50 Wonderful Years!

August 15 [2002] marks the 50th anniversary of the incorporation of the Lakewood Historical Society. It was 1952 when a group of interested citizens, under the direction of Margaret Manor Butler, met and unanimously agreed to draw up a charter establishing the Lakewood Historical Society. This new organization had a vision to create a museum for the preservation of Lakewood’s heritage and its task began immediately.

Working with Stephen Babin, donor of the structure, and the City Council, agreements were reached and the Stone House was moved from Detroit Avenue to Lakewood Park on November 12, 1952. The formal dedication of the museum occurred on April 25, 1953 as the final event of Lakewood’s weeklong Ohio Sesquicentennial celebration. Since that time, the Society’s accomplishments have been many:

• January 1964: The Stone House Society (formerly the Junior Board) was organized to provide hostesses for guided tours of the museum and to aid with children’s programs.
• June 1975: The museum was formally re-opened after the massive project to stabilize the structure, provide a basement, plumbing, climate control and restore the summer kitchen addition.
• 1975: A Quilt Group organized to promote an interest in quilting and to aid in fundraising.
• April 1985: The Society purchased the Nicholson House, the oldest surviving structure in the city, to restore for community use.
• April 1986: The Women’s Board was organized to provide fundraising support for the Society.
• January 1992: The Oldest Stone House Herb Society was organized to stimulate an interest in herbs and provide maintenance of the herb garden and grounds.
• June 1997: The Margaret Manor Butler Endowment fund was created to ensure the long-term financial security of the Society

In addition to these milestones, the Society has served the community through tours of the museum, special displays for area schools and libraries, in-school talks taken to classrooms to illustrate early life in Lakewood, establishment of a library and archives to provide research information, a photo collection approaching 8,000 images, a series of slide presentations on Lakewood history, Ohio Heritage summer program of children, biennial House and Garden Tours, Doll Tea Parties illustrating the history of dolls using the Society’s collection, occasional workshops and demonstrations, a quarterly newsletter and three general meetings a year with speakers on topics related to local history.

The Society has persevered in its mission. The support and volunteer efforts of its membership have been monumental. The Lakewood Historical Society looks forward to 50 more wonderful years!

Sandy Koozer 1992
Amended 8/02
Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter 11/02

Articles have appeared in the Lakewood Historical Society Newsletter.