the BEACON Newspaper, Indiana beacon12-18

December 2018 THE BEACON Page 5A History, Education, and Vision Come Alive with Volunteers Through the years, the grand home of Samuel and Sarah Vance housed a college, apartments, and offices - each leaving its mark on the c.1818 edifice. The Dearborn County Historical Society has a number of artifacts on dis- play - including this original built-in clothes/linen press, aka cupboard. Continued from page 4A As historians and preservation- ists know, these necessary, but costly, maintenance projects are part of the conservation of any historic structure. Located on the northeast side of High Street, the An- gevine Cabin was built circa 1820 in York Township, by James and Susan Angevine. This was their second log cabin, the first having been located too near the creek, and subsequently destroyed during a spring flood. This newer home was situated on higher ground and included plank floors and a second story, elements that made this rural cabin unusual for its size and sophisticated construction. For ten years, the Angevine family – two adults and twelve children – lived in this com- fortable-for-the-period home near Tanner’s Creek. Eventually, the Angevine family moved into a new brick house on Hartman Road and the once impressive cabin was altered, added onto, and rented out before being left to the ele- ments and the passing of time. Fortunately, in 1985, the Kammer family offered the historic structure to the still- new Dearborn County Histori- cal Society. Recognizing the local significance of the cabin, the Society was able to dis- mantle, restore and reassemble the Angevine Cabin at the Pioneer Village Park, located within walking distance of the Vance-Tousey House. The Historical Society’s mission of preserving local history for future genera- tions includes educating the younger residents of Dearborn County about their home, so every year Lawrenceburg High School students act as docents to local third-graders visit- ing the house and cabin. And recently, board member Sheila Bigelow facilitated a meeting In the 1920s, the Vance- Tousey House became the office for the Lawrenceburg Roller Mills, necessitating the installation of two safes. with Mrs. Baer and Ball State University educators. Mrs. Baer says, “They’re develop- ing a curriculum to teach the history of this house. They’re going to give us curriculum items that we can share with grades K-8.” There is certainly a great deal to learn about the Vance- Tousey House, the city of Lawrenceburg and Dearborn County. Southeastern Indi- ana’s abundance of places and people of historical signifi- cance is due in no small part to the area’s waterways. From the earliest mound builders to today’s commercial enter- prises, the Ohio River has car- ried information and industry across miles and through time. In the late 1700s, United States surveyor and future businessman Samuel C. Vance recognized the value of a particular piece of slightly elevated land that lay along the Ohio River in what was then Hamilton County, Ohio. This forward-thinking man secured those 1,200 acres in July 1801, but unfortunately, he had greater ideas than funds, and the plat was reentered in De- cember 1801 by the patentee, Col. Benjamin Chambers. By 1802, Captain Vance laid out the city of Lawrenceburgh; the enlarged plat included a town square where the courthouse and jail were located and a ‘public common’ on the banks of the Ohio River. In 1813, Captain Vance’s home was listed as a frame dwelling, but less than twenty years after founding the town he had named for his wife Mary, nee Lawrence, he would build one of the finest homes of the day on the highest point in the growing city. Originally the front of the house, facing the great Ohio River, boasted JOIN US FOR SUNDAY BRUNCH an allee of cypress trees and in the rear, orchards, gardens, and outbuildings. There they would raise their children, adding their own family stories to the community narrative of Dearborn County and the City of Lawrenceburg, where the still-impressive home known today as the Vance-Tousey House safeguards the past for future generations. For more information, visit the Dearborn County His- torical Society, https://www. dearborncountyhs.org/ Smoked Salmon with capers Bacon Goetta Sausage Scrambled Eggs Seasoned Potatoes French Toast Pancakes Pasta Fried Chicken Baked Chicken Eggs Benedict Fresh Fruit Grilled Asparagus Assorted Salads Create your own Omelet Beef carving station Chocolate Fountain Assorted Desserts $14.95 SHOP LOCAL and tell our advertisers you saw their ads in The BEACON!

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