Back in business: Lowrie House reopens
There's a lot of inconvenience associated with a pandemic. Stores close early. Events are canceled. Masks are a requirement, not a consideration.
But in the midst of great upheaval lies opportunity.
For the Butler County Historical Society, being forced to close its doors and cancel events meant staff members could focus on bigger projects. Like the Sen. Walter Lowrie House along West Diamond Street.
“We brought this house back to life,” said Sara Donaldson, collections manager for the society. “There's an energy about this place.”
Donaldson and Jennifer Ford, the executive director for the society, gave free tours of the newly organized Lowrie House for four hours Saturday.The society has been closed since March due to the pandemic, and Donaldson and Ford spent that time going through the historical contents of the society and preparing the site for a grand reopening, of sorts.“This is a reintroduction,” Donaldson said. “The closure truly allowed us to do what we've done today ... It allowed Jen and I to open every single box.”“They used the time ... to really just dig into the collection,” said Debi Kruger, vice president for the society's board of directors.
Without the pandemic, Donaldson said the Lowrie House wouldn't have been ready for visitors until next spring.With social distancing and maximum occupancy regulations in place, many visitors waited on the Lowrie House porch to join a tour Saturday afternoon.Sisters Ruth Monnie of Meridian and Lena Vandevort of Mt. Chestnut were among them.“I want to see how they changed (the exhibits),” said Monnie, who visited the Lowrie House before it closed for the pandemic.History is something of a hobby for Monnie, who recalled seeing a World War II display in the house several years ago.Monnie and Vandevort said they don't go on many outings together. They decided to change things up Saturday, and taking a tour was the perfect opportunity.“It's just something to do,” Monnie said.There was more to do on the tour than explore two floors of the house built in 1828, which included a parlor prepared for company and a dining table set for breakfast.
Hoping to raise funds to preserve the Diamond Street landmark, society volunteers also staged a historical yard sale.“As far as I know, this is one of the first times we've done this,” Kruger said.The yard sale, by the parking lot along South Jackson Street, included surplus merchandise from the society, collectibles and historical donations from the community.Baskets donated by local businesses were raffled off as an additional fundraiser.Donaldson estimated between 80 and 100 visitors attended tours and stopped by the sale during the day.Kruger said while the society didn't have a fund goal in mind, every sale will help the Lowrie House stay accessible to the public.“It needs a lot of love,” Kruger said. “Anything we can raise can help us maintain this property.”The society is already looking at projects for next year, according to Donaldson.On the agenda are Cooper Cabin in Cabot and the Little Red School House in Butler, two sites the society wants to make as accessible to the public as possible.“All we want is to preserve Butler history,” Donaldson said. “Butler has some of the richest history ... It really does.The Lowrie House will be open for tours from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays. “We hope people want to come back,” Donaldson said.
