Grover Museum facts for kids
Grover Center: Museum and Historical Society
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| Former name | The Louis H. and Lena Firn Grover Museum |
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| Established | 1981 |
| Location | 52 W. Broadway Shelbyville, Indiana 46176 |
| Type | History |
| Visitors | 6,500 (2018) |
| Founder | Shelby County Historical Society |
| Owner | Shelby County Historical Society |
| Nearest parking | Street parking, small lot behind museum |
The Grover Center: Museum and Historical Society is a cool place to learn about local history. It's located in Shelbyville, Indiana, in the USA. This museum used to be called the Louis H. and Lena Firn Grover Museum.
The Shelby County Historical Society runs the museum. Their main office is also in the building. The museum has three galleries that change their exhibits often. It also has three permanent galleries. These spaces show off old items that are important to the history of Shelby County, Indiana.
The Shelby County Historical Society took over the building in 1980. Before that, it was a meeting place for a group called the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. The museum officially opened its doors in 1981.
The Building's Past: Elks Lodge
Before it was a museum, the building was home to the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge No. 457. This group started in Shelbyville in 1898. By the late 1940s, the Elks needed a bigger place. Their old building was too small for them.
So, they started building a new lodge in 1950. On July 16, 1950, they laid the first stone, called a cornerstone. To celebrate, they put many important items inside the cornerstone. These items included:
- A history of their Shelbyville Lodge
- Names of their first leaders and founding members
- A copy of their official charter
- A copy of the land deed
- A list of past leaders
- Copies of newspaper articles about the building
- A United States flag
Over the next year, the Shelby Construction Co. built the new lodge. It was a large building, about 170 feet long and 59 feet wide. The building had 32 rooms! These rooms included a big dining room, a private dining room, a special basement room called a rathskeller, a lodge room, a kitchen, and lounges.
The grand opening of the Elks' new building was from March 28 to March 31, 1951. They had fun events like a smörgåsbord (a buffet with many dishes), bridge games, and entertainment. They also held a special meeting where 20 new members joined the Elks. This brought their total active members to almost 700!
In the 1970s, the Elks moved out of this building. They moved to a new location, which is now the Bear Chase Golf Club.
The Museum's Journey
The Shelby County Historical Society first formed in 1922. However, it was only active for a couple of years back then. In 1951, some people in the community decided to bring the organization back to life. Their first meeting was held at the Shelby County Courthouse.
More and more people joined the group. By 1967, there was enough interest to start the first Blue River Valley Pioneer Craft Fair. At this fair, visitors can see "living historians." These are people who dress up and show how crafts were made a long time ago. You can watch them at the Shelby County Fairground.
As interest in local history grew, the group realized they needed a place. They wanted a proper spot to store and show all the old items people were donating. In 1978, a woman named Lena Firn Grover left her farm to the organization in her will. The Historical Society sold the farm for $280,000 in 1979.
The money from the farm sale helped the museum buy the old Elks Lodge building. They made an offer on December 17, 1979. On January 10, 1980, their offer was approved!
The group first met in their new museum building on April 10, 1980. They also started making changes and fixing up the building. This cost about $75,000. Almost a year later, on March 5, 1981, the Shelby County Historical Society officially opened the Grover Museum. Their very first exhibit was called "From the Land, Shelby County Farming."
That same year, the museum held its first Quilt Show exhibit. This show is still held every year today!
Fun Exhibits to Explore
In 1988, work began on a special permanent exhibit called "The Streets of Old Shelby." This exhibit is like a life-sized village! It shows what shops and businesses might have looked like in Shelby County in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This amazing project took 15 years to finish. It was built in the Elks' old ballroom.
Besides "The Streets of Old Shelby," the museum also has a cool railroad exhibit. This exhibit features a railroad diorama, which is a miniature scene with two working trains. There's also an interurban train that runs around the top of the room!
If you visit on the third Saturday of the month, you can even get free root beer floats in the Emporium!
