Howard County Historical Society Annual Meeting and Dinner
11/02/2022Howard County Historical Society sets annual meeting
Event will celebrate first 50 years in the Seiberling Mansion
KOKOMO, Ind. – The year was 1972. After sitting empty for seven years, Kokomo’s iconic Seiberling Mansion had been acquired by the government of Howard County and turned over to the Howard County Historical Society. A cadre of dedicated volunteers began the serious work of cleaning out four stories and a basement full of trash and debris in anticipation of moving the HCHS collection of artifacts from the basement of the courthouse to their new location.
Thanks to the efforts of those dedicated volunteers, and hundreds since then, the Seiberling Mansion stands fifty years later as a centerpiece of community pride and home of the Howard County Museum. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the Howard County Historical Society will celebrate those first 50 years during its annual banquet set this year at Elite Banquet & Conference Center.
“We hope many of the volunteers join us in this celebration of their work,” said Anne Shaw, HCHS executive director.
“Over those 50 years, the building has been renovated, air-conditioned, re-roofed and restored in projects that represent investments of more than a million dollars,” she continued. “The mansion has hosted “Seiberling weddings” and real weddings, Victorian balls, Antiques in Action, ice cream socials, car shows, haunted Halloweens, the original Haynes Pioneer automobile loaned by the Smithsonian and decades of beautiful Christmas traditions. It really is something to celebrate.”
The Nov. 15 event, which begins at 6 p.m., will feature dinner catered by Elite and a celebrity “Jeopardy” game, pitting local luminaries (including Mayor Tyler Moore) against each other in a fun competition (emceed by former HCHS curator Tom Tolen) to determine who knows the most about the Seiberling – or has the wittiest responses. Tickets, at $20 each, are available at here or by calling the office at 765-452-4314.