Heritage Wall addition unveiled Friday by Preservation Society

During May 6 First Friday events, a newly-minted plaque mounted on the Heritage Wall in downtown Greencastle will be unveiled at 5 p.m., honoring Extension Homemakers for significantly enhancing the quality of life in this area for many decades.

Putnam County Purdue Extension Homemakers President Sharon Baldwin was originally presented with the cartouche commemorating a century of history during the Homemakers' Annual Arts and Crafts Show in November by Mike Murphy, then-president of the Heritage Preservation Society (HPS).

Heritage Wall, located at the corner of Vine and Washington streets in Greencastle

Friday's dedication will be in conjunction with the celebration of May as National Heritage Preservation Month.

The Homemakers' plaque details the 1913 founding of the organization, and the group's ongoing dedication to bettering, educating and serving its community both locally and globally. Beginning with only 20 members, its numbers eventually grew to more than 500 by the 1950s. Through the years projects have ranged from making bandages during World War I to offering classes in food preservation and the use of computers.

The Heritage Wall was established in 2001 as a means to recognize contributions to and promote interest in the history of Putnam County. Subjects vary from prominent personages such as Eli Lilly to the notorious 1933 visit of John Dillinger.

Other inscriptions honor structures, including the now-gone Minshall Lab at DePauw University, or long-running local institutions like Eitel's Flowers.

Curated by HPS, the commemorative wall is made possible by the generosity of Lester and Judy Wilson, who have allowed use their building's exterior at the corner of Washington and Vine streets where their photography studio is located.

At 6 p.m. Friday in the Commissioners' Room on the first floor of the courthouse, Rose Wernicke will give an overview of the ongoing Historic District nominations to the National Register for neighborhoods in Cloverdale, Bainbridge, Roachdale and Russellville. Her presentation will highlight the historic structures which make the areas important and worth preserving.

HPS has received grants from the Putnam County Community Foundation and Indiana Landmarks to make the Historic District project possible.

Later in May, additional free offerings will be sponsored by HPS to help educate the public.

On Wednesday, May 11, Wernicke will discuss the historic district in downtown Roachdale proposed for inclusion in the National Register. Her talk is set for 6 p.m. at the old Roachdale Optimist Club, 5 E. Railroad St.

On Saturday, May 21 at 10 a.m. Tommy Kleckner of Indiana Landmarks will speak on architectural styles at the Putnam County Public Library (PCPL). He will specifically cite examples from Putnam County buildings to illustrate his talk.

Following Kleckner's presentation, current HPS President Phil Gick will lead a walking tour of part of Greencastle's Eastern Enlargement Historic District that will depart from the PCPL. Gick will use his expertise to point out local examples of the various historical architectural styles.

Later, the interconnected history of Greencastle and DePauw will be explored by Wes Wilson in a talk scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 25 at the Local History Room at PCPL. Wilson is coordinator of Archives and Special Collections at DePauw.