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, USA. The museum is run by the Shelby County Historical Society. Their main office is also in the building.
The museum has three changing exhibits and three permanent ones. These exhibits show off important historical items from Shelby County, Indiana. The Shelby County Historical Society took over the building in 1980. It used to be a club called the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks Lodge No. 457. The museum officially opened its doors in 1981.
Contents
The Building's Past Life
Before it was a museum, this building was home to the Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. This group started in Shelbyville in 1898. By the late 1940s, the Elks needed a bigger place. Their old building was too small.
So, they started building a new lodge in 1950. On July 16, 1950, they laid the first stone. This special stone held many important items. These included a history of their club, names of members, and copies of old documents. They even put in a United States flag.
The Shelby Construction Co. built the new lodge. It was a large building with 32 rooms. It had a big dining room, a kitchen, and a special club room. The grand opening was from March 28 to March 31, 1951. They had fun events like dinners and special meetings. About 700 members joined the Elks club at that time.
In the 1970s, the Elks moved out of this building. They moved to a new spot, which is now the Bear Chase Golf Club.
A New Chapter: The Museum Opens
The Shelby County Historical Society first formed in 1922. But it was only active for a few years. In 1951, some local people decided to bring the group back. They wanted to save and share local history.
As more people became interested, the group realized they needed a place. They needed somewhere to keep and show the historical items. These items were being donated to them. In 1978, a woman named Lena Firn Grover helped a lot. She left her farm to the historical society in her will.
The society sold the farm for $280,000 in 1979. This money allowed them to buy the old Elks Lodge building. They bought it on January 10, 1980.
Getting the Museum Ready
The historical society first met in their new building in April 1980. They also started making big changes to the building. These renovations cost about $75,000. Almost a year later, on March 5, 1981, the Grover Museum officially opened. Their very first exhibit was called "From the Land, Shelby County Farming."
That same year, the museum started its first Quilt Show. This show is still held every year today.
Exciting Permanent Exhibits
In 1988, work began on a special permanent exhibit. It's called "The Streets of Old Shelby." This exhibit is a life-sized village. It shows what shops and businesses looked like in Shelby County. You can see how things were 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 has another cool exhibit. It's a railroad exhibit. You can see a model train setup 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 get free root beer floats! They serve them in the Emporium section of the museum.
