Allen County Historical Society Director Elyssa Jackson is going to try something different for this year’s winter meeting, and it involves everyone attending.
The theme for Tuesday’s meeting, “Show and Tell,” offers residents the opportunity to present their historical items and tell their story along with it.
This year, Jackson has pulled two items from storage, and wants audience members to identify what they believe each item is, and what it does.
The first is an old iron contraption made up of a series of gears that turns a three-pronged fork. It is meant to be mounted on a table or countertop.
The second resembles a planer, but has no sharpened blade. A wooden, removeable pin is placed halfway up the tool. There is a wooden handle that looks like a saw handle, as well as wooden trim mounted on the side to guide the motion.
Jackson said the Historical Society is going to give a prize to the first person at the meeting who can identify each of the items shown above.
“Our goal is to collect more of a contemporary history,” Jackson said. “It’s a new idea that we are trying to be concerned about.”
As for the Show and Tell, Jackson said she urges people to write down any information they are presenting with their item. She said this will help the museum catalog information shared during the event.
Speakers are given five minutes to speak about their item and its background.
The 7 p.m. meeting is in the Frederick Funston Meeting Hall, next to the old jail on North Jefferson Avenue.
Historical Society holding annual winter meeting
