The Lake Township Historical Society is making sure that the history of Lake Township is being well preserved. The mission of the township is to preserve the oral and written history and three dimensional objects for the citizens of Lake Township. The society strives to hold and maintain manuscripts, published material, prints, photographs, audio and visual recordings, and ephemeral collections.
The Lake Township Historical Society is comprised of twelve board members that are elected for three year terms by the members. The society is a tax exempt organization under Section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
Two buildings
The society has two buildings that are open to the public: Schoolhouse #12 located on King Church Road and the museum that is located in the former Greentown Library. The buildings are open May-October one Sunday a month. The members are on hand to teach about the history and to share stories of Lake Township. The schoolhouse on King Church was built in 1850 and was originally used for a school, later as an Amish woodworking facility, a records room for the school district, and the school superintendent and administration offices. The schoolhouse was totally renovated yet maintained the historical integrity of the building. The restoration was done as a community effort. The second building owned by the Lake Township Historical Society has been converted from the Greentown Library to the Lake Township Historical Society Museum. The building was purchased and donated to the society.
Society involvement
The society is very involved in all of Lake Township. The society hosts fireside chats three times a year that are open to the public. The chats are in the spring, summer and fall. They cover a variety of topics that will interest all of those in the township such as interesting details of the schools, farming, the trolley and local businesses past and present. The meetings are held in various places in Lake Township and always have fun and food.
The society is very involved in all of Lake Township by participating in many community activities. The society participates in the Evening in the Village in Hartville, Hartville Summer Nights, Barthels’ Festival in Cairo and various local parades. The museum hosts Arts in the Museum which is a yearly event displaying art work from the K-6 students at Greentown Elementary School.
The Lake Township Historical Society works in cooperation with the local schools helping provide field trips and information so that the students will be able to better understand their community. The society is a volunteer based organization and relies on fund raisers and donations for funding. The society is selling beautiful landmark ornaments for $20.00 based on some of the Lake Township buildings. These ornaments are for sale at the Maple Street Gallery and at the Hartville Collectibles. Each ornament comes with a card from the society that gives the history of the landmark. There is also a book for sale edited by local historian Elmer Yoder entitled “Introducing Lake Township.” The book features photos and information about Lake Township. All of these items are also available at any society function.
