About 50 people met at Hope Lutheran Church, Cherryville, Nov. 6 to celebrate the 15th anniversary since Lehigh Township Historical Society was formed to collect historical artifacts from the township and maintain cultural information.

On Feb. 13, 2001, the township board of supervisors formally recognized it as the official historical society of the township.

At about that time, residents were discussing whether the trading post at Indian Trail Park should be torn down or restored. The decision was to let the society restore it as a museum. Brenda Peters gave May Bowman credit for the idea and got others to work toward the historical project.

Other founding members were Clarke and Nancy Berner, Sean and Johanna Billings, Sheldon and Mary Ann Endy, Darrin Heckman, Daniel and Marion Hummel, Robert and Nan Mentzell, Peter and Sarah Pagotto, Wilson and Beverly Putt and Kenneth and Nancy Stott.

Ruth Kent welcomed people to the anniversary celebration and thanked them for coming to share a meal and companionship. Donald Kuntz gave the invocation.

The year after work was begun on the trading post museum, a storm destroyed much of what had been done. But the work went on, and it was restored again, making it as much as the original as possible.

Joe Lazorik, of Good Times Piano Music, provided the entertainment but also told a story about stopping at the trading post when it was a gift shop. He got a bird on a string and thought, “This is the coolest thing.”

His mother held it out the window so it could fly faster, and it flew away.

Historical artifacts were being collected, and St. Paul’s United Church of Christ allowed the historical society to use the church’s one-room school as a temporary museum. Items were moved into the restored building, and a grand opening was held July 14, 2007.

With one building temporarily completed, the society turned its sights on the schoolhouse, which was built in 1865 for grades one to eight. The school was restored, and a grand opening was held July 10, 2010. The lease from St. Paul’s UCC stipulated that it be opened several times a year for educational purposes.

Work on the addition at the museum began in 2012 and provided space for storage, work and a meeting area.

Fundraising events are a spring basket social, take-out chicken or pork dinners, a mum sale and several bake sales. The society also attends other festivals in the area. Grant money has been given to the society to pay for the paving in front of the building.

Boxes of documents are being archived and placed in binders. As of October 2016, the historical society had received 10,000 items. The society is compiling a collection of information about local veterans from all wars, too.

The museum has acquired two computers and has a Facebook page. Members will help visitors conduct research.

A picnic at Indian Trail Park planned for June 4, 2017, will allow anyone to give suggestions as they rewrite the bylaws. The schoolhouse open house will include a bus tour of the former one- and two-room schoolhouses in the township.