Stone County Historical Society purchases American Legion building in Crane,
plans to host community events
The society also plans to host community events like bingo nights and live music and offer the space as a resource for the community.
Kadee Brosseau DeCourley
The building that used to belong to the American Legion on Crane’s Main Street now has a new owner. The Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society purchased the building, which is next to the Stone County Historical Museum and Genealogical Center.
The American Legion hadn’t been using the building and the storefront space that used to house a business has been vacant for years.
“[The American Legion] said ‘well, would you like to buy it?’ And we said ‘yes.’ So, they gave us a price and we made an offer and they accepted it,” Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society Board President Julie Green said.
That deal was made in November. Since then, plans for the space have been in the works. Green said the building will give the society more space for meetings and allow them to host larger exhibits.
“We have had some exhibits that have been pretty well attended. We had a gun show that was awesome. The man brought like 50 or 60 guns of various ages and guys flocked into it. We could have something like that and spread it out so that people could really see the stuff,” Green said.
The society also plans to host community events like bingo nights and live music.
“We are going to have to charge a little bit. People are going to have to pay or we are going to take up donations or something because we are going to be using heat and electricity,” Green said.
Green said the society plans to share the space for other purposes, as well. She said plans include utilizing the space as a resource for various community activities.
“I know people use the school, but the school isn’t always available. There really isn’t a community center in Crane now. The senior center is gone,” Green said. “We don’t want to see Main Street in Crane die. We want to see things going on there.”
The American Legion’s signage will remain on the building, but the Historical Society plans to add its sign. The American Legion will still own the lot between the Stone County Historical Museum and the newly purchased building.
“They’re very willing to let us use that [lot] for something if we want. So, we could do outdoor things there too and still have access to the bathrooms and stuff like that,” Green said.
It is clear that the Historical Society has big plans for the space, which Green says will benefit the entire community. That’s why they’re asking for buy-in from locals.
“There are a lot of things that we’d like to do. We need more help. We need more members,” Green explained. “We are going to be asking the county and the community to support this.”
Green said one of the biggest needs is donated labor to help maintain the building.
“We need volunteers who know how to do tuck pointing because the bricks, some of them, need mortar. We are going to need volunteers to help with the building maintenance and roof and little things like that,” Green said. “[These old buildings are] so beautiful. They don’t make that kind of stuff any more.”
In addition to supporting the utilization of the new building, the Historical Society also needs people to get involved in the society in general. The purpose of the Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society is to collect, preserve, make accessible and publish material relating to the history of Stone County,
Green said people can help by bringing them any old Stone County books, photos, and documents. The society also needs people to file documents and organize items.
“We have the need for someone to do data entry with our inventory and help us keep our inventory up-to-date,” Green said.
The County Historical Museum and Genealogical Center is open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The membership meeting is the second Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. You can learn more about the organization and find membership applications at: stonecountyhistoricalsociety.com.
The building that used to belong to the American Legion on Crane’s Main Street now has a new owner. The Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society purchased the building, which is next to the Stone County Historical Museum and Genealogical Center.
The American Legion hadn’t been using the building and the storefront space that used to house a business has been vacant for years.
“[The American Legion] said ‘well, would you like to buy it?’ And we said ‘yes.’ So, they gave us a price and we made an offer and they accepted it,” Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society Board President Julie