About BRHS > History of the Black River Historical Society

History of the Black River Historical Society

The people of Lorain have always been proud of their city's history. For years people had been talking about starting a historical society for Lorain City History. Individuals and families collected items that would be of interest, and stored them in their garages, basements and attics. Things began to pile up. It was decided to organize an historical society.

An informal meeting was held on July 16th, 1980 at 1149 Sixth St. to discuss the feasibility of having an historical society for the preservation of the Lorain historical memorabilia and artifacts before it was lost. Present at this meeting were Jeffrey Sigsworth, George Llewellyn, Ray and Rosella Ewers, David MacGregor, Hiram Croyle and Albert Doane.

In 1981, individuals and families got together to set up their organization. Black River was the name of the initial 1807 village on the mouth of the Black River. The founders decided to take the name of that early village for their Society. The name Black River is from a translation of the Wyandot tribal name for the river -- Canesadooharie -- the "River of Black Pearls."

Some of the founding families are well known to Lorainites: Conns, Crooks, Doanes, Ewers, Fauvers, McCahons, Spaids, and the Warmees. Their first meetings were in members' homes where they formalized the organization's constitution; began discussing Lorain history; researched the acquisition of artifacts; and uncovered significant events.

June 15, 1981, in a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce building on 5th Street, the new constitution and bylaws were approved. Al Doane was elected the first President with Al Fauver as Vice-President, Rosella Ewers Recording Secretary, Helen Myers Corresponding Secretary, and Annabelle Warmee Treasurer. The group continued to research Lorain history and gather items that should be kept for posterity.

In 1985, they were given permission to use the Palm Avenue School library as their first museum. There was space to bring artifacts together, tell stories with exhibits and develop educational interpretations that would be worthy of Lorain. Five years later, the Palm Avenue School Library was getting "quite full" and there was a growing need for additional exhibition and display space. Although completely behind the societies mission, the Lorain School System needed their space for expanding school activities.

In 1990, BRHS moved to the Senior Center's gym in the Jane Lindsay School, on the east side. The gym was large, with the stage area providing sorely needed office space. The Stocker Foundation made a grant so BRHS could acquire a copy machine that helped centralize efforts and define the Society's office. The Senior Center also had space for BRHS's continuing monthly meetings.

Also in 1990, the Community Development Department of city government was approached to determine if a permanent home could be found for BRHS. The Council passed legislation for Community Development to pursue the project. As a result, federal money was made available for the project in 1991.

The Moore House at the corner of Reid Avenue and Fifth Street seemed like a good home for the Society. Next to the Moose Lodge, the owners were intending to raze the building for a parking lot. Research was done on the failing building and its suitability for a museum. A year later, 1992, the Lorain architectural firm -- Arkinetics -- was awarded the bid for designing and implementing the restoration of Moore House. Nickoloff Builders was awarded the contract for the restoration in 1993.

The back porch was torn off and rebuilt. The basement floor was removed and replaced. The entire house was rewired, and plumbing was brought up to date. Ceilings were repaired and repainted. Air conditioning and humidifiers were added to the heating system and new duct work was installed to distribute the conditioned air. Storm windows were added to protect the inner walls and house structure. The American chestnut floors were saved and refinished because they were made from a valuable historic tree that was all but wiped out in a 20-year blight between 1910-1930s. An exterior handicapped-access elevator and security system were installed to bring the building up to code and make the building and contents secure.

The keys to the Moore House were presented to Rosella Ewers and Al Doane, two of the founders of the Society, September 19, 1994 by Mr. Nickoloff. By October of that year, the contents of the museum had been moved into the house and the process of setting up the exhibits displays was started.

The Grand Opening of the Moore House Museum took place on May 20, 1995. The Moore family grandsons Robert & James, their wives and children, came from California and North Carolina to help with the celebration. It was a grand event with the people of Lorain, the Mayor and Council Members in attendance.