Marshall County Museum Executive Director Sandy Garrison has announced the grand re-opening of the newly refurbished Historic Crossroads Center. The renovation was largely funded by a Heritage Support Grant from the Indiana Historical Society, made possible by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Celebrations will begin July 7th at 12 noon with a Brown Bag Lunch event featuring Blake Norton of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. Blake will speak on the 7 Fire Prophecy of the Potawatomi. Brown Bag events are free of charge, just bring your lunch and learn! A members-only sneak peek and brunch will precede the ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. on the 8th. The grand re-opening and ribbon cutting will be held on July 8th at 11:00 a.m. at the Museum.
The new Historic Crossroads exhibit has been expanded, adding a Native American story station created in partnership with Oklahoma’s Citizen Potawatomi Nation Cultural Heritage Center. The exhibit features a life-size wigwam and a Potawatomi-language interactive. It also tells the story of the changing natural landscape and how early settlements grew along with the roads.
A third new story station provides the history of local migrant families written in conjunction with some of their descendants. The expanded exhibit explains how County agriculture evolved and provides details on the growth of transportation- and tourist-based business and industry. A fourth new station talks about the history of aviation in the County.
Originally created in 2011, the Historic Crossroads exhibit tells the story of transportation in Marshall County and why it is foundational to our history. Beginning in the 1830s, the Michigan Road followed an Indian trail and cut through the heart of our County. It was joined about 75 years later by four historic highways – Lincoln, the Grand Army of the Republic, the Yellowstone Trail, and the Dixie Highway. Marshall County is the only place in the entire country where all five roads cross.
The Marshall County Museum and Historic Crossroads Center are located at 123 N. Michigan St., Plymouth. For more information, contact Communications Manager Anita Boetsma, at 574-936-2306.
