Heritage Preservation Society plans annual meeting

The Heritage Preservation Society of Putnam County will hold its annual meeting Wednesday at 4 p.m. at the Putnam County Museum. This meeting is open to the public.

HPS has been very busy during the past year and has several new projects and events, which will be discussed at the meeting. These include an update on the three historic neighborhoods being nominated as National Register Historic Districts and events planned in honor of May being Historic Preservation Month.

A Stellar Street Scene seminar featuring a keynote speaker, container gardening workshop, and a PowerPoint presentation on rehabbing historic Sunny Hill all are on HPS' agenda for Preservation Month.

This seminar is set for May 21 and will be followed up with an actual tour of Sunny Hill on May 22. This historic Greencastle home is being renovated by HPS Board President Phil Gick and his wife George. It is located at 911 E. Washington St. across from Greencastle High School.

Information about the three Greencastle neighborhoods (the Eastern Enlargement, Old Greencastle and the Northwood residential districts) nominated as historic districts by HPS will be available. All three of the residential historic districts National Register nominations will go before the April session of the Indiana Preservation Board. That is the last step prior to going to the National level.

The Eastern Enlargement Historic District is the largest of the proposed districts. It contains approximately 243 resources. It is roughly bounded by Locust and College Streets on the west, Washington Street on the north, Wood Street on the east and Anderson Street on the south.

The Northwood Historic District, which contains approximately 163 resources and is roughly bounded by Hillsdale Avenue and Northwood Boulevard on the west, Shadowlawn Avenue on the north, North Arlington Street to the east and East Franklin Street to the south.

This historic district was identified in the 1982 Putnam County Interim Report. The area proposed includes a few additional blocks adjacent to and northwest of the area that has been traditionally referred as the Eastern Enlargement. This neighborhood consists of late 19th to early 20th century residential homes and buildings of prominent professional, business and academic citizens of Greencastle.

A slate of officers and update on the status of the society will also be presented at the annual meeting. Refreshments will be provided.

Persons interested in becoming members of HPS can do so for a $25 fee. For more information, visit the HPS website at www.hpsofputnamcounty.webs.com. Applications and information can also be found at the Putnam County Visitor and Convention Center and the Greater Greencastle Chamber of Commerce.

For more information or to make a reservation for the meeting, please call Phil Gick at 848-1111.