The Indiana Historical Society (IHS) is pleased to announce that the Marshall County Historical Society Museum, located in Plymouth, has been named winner of the 2014 Outstanding Historical Organization Award. The Historical Association received the award during IHS’s annual Founders Day event on Monday, December 1st, at the Eugene and Marilyn Glick Indiana History Center in downtown Indianapolis.
The Outstanding Historical Organization Award is given annually to a local or county historical society, organization or site in Indiana that has demonstrated remarkable public services and programs in its community. The annual Founders Day dinner celebrates the accomplishments of historians, teachers, writers and businesses from around the state, as well as the work of IHS.
The Marshall County Historical Society (MCHS) includes a genealogical research library, which provides all the newspapers extant in Marshall County, cemetery readings, and church, birth, marriage, and death records that date back as far as 1836. MCHS expanded its influence by purchasing two additional buildings to develop an interactive Train Room, Crossroads Center and Conference Center, and to enlarge the Fites Family Genealogy Department and Research Library.
Eight years ago, the Historical Society partnered with Tri Kappa to develop a cemetery History Walk and a Ghost Walk. During both of these events, MCHS uses local, talented presenters to bring the history to life. Its board of trustees and staff have also partnered with the LaPaz Lions Club to install signage in 43 Marshall County cemeteries and to design a booklet that includes a map and short history of 73 Marshall County cemeteries. Recently, MCHS partnered with sophomores at Plymouth High School’s Weidner School of Inquiry to create a digital story of 35 World War II veterans that is part of the museum’s Military Room, which has been approved by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission as a Legacy Project.
