BROWNSTOWN
Phase 2 of a three-part project is complete in the C.T. Robertson Livery Barn on the Jackson County History Center campus.
A crew with Bane and Warren Construction of Brownstown recently spent time breaking up parts of the old concrete floor and putting in a new one.
That was done thanks in part to a pair of grants administered by the Community Foundation of Jackson County through its fall grant cycle — $6,725 from the Jackson County Community Endowment and Bob and Kate Hall Endowment and $7,000 from the Owen-Carr Township Community Fund.
Margo Brewer, a volunteer who writes grants for the history center, said she received an estimate of $21,000 for the work but only had collected $17,225 from the grants and some other funding. Bane and Warren Construction, however, still covered the same amount of work.
“The foundation is happy to help nonprofit organizations such as the history center,” said Dan Davis, president and chief executive officer of the Community Foundation of Jackson County.
Most of the floor on the south end of the livery barn was redone, one of the bays received a new floor and an area near the stage on the east end of the building was fixed.
“When you come in the back door back there, there was a big crack, and it was unlevel. That’s an accident looking for a place to happen,” Brewer said. “Up there in front of the stage, there was an incline, but there again, people were walking around and they stubbed their toe on that. Even with orange tape on it, they stubbed it.”
She’s happy to have the work done.
“It’s just going to be really nice,” Brewer said. “It’s going to be a much safer building.”
The first phase of the project was complete in January. New lighting in the bays and new heaters were installed after the history center received a $4,999 Mini Grant from the Indiana Historical Society through its October 2020 grant cycle to purchase materials and fund labor costs to update the electrical wiring in the livery barn.
The Heritage Support Grants are made possible by Lilly Endowment Inc. and support Indiana’s local, county and regional historical societies, museums and sites in their important work.
Nathan Rittman and Kaleb McKinney with M D Electric of Brownstown took care of the electrical upgrades in the livery barn.
One part consisted of removing the old shop lights that illuminated the front part of the bays inside the building and replacing them with track lights that can be adjusted to shine throughout each bay. One of the track lights was placed above a large picture of the old Ewing bridge that hangs on the south wall.
Rittman and McKinney also placed hanging heaters, which will make a big difference for volunteers and attendees to keep warm during winter events at the center. Previously, there was no heating source in the building.
“We don’t expect it to heat up in there to 75 degrees. We want it to take the bite off,” Brewer said. “That building is cold when you close it up.”
That marked the second time in 2020 that Brewer was successful in applying for and receiving a Mini Grant.
Funding from the first grant cycle allowed for the computers and printers in the genealogy library to be updated and also a new computer in the Frederick Keach Heller Memorial Museum Building office. That also totaled $4,999.
The third phase of the project is applying for up to $50,000 from the Indiana Historical Society to get the livery barn insulated to hold the heat in.
“There is some insulation in there now, and some of it will stay, and some of it is going to be replaced,” Brewer said. “Aesthetically, it’s going to look a little bit nicer and cleaner.”
That large grant requires a 15% match, and Brewer hopes to receive the grant and complete that project this year.
“So far, the community has just been very gracious with us and helped us out a lot,” she said.
Brewer also said the roof on the building is starting to rust, so that may be the next project to tackle.
“First of all, I’ve got to get an estimate. Then I’ve got to find a grant to apply for,” she said.
For the history center volunteers, it’s important to do all of this work because the livery barn is the largest building on the campus.
It was built in the 1870s and later had to be rebuilt after being destroyed by fire in 1899. People used to walk, ride a horse or take a horse and buggy to come to the nearby courthouse, and the horse would stay in the livery barn.
The Robertson family bought the business in 1895 from LeRoy F. Miller. Through the years, the building was converted into a feed store, a barn, a machine shop and a garage. The history center redid the building in 2003, and it now houses large items and tools.
“It’s our cornerstone,” Brewer said. “It’s just old, and we want to preserve it as much as we can.”
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People can make a tax-deductible gift to the Jackson County History Center Fund by calling the Community Foundation of Jackson County at 812-523-4483, emailing [email protected], mailing a check with the name of the fund in the memo line to Community Foundation of Jackson County, 107 Community Drive, Seymour, IN 47274 or stopping by the office.
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