The Sheridan Historical Society is in the process of saving the old senior high school class pictures that were donated years ago from the old Adams School building. These were huge framed pictures that had hung on the school’s walls and had individual student pictures and student names. Some of the framed pictures measured nearly 4 feet by 4 feet.
Unfortunately, over the years many of the old pictures were fading to the point that preserving them digitally made sense. And too, some of them were so big it would have made it difficult to display them on the limited wall space at the new museum. Society President Ron Stone solved the problem by using his trusty Canon digital camera and tripod to take digital images of the old framed senior class picture displays. Once in digital format the images can be enhanced and sized to more workable photos that will be easier to display. The originals, of course, will be stored away in a controlled environment should they ever be needed again.
There is a lot of work to restoring and preserving historical artifacts. Old photographs are just one of the things the Sheridan Historical Society is working hard to save. The new museum can house, preserve and display thousands of items that are key to the history of Sheridan. People who are unfamiliar with the work of the Society are invited to visit the new museum at 315 S. Main St. in Sheridan to see for themselves the history of this important Hamilton County community.
The Sheridan Historical Society celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The new museum is only the second home for the organization, which was located across the street at 308 S. Main St. for decades. The new location was, among other things, the former home of the Hippodrome Theater, purchased in 2017 when it was realized the old location needed extensive repairs and was too small to accommodate the expanding collections.
The new building, formally a vintage motorcycle repair and sales shop, was extensively remodeled and retrofitted for museum use through the hard work of Ron Stone and other members of the Society. The last major part of the remodel process will be the restoration of the Main Street façade as a movie theater venue. It will serve as a showcase venue in Sheridan’s downtown.
If you are interested in more information about the Sheridan Historical Society, please stop by for a visit. The museum is open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday. It is also open by special appointment by calling (317) 758-5054. The museum also has meeting space available for small groups as well as special programs.