Buildings tell stories. That’s the thesis statement of the Porter County Museum of History’s photo show at the Blackbird Café. Photographs of Central Elementary School, Heritage Lutheran Church, and the Valparaiso Woman’s club hang on the walls. Old and new images show the buildings throughout the years. Some show vastly different structures than what we see today. It is those changes - or the lack of them, argues one text panel at the back of the café - that tell a compelling story of so many people, of a community.
One of these compelling stories is that of the Valparaiso Woman’s Club. This building tells the story of a group of caring, industrious women who made it their home in 1925. The group, begun in 1895, grew quickly and became an active force in issues of social concern. Its stately clubhouse at 102 Washington Street served as a home for the whole community.
Even today, the legacy of giving has carried on in the Valparaiso Woman’s Club, providing homes to women in collaboration with The Caring Place and scholarships to local students. These women do good in the community, quietly and humbly.
Now through March, the Blackbird will feature this story and other stories on its walls. Images owned by the Porter County Museum of History will be for sale, and all proceeds will go to the Valparaiso Woman’s Club to help it continue to help others as it fundraises for a new boiler. A reception will be held Saturday, March 16 at 7pm at the Blackbird.