Concept drawing of new Pulaski County Historical Society Museum

The Pulaski County Historical Society broke ground Aug. 12 for a new county history museum to be built in downtown Winamac. Using “golden shovels” to break ground were (l-r) Tom Miller of TM Construction; Steve Morrison and Bob Cannedy of First National Bank, Historical Society president Ryan Harrison and Jimmy Terry of FBI Buildings. (Morrison is also a Historical Society board member.)

Also present at the groundbreaking were elected officials from the county and the Town of Winamac, and members and board members of the Historical Society, as well as interested members of the public.

The new museum, which will feature a wide front porch, will be situated on the vacant lot between the Refined consignment store and Justin Schramm’s law office. It will be built in partnership with FBI Buildings, TM Construction, and First National Bank of Monterey.

“We are excited to be moving the museum downtown,” said Historical Society president Ryan Harrison. “We will be able to participate in downtown events, like Winter Wonderland, the annual town-wide garage sales, the annual car show and more.”

“We hope the visible presence on Monticello Street (U.S. 35) will bring both tourists and local residents in,” added vice president Kathi Thompson.

The new building will significantly increase the museum display space (by six to seven times). The new museum will have appropriate climate-controlled artifact storage, and the Historical Society will have the ability to provide educational programming. Community organizations will be invited to use a designated new “Cultural Center” space for meetings and events as well. A galley kitchen will be available, and a mezzanine area will provide space for volunteer museum staff to work on projects.

In his remarks, Harrison thanked the many people who have supported the building project, including David and Wanda Zahrt of Winamac who sold the lot to the Historical Society for the new museum.

 The Historical Society bills the new facility as the third and final home of the museum. In the 1960s, the museum was first set up in the county-owned Quonset hut (adjacent to the library’s parking lot). In 2018, the museum collection was moved to its current home at 500 S. Monticello St. (the carriage house of the Galbreath residence property). 

That move was based on the largesse of Don and Dee Galbreath. The Historical Society was granted ownership of the property; the Galbreaths had lifetime residency. They invited the museum to move into the carriage house before the Historical Society assumed control of the property. To make it happen, the Galbreaths made a significant contribution and managed the rehabilitation of the carriage house.

In 2023, the Historical Society and the Galbreath family reached an agreement, through property sales and transfers, which allowed the Historical Society to seek a new location. That agreement allowed the museum – again, through the Galbreath family’s largess – to remain in place until June 2025. The late Galbreaths have also left a legacy to the Historical Society through the Community Foundation of Pulaski County.

Note: The Historical Society is raising, separately, $40,000 to purchase a lift to access the mezzanine level of the new facility to make the building fully accessible. Persons or organizations interested in donating to this effort should contact Kathi Thompson.