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Last updated on Thursday, July 28, 2016
(PAOLI) - The Orange County Historical Society’s Annual Old Fashion Ice Cream Social will be held Sunday, August 28 from 2 till 5 .m. at the historic Lindley House, located on Willow Creek Road in Paoli.
Planned events include guided historic home tours, ice cream and homemade desserts, live entertainment, heritage activities and more.
The event is free; however donations will be accepted that afternoon to help maintain and preserve the historic Lindley House site.
Attendees are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs as seating on site will be limited.
OCHS President Robert F. Henderson announced that local or area craftsmen, artists, historians, and skill demonstrations are still being sought for the popular event and invited to set up in and around the front lawn area to demonstrate and sell their wares.
Persons or groups interested in participating should contact him as soon as possible at (812) 653-1212 or email rfh2@netsurfusa.net
"We really would like to invite everyone to come out during this Bicentennial year and join us for a fun family event to re-live and share rich memories of the past." He added
An Orange County 200 History Market area is also being planned that afternoon with various groups being invited to display and sell commemorative type items relating to 200 years of Orange County history.
Member Becky Gardner reported that a number of Lindley family descendants are expected to be in attendance and will be especially honored guests during the ice cream social..
Trustee Terry Cornwell says work is being done at the Lindley House including repair work to the historic front and side porches. The exterior of the historic home will also be receiving a fresh new coat of paint which will also include some repair work on the home's windows. Jeff Cook of Genesis Painting have been hired to perform the work.
Henderson says the familiar green shutters will be removed from the outside of the home during the repainting efforts as archival early photographs of the Lindley farmhouse indicate the shutters are not original to the house, but were added in more recent years.
Henderson says the society's overall goal is to maintain the site as close as possible to reflect the time period 1850-1869 when it was used as a farm home.
Member Julie Morris volunteered to help replace the blinds in all of the interior windows of the house to better help protect the antique furnishings, quilts and vintage clothing from damaging sunlight. Morris also agreed to repair the screen doors on the house.
The gardens at the Lindley House are also getting some much attention with member Karen Padgett working to clean up the Memorial Garden area. Appreciation was also expressed by members present to The Dirt Diggers Garden Club for their continual partnership in maintaining the back garden area at the site. New signage recognizing the club for their efforts has been ordered and will placed at the garden site.
Henderson expressed appreciation to those society members who braved the heat and humidity and came out for the recent work day held at house to clean, freshen and moving some things around in the interiors. A second work day is planned on site for August 10 at 9 a.m.
Recent discussion has focused on exploring ways the site can be more accessible to residents, visitors, school groups and others as opposed to generally being open just once a yera for the annual ice cream social. The home site also is open to visitors, schools or groups for guided tours by appointment by contacting Henderson or any other OCHS officers or board members.
The OCHS Museum with artifacts and displays showcasing Orange County history, located on the northwest part of the Paoli square is presently open to visitors Mondays through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. There is no cost to tour the museum; however donations are accepted.
Henderson shared that the group's various Social Media sites had recently been updated and enhanced including the website www.historicorangecounty.org and face book page.
There are still about 130 "Reflections of Orange County: A Pictorial Journey (1816-2016) commemorative books left for purchase. Cost of each book is $40. Shipping costs are $10 if mailed. The book is an OCHS' Official Bicentennial Legacy Project as endorsed by the Indiana Bicentennial Commission.
Henderson also shared plans for a workshop to be held on September 27 with Indiana Historical Society staff members who will be visiting both the local museum and Lindley House for an informal assessments of the OCHS historic collection care, and its current exhibits. More details on the training session will be announced.
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