CHAMPAIGN COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM - Champaign County Historical Society News

Mike Major to Speak on Sculptor J.Q.A. Ward at History Museum on April 7

3/20/2024

Indian Hunter Sculpture by John Quincy Adams Ward

Champaign County sculptor Mike Major will speak on the work and life of 19th century sculptor John Quincy Adams Ward at 2 p.m. Sunday, April 7, at the Champaign County Historical Society Museum, 809 East Market St., Urbana. The presentation is free and open to the public.

Ward, born in Urbana in 1830, became known as the “Dean of American Sculpture” for his naturalistic works, including the Indian Hunter, placed in New York City’s Central Park. A replica of the sculpture, commissioned by his wife on his passing in 1910, marks his grave at Oak Dale Cemetery in Urbana.

Major restored the Indian Hunter at Oak Dale Cemetery in 2018. He says that Ward got his start in sculpting as a youth in Urbana. He enjoyed sculpting small animals, figures on horseback, sawmills, and populated villages.

About the Champaign County Historical Society
The Historical Society museum collects, preserves, and interprets artifacts, documents, and other resources from Champaign County to educate current and future generations about our history.

The museum has been located at 809 East Lawn Ave., Urbana, since 1972. Originally established in 1934, the museum first housed its collection at the former location of the Champaign County Library on West Market Street, and then moved to the Nutwood Barn, south of Grimes Field on North Main Street.
The museum is open to the public 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

Photo caption:
This photo, of the Indian Hunter sculpture at John Quincy Adams Ward’s Oak Dale Cemetery gravesite, is from the William “Bill” Whitman photography collection in the Champaign County Historical Society’s archives.

Big Changes Coming to Historical Society Museum

12/6/2023

Champaign County Historical Museum Renovations

To enable our staff and volunteers to move exhibits from the upstairs area, and to move the workspace upstairs, the museum will be closed starting December 11th. We will reopen on January 28, 2024, for our annual meeting.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this might cause and look forward to seeing everyone in the new year!

Christmas at the Museum Set for Dec. 10

11/3/2023

Christmas at the Museum

The annual Christmas dinner will be held Dec. 10, 2023, beginning with a social hour at 4:00 pm. Dinner, catered by Amy Forest of In Good Taste Catering, will be served at 5:00 p.m. by the Girl Scout Troop #32191 and adviser, Ashley Skinner. The cost will be $20.00 per person paid in advance.

The social hour will offer beverages and a charcuterie service of assorted cheeses, veggies, and crackers. The meal will include brown sugar glazed spiral sliced ham, au gratin potatoes, green beans almondine, rolls, butter, and assorted small bite desserts. Beverages of water, tea and coffee will be available.

To ensure everyone can have a comfortable dining experience, we have a reservation limit of 60 people. The dinner is not limited to CCHS members. Feel free to invite your friends! Call the Museum, 937-653-6721, Mon – Fri 10-4 and Sat 10-2 to reserve your spot. (Reservations are not final until the money has been received.)

Holiday music, flickering candles, delicious food – who could ask for more!

Picnic on the Lawn Set for August 27th

7/28/2023

Champaign County Historical Museum Picnic on the Lawn

Celebrate the summer and spend a lazy Sunday afternoon enjoying a delicious lunch at the Museum. With the support of The Peoples Savings Bank, the 3rd Annual Picnic on the Lawn will be held August 27, 2023 at 1:00 p.m. Bring your friends and savor the delicious chicken salad, yummy croissant, baked beans, and pasta salad served by In Good Taste Catering. Top it off with home baked berry cobbler, iced tea or lemonade…what could be better?

Tickets are $12.00 per person and are available at the Museum, The Peoples Savings Bank or on this website. Ticket sales end Aug. 23. No tickets will be available the day of the event!

See you at the “Picnic on the Lawn”!

"Most Unusual" & "Most Valuable" Items at the 2023 Antique Appraisal Fair

4/6/2023

During the recent Antique Appraisal Fair at the Champaign County Historical Museum prizes were awarded for the “Most Unusual” and the “Most Valuable“ items submitted for appraisal.

Sue Evans Berkemeier Greg Shipley meteorite

Shown is Sue Evans Berkemeier with appraiser, Greg Shipley, and the meteorite which was discovered by her father and grandfather on the family farm in Champaign County. Found in the late 1940’s, it weighs about 20 pounds and is millions of years old. It has been verified and tested as authentic by the OSU labs As this is such a rare find, she was the winner of the award for the “Most Valuable” item presented at the Fair.

Gary Shambaugh Antique Appraisal Fair

Taking the prize for the “Most Unusual” item was a folk- art piece described as an “iron pig”. Shown is Gary Shambaugh who found the item in a box of toys purchased at a yard sale in the 1970’s. He wanted the hot wheels which were in the box, but, on discovering the unusual figure, he decided to keep it. The figure was painted yellow with pink dots and upon removing the paint he discovered the figure had an animal body with a man’s face. It is considered a rare piece of folk art valued between $250-300.

