An interest in our history

They gather at the end of a dead end street.

They share an intense interest in bygone days.

Their camaraderie is infectious.

A cult? A gang? A terrorist cell?

Nope.

It's the Jay County Historical Society, where dozens of volunteers - most of them seniors - gather at the historical museum to serve, reminisce, and enjoy one another's company.

With its membership surging to more than 800, the historical society has become one of the most popular senior volunteer opportunities in the county.

"There's probably 25 year-round, active volunteers," says president Tom Young. "And for the Heritage Festival there are probably a hundred more."

"I'm here because I love history, and this is where history happens in Jay County," says historian Jane Ann Spencer.

Young credits Spencer and fellow retired teachers Kay Locker and Janice Stucky with providing the core energy for the society's resurgence in recent years.

"This is a collaborative thing," he says, "but it's really those ladies."

Much of the volunteer work involves preparations of museum displays and accessioning new items into the museum collection.

"Another part is managing the data," says Young. Scores of photographs, documents, and letters come to the historical society; all need to be recorded and preserved.

An extensive archive has been developed over the past 10-20 years. Yearbooks from the old Jay County high schools - Portland, Dunkirk, Redkey, Pennville, Bryant, Madison, Poling, and Gray - for example could have disappeared in attics or garage sales but instead have been collected at the museum for future generations.

"We're trying to make sure we have a collection of at least one set of Graphics," says Young, referring to the popular photo weekly newspaper than ran from 1949 to about 1961.

And then there's the newsletter.

"Once a month, that's the biggest volunteer activity," says Young. "That's a wonderful party."

Volunteers gather around a set of tables and collate, staple, fold, tab, and label hundreds of newsletters for mailing.

"They love getting together," says Spencer.

"They talk, they reminisce," says Stucky.

"The newsletter takes care of itself thanks to Kay, Jane Ann, and Janice," Young says.

Membership in the historical society is $15 a year for individuals and $25 a year for families. "But you don't have to be a member to volunteer," adds Young.

Nearly every afternoon, someone can be found working on a project at the museum at the end of East Main Street in Portland.

Young is often among that group. After living in California most of his adult life, he moved back to Jay County a few years ago.

"For me," he says, "this whole experience is so special because I was gone for so long."[[In-content Ad]]