gora said the Lake County Historical Society, which operates the museum, is one of the oldest continuously operating historical societies in Indiana.
It's still gearing up to celebrate its 150th anniversary with an open house from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sept. 27.
'Our goal is to maintain the society and keep it going for another 150 years. The elephant in the room is taking care of people's treasures,' she said.
Gora said the society knew two years ago that they would be asked to move the museum out of the courthouse.
During that time period, Gora and volunteers have tried to inventory everything.
'We have been working diligently to do an inventory; none had been done before,' she said.
So far, 5,000 items have been logged and can be accounted for.
'We are struggling to get through all the items,' she said.
She said part of her group's tedious process, in addition to logging everything, is trying to connect items with their donors.
'It's not a matter of putting things out in a dumpster. We're trying to find paperwork that links items with the family. Do they want the item back or donate it to another place?' she said.
Her group is also able to loan or gift items, if pertinent to that community, to other cities or historical societies.
The Lake County Parks Department, including Deep River Mill and Buckley Homestead, has taken some of the museum's items, as has the city of Gary and the Old Sheriff's House Foundation in Crown Point.
The Lake County Historical Society Museum includes two rooms that are open to the public, plus two rooms used for storage of many items, including 50 bins of military and vintage clothing.
On a recent Tuesday, Crown Point residents Alicia and Scott Savoy came to the museum after hearing that it would no longer be located there after Dec. 31.
It was their second visit to the museum.
'This is great,' Alicia Savoy said of the items inside the museum, adding, 'It's telling a story.'
There's plenty to see, including the astronaut spacesuit Crown Point native Jerry Ross wore on one of his many trips into space; 'technology' from the early 1900s, such as typewriters and adding machines; as well as a German-made silent movie camera patented in the early 1900s.
'We're trying to preserve as much as we can,' Gora said.
Gora hopes that the museum can find a new home for all its treasures, and she said she has had at least one offer from a Dyer businessperson who would let them use a storefront for items.
'It (a new location) will never be as right as this is,' she said of the museum's present location.
Those with questions about the museum or the society can call [phone] or [phone].
The phone number for the foundation is [phone]