Mrs. Berkemeier and Mr. Shambaugh donated the cash prizes to the Museum.

Round Barns of America - 75 Icons of History By Robert Kroeger BOOK SIGNING EVENT

3/22/2023

APRIL 14, 2023
12 -2 pm
Champaign Co. Historical Museum
809 E. Lawn Ave. Urbana, OH
Free Admission

Join us April 14, 2023 from 12 -2 pm, when artist and writer, Robert Kroeger, will visit the Champaign County Historical Society and Museum (CCHS) to sign his latest book Round Barns of America – 75 Icons of History.
The hard cover book features 75 round barns (circular, octagonal, or other polygonal without right angles) in 32 states, stretching from the east coast to the wild west. Enjoy the colorful stories, some of them intriguing rags to riches tales such as Absalom Jennings and his Nutwood, the brick round barn, built in 1858 in Ohio, and Schandor Herz, born in Slovakia in the 19th. century and raised in Chicago, finishing his years on a sumptuous Kentucky horse farm in Bourbon County and its rare tetradecagonal barn. Together, these 75 round barns represent a cross section of American pioneers, dating from years before the American Revolution to the glory decades of round barns – 1870s to 1920s. It is the first book to cover round barns on a national scope and its stories capture early Americana!
Three round barns in Champaign County were included in the book and the owners of the barns will share their knowledge of their respective barns’ history and architectural details. In addition, Mr. Kroeger will share stories of his travels and discoveries.
Complimentary wine and light refreshments will be served following the program.
Mr. Kroeger has appeared twice at the museum in the past to demonstrate his barn painting technique and to sign his previous book published in 2021, Historic Barns of Ohio. Following his presentations, he presented the Museum with twenty- four of his original Champaign County barn paintings for use as a fund raising tool. The CCHS featured twelve of the paintings on the 2023 Calendar. The proceeds of the calendar sales and a percentage of the proceeds from the auction of those twelve paintings have gone towards the operations of the Museum. The additional twelve paintings will be offered at auction in the near future.
If you are unable to attend the book signing, you may purchase the book from the publisher, Acclaim Press - www.acclaimpress.com

"The Tuskegee Airmen" Books for Sale at the Museum

2/15/2023

Tuskegee Airmen books for sale

Join us in recognizing and celebrating Black History Month. This book would make a wonderful gift to an aspiring artist or airman! Let these artful pages introduce the heroes we know as the Tuskegee Airmen. Did you know that Champaign County's Wendell Stokes was part of this extraordinary corps? The books are available in the museum.

2023 Calendar of Events

12/30/2022

Are you interested in finding out what we have planned for 2023 here at the Champaign County Historical Society Museum? Take a look below to see our full calendar of events for the year and fill your calendar with your favorites!
*All events are subject to change.

January 22     Annual Membership Meeting          2:00 p.m.

February 26    Black History Month Presentation 2:00 p.m.

March 23        Antique Appraisal Fair                   5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

April 14          Dr. Robert Kroeger                           12:00 p.m.
                        Round Barns of America
                        Book Signing and Barn Stories

May 20-21      Mid-American Band Organ Rally 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
                         https://www.mechanicalmusic.org/band-organs

July 16            Ice Cream Social                               2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

August 27       Picnic on the Lawn                           1 p.m. – 3 p.m.

October 1       Oktoberfest                                        10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

November 5   Bowling Party                                   1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

December 10 Christmas Dinner                             4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Membership meeting January 22nd at 2 p.m. followed by a program on the history of North Lewisburg presented by Max Coates

12/17/2022

THE HISTORY OF NORTH LEWISBURG
1826 – PRESENT
“In 1826, Gray Gary liked the valley of Big Darby Creek so well he laid out this village. The name Lewisburg was in honor of General Andrew Lewis, whom he held in high regard, and it was incorporated in 1844.” The North Lewisburg motto is “Where family, friends, and traditions stay for a lifetime.”

On January 22, 2023, at 2 p.m. Max and Janice Coates will be presenting a program on the history of North Lewisburg at the Champaign County Historical Society located at 809 E. Lawn Ave. Urbana, Ohio. Join us on the 22nd of January to find out fun and interesting facts about this area of Rush Township.

Chester Hooley Exhibit Open House at the Museum Dec. 8

11/30/2022

Chester Hooley art exhibit

The Champaign County Historical Society is currently working on a new exhibit featuring local artist Chester Hooley. This exhibit will feature Hooley’s watercolors as well as some of his other works.

The exhibit will open to the public on December 8, 2022, at an open house event from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. There will be refreshments available.