SIDNEY — The Shelby County Historical Society teaches us about our past, yet looks to its own future. The Society will use the funds from Match Day to renovate their annex located at 115 North St., Sidney. The structure is located across from the Society’s home in the William A. Ross, Jr. Historical Center.
“The Society purchased the building several years ago with the thought that the building could be easily updated. These hopes quickly vanished with the arrival of the first estimates,” said Tilda Phlipot, executive director. “We have decided to renovate the building in several phases. The first phase will be to stabilize the building by completing roof repairs, and painting and caulking the exterior walls of the building. The second phase will be to renovate the inside of the annex to help the Society be able to have more space for educational programming and storage for artifacts.”
The annex will give local history group the opportunity to host larger programs and exhibits that the Ross Center may not accommodate. “It also gives us much needed storage space to appropriately preserve historic items that are specific to Shelby County and could not be found outside our region,” said Phlipot.
“Our board saw the vision that the building has the location, space, and accessibility to let us do more for school groups and adults who participate in our programs. If our Match Day support is successful, it will help us do what is necessary to preserve the structure for future use.”
To support the Shelby County Historical Society on Match Day, gifts must be made payable to the Community Foundation of Shelby County with: Match/Historical Society noted on the memo or in an accompanying note or form. Details and forms are available at the Community Foundation website at www.commfoun.com and at the Shelby County Historical Society. Gifts must be received on or before Nov. 27 to be eligible for up to $5,000 in matching money.
