Education Staff

Jim Smith and Janet Bird are on staff to serve your program needs. We will tailor requests to be as age appropriate as possible. Most of our existing programs and those in development may be adapted to the elementary, middle school, high school, college and adult audiences. Special groups such as scouts, home schoolers, and other civic clubs are also encouraged to contact us for historical presentations. Programs may be presented at The Hickories or at your facility.

Fees

The fee is $35 for each presentation and $20 for each presentation for schools within Lorain County. Programs presented outside of Lorain County will require an additional fee. Please call the LCHS office for more information. The tour of The Hickories for school groups is $1.00/person. If there are questions, please the office at 322-3341.

Programs

Most of these programs are approximately 45 minutes in length but can be adjusted to fit your needs. Since we are continually updating and developing programs, the list here may not be complete. Call the office at 322-3341 for an updated listing.

Suitcase Museums

• Early Schools: Artifacts illustrate what area schools were like from 1807 to the early 1900s.
• Frontier Living: Artifacts illustrate the way of life of the early settlers of Lorain County.
• Native Americans: Artifacts show the way of life of the Woodlands tribes of Lorain County. Included is the story of Scoouwa, the true story of James Smith's days in Lorain County as a captive of the Wyandots.
• Victorian Clothing: From cloaks to corsets, garments from the late 1800s illustrate the clothing of Victorian women.
• Victorian Secrets: The "secrets" of Victorian women are revealed through undergarments and other artifacts from the Victorian period.
• A Century of Classic Hats: About 40 hats from the LCHS collection are used to show the history of many classic hat styles.
• History of Men's Hats: About 20 men's hats from the LCHS collection and a private collection are used to show the history of men's hat styles (can be combined with Classic Hats program).
• World War II: Artifacts show what was happening on the home front during the war.
• A History of Valentines: Lovely antiques valentines are displayed to help tell the history of this romantic tradition.
• Vintage Purses: The history of the purse is depicted through 25-30 vintage purses of the LCHS collection and a private collection.
• If the Shoe Fits...: Interesting facts and anecdotes about the history of women's shoe styles will be illustrated through the use of about 35 pairs of shoes from the LCHS collection.
• Then and Now: Artifacts show how inventions have changed the world. Emphasis is placed on Lorain County inventions/products. 
• The Love of Lace: Examples of handmade, machine-made and craft lace from the LCHS collection are used to illustrate the basics of lace making and identification.
• Those Eerie Victorians: This program covers some of the strange and occult beliefs and practices of the Victorian era.
• Pioneers - Our First Recyclers: Artifacts show how early settlers used and reused local materials.
• Old Glory: Samples of the many different U.S. flags help to explain its history.
• History of Games and Puzzles: Examples of many early games and puzzles show how some of these have changed (or not!) over the years.
• From Candlesticks to Cell Phones: A variety of early telephones, as well as modern ones, are displayed to illustrate the history of the telephone. 
• Whatzit?: A numberof unusual artifacts are displayed and the audience is asked to guess their use.
• The Art of Haircraft: This program will show the intricate patterns and tools used in the interesting craft of making hair jewelry. A good number of pieces of hair jewelry will be displayed.

Video Slide Shows

• The Hickories
• Cascade Park
• Lorain County in the Gold Rush
• Homes of Washington Avenue
• Elyria City Hall
• The Ely Women
• Lorain County History
• Elyria History/Ely Family
• Elyria Sports
• Lorain County History Center
• Underground RR in Lorain County
• Homes and Gardens of Early Elyria
• Elyria in Vintage Postcards
• Vintage Images of Lorain County
• A Century Ago
• Stevan Dohanos: Lorain Artist
• Elyria Buildings and Bridges
• Lorain County Historical Markers
• Lorain County Leaders
• Native Americans
• World War II
• This Day (or Year) in History (needs advance notice)
• Early Elyria Car Dealerships
• 1912: The Year of the Titanic
• The "Progressive" Election of 1912

Tours

Length can be adjusted to fit your needs.

• The Hickories
• Cascade Park
• Historical Elyria (Bus or Walking Tour)
• Walking Tour of Washington Avenue