LaGrange
County Historical
Society
109 South High
Street
~ LaGrange, IN 46761
Ezra Miller, President of the LCHS for 10 years, at the Museum
July 13, 2006
The LaGrange
County
Historical Society Museum
(Inez Machan Museum)
The
Land where this house stands
was purchased by Mary Brown Devlin in 1875 from
John Ryason who developed this area
as Ryason's Additions to LaGrange.
Mary Devlin was the
grandmother of Inez Machan. Mrs. Devlin
and husband, James, went to Philadelphia to
the U.S. Centennial Exposition in October of 1876 and returned
with ideas for building a new house. This home was built and was soon occupied
by the Devlin's daughter, Eva Devlin Sitters and husband, Frank.
Meanwhile, the Devlin's built and occupied another house on the lot directly
North of this house where a service station storage building stands
today.
Frank
and Eva Sitters were the
parents of two children Thomas Fredrick Sitter
(known as
Fred) and Inez Sitter Machan. Inez's
father died when she was eleven-years-old.
She continued living at home with her mother after graduating
from high
school in 1911. She worked for various merchants in
town and as a
telephone operator for a time. During these years, Inez learned much of the
history of LaGrange and in later years became our most accurate
authority on
the historical development of the town of LaGrange and it's residents.
Inez's mother later deeded this home to her and some years after her mother's
death in 1937, Inez married Harold Machan.
They had no children, but Inez
was fond of baby-sitting for friends and neighbors and she was fondly
knows as
Grandma by many.
This
home was given to the
LaGrange County Historical Society as a bequest in
Inez's will upon
her death in 1985. The Society has had possession of the home since the fall
of 1986. The home itself is of a simplified and modified Southern style with
high ceilings and a prominent hall with an open stairway. Note that
the two front "windows" in the parlor are actually doors that opened onto the
front verandah. This was an especially important feature when receiving
callers on a Sunday afternoon.
The
Historical Society is
endeavoring to furnish most of the house as a home museum
and is
actively seeking donations of furnishings. The piano in the front parlor is from
the Mt. Zion Lutheran
Church, of
which Inez was a member.
It is of the
same make and model of Inez's own piano. Music was very important in Inez's
life. She sang in her own church until she was past 85 and even after that
continued to play piano for Sunday School and at the nursing home. In
the
sitting room there is a parlor organ that was donated
by John Davis
of
Valentine. We have vintage clothing given by many families and many school and
group photographs from the early part of the past century. The large
framed pictures in the front hall are of county officials from the late 1800's
as is the large pictures in the parlor. A photograph of Inez Machan
as a child hangs between the front parlor windows and there is a second
photo of her
in later years on the piano.
© 2006 LaGrange County Historical
Society
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