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Living Life After 50
June 2024
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Elko Edition REaching ElkhaRt, kosciusko, noblE and lagRangE countiEs
Vol. 37, No. 4
www.seniorlifenewspapers.com
Goshen Historical Society
preserves city’s past KEEPING IT SAFE — C.G. Adams once operated a dry goods store in the building that now houses the Goshen Historical Museum. This safe was purchased when Adams operated a store in Switzerland County in southeastern Indiana in the late 1880s. It was later moved to stores in Tennessee and Rolling Prairie before coming to a Goshen store in 1898. It was moved to its current location in 1901, and was used to store jewelry and clock stock. It also held four, keyed lock boxes that were rented to customers to secure items while they traveled. Volunteer Wanda Hoffman said the safe is a favorite artifact of many who visit the museum. Text and Photos By KEITH KNEPP Editor Quietly situated along Goshen’s Main Street is a building filled with a treasure trove of historical items from the city’s illustrious past. The Goshen Historical Museum is housed in a building constructed as part of a block of retail stores by Charles A. Harper during 1888. It was leased to C.G. Adams and sons in 1901 following Harper’s retirement. It is operated and maintained by the Goshen Historical Society. Renamed “The Adams Store,” the new owner remodeled the interior, including new, long shelving and extended front windows. These modifications can still be seen today, holding
some of the museum’s displays. The current awning includes the store’s name, solidifying it as part of the city’s history. Wanda Hoffman is one of the Goshen Historical Society’s numerous volunteers. A retired nurse, she has been a part of it organization for the past 12 years. “My husband remembers that I was getting kind of down after my retirement,” said Hoffman. “He said, ‘you’re interested in history and families; why don’t you go check out the museum?’” Hoffman also recalled perusing a book about the city’s history, “Goshen’s First 150 Years.” “It didn’t have an index,” she said. “It was so frustrating to try to find something. I sat down at home and read the
book and made out the index.” Then, a volunteer at the Elkhart County Historical Museum in Bristol (which she continues to do), Hoffman shared the new index to with people at the Goshen Historical Society. After he showed them her work, Hoffman was immediately offered an opportunity to volunteer for the organization. “That was the start of it, being curious and wanting to help,” she said. “I think it’s important to serve as a link between the past and what will come in the future. I like the research part of my work.” Part of her role with the Goshen museum is to catalog new items that are donated to the collection. She meticuContinued on page 2
PICTURES OF THE PAST — Pictured are numerous boxes filled with photos, which were donated to the Goshen Historical Museum by a former local newspaper reporter after his retirement.
DOCUMENTING HISTORY — Wanda Hoffman holds a baby photo of Jean Nymeyer, who died in 1932 at the age of 13. A large painted portrait of Nymeyer hangs on the wall of the Goshen Museum as part of its collection. Nymeyer’s parents, Fred and Grace, built what is now know as Prairie Manor on U.S. 33.
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