Getting the Big Picture                                                                           Ann Hollar

     For 30 years the Forks of the Wabash has been growing and expanding. What began with the restoration of the Chief’s House in 1977 by Jean Gernand, Mary Margaret Kelsay, and the HNHS Junior Historical Society has become the Forks of the Wabash Historic Park with an impressive 5,000 to 6000 visitors each year. The grounds now include not only the original “Indian House”, but also the Nuck log house (donated by Jim and Carol Shuttleworth in 1982), the schoolhouse, the  museum/Visitors Center, and a future trading post. Gardens were magnificent last year, and a paved path makes tours much easier.

     The volunteers who have given so many thousands of hours to see this site come together  and to maintain and share it have overcome a multitude of difficulties to establish and preserve  this historic treasure. Now we’re ready to face a new challenge...it’s time to grow again!

     We’re out of space! As our tours and special events continue to grow, we need more room!  School tours (54 school groups this year) currently begin outside no matter what the weather... the Visitors Center is now a complete, fully functional museum with no room to gather groups that can include over 100 students at a time.

     Events are dependent on good weather or are limited to the space available. Meetings can be small... or outside!

     The Gift Shop is thriving, but it’s a tight squeeze (as is the storeroom) and most tour

groups have to be divided and take turns to fit. The current office is often a hub of activity, but is smaller than many closets. We have an awesome location and we want to take full advantage of our view of the Wabash, too.   

                As announced at the Annual Dinner in October, we need to build! The planned new addition will include:

®        A large multi-functional meeting room

®        A warming kitchen                      

®        An expanded gift shop              

®    A conference room

®    An archival storage area

     The old gift shop will become the new office, and the old office will be a small

library/ research room. The meeting room will allow for meeting and eating space for school

and adult tours. It will be available for rental for community functions as well as provide space for larger Forks events.

     We need your help! The Forks can’t exist without its members, friends, and volunteers. Please

consider a gift of money, time, or materials to make this next phase at the Forks a reality!

     In case you have not noticed the theme of this newsletter is getting people fired up about helping to raise funds and share their talents as we begin building the new addition to the Visitors Center.  Just in case there is anyone reading this newsletter and asking–“Why do we need an addition to the perfectly good Visitors Center we already have.?”

I have been given the opportunity to explain our needs.

Didn’t we just “expand” the visitor’s area to accommodate school tours and groups? 

Yes, with the help of many dedicated volunteers.  But  this has  made the Historic Forks and the  school tours  more popular and  we need to be able to accommodate  the large groups that come each spring and fall.

How many children are we talking about?

School tours have from 24 to 70 children and their chaperones.  Those of you that have attended a school tour lately know that  we greet them on buses,  because we do not have a room large enough to meet  with them all at one time.  Some of the rotation stations during tours often meet outside, because of the lack  of room in the buildings.  Let me be clear, the stations that  meet outside are not limited to the trails, gardens or Miami; often they are music and speakers.  It is only the truly dedicated who will set out in the rain to teach people how to play the dulcimer.  Most of the schools eat lunch with us, and in a downpour must crowd into the museum for lunch, eating surrounded by our exhibits.   Kids love to shop… imagine trying to squeeze 30 kids into our tiny gift shop at one time!

Are school tours the only thing that is bursting at the seams?

When invite other groups to host special exhibits at our museum …  one quickly realizes the need for more space.  For example, if you have attended our QUILT SHOW you might remember that the museum exhibits are hidden behind the quilts hanging on large quilt racks. Exhibit cases are draped with quilts – hiding their contents. There is no room for demonstrations because there is no room. We are limited in the number of active participants due to lack of room. And, the rummage sale of quilting fabrics and products is squeezed into the hallway next to the restrooms!.

CHRISTMAS AT THE FORKS is limited in the number of participates due to the lack of room – we simply can not fit in any more trees.  This is lost revenue, because each tree is purchased by or for a group, and the “voting” is done by for donations placed in a jar at the base of each tree.  More trees… more donations.  The planning committee would like to expand, perhaps even adding new pieces, but the discussion always ends with… “we don’t have enough room for that!"

What about other holiday and/or outdoor events?

This is a constant worry…. Think about July… THE FOURTH AT THE FORKS.   One word describes the worry… RAIN.  Rain would shut that program down each year.  Due to the location in the floodplain, the two shelter houses are very limited in size—and use.  We cannot bring a```            Q43S crowd indoors. 

What other programs might benefit?

The purpose of the Historic Forks is not only to preserve history, but to do this through education.  Educational programming has taken a back seat due to the lack of space.  We cannot seat more than 30 people.  Often we are presented with wonderful opportunities to have guests come and share their knowledge and talents and we must turn them away because of lack of space.

The Forks has a long tradition with making do- getting by with what we have.  That time has passed.  We have come to the time when we need to grow.  The lack of space is now a consideration in every aspect of our daily work and planning.  The Board has begun the work to create the addition.  Money has been set aside to do the work.  The tipping point for this project is when we can honestly say the membership and our friends are behind us, and they see a need for the vision we have.  Be a part of those who are working to break that tipping point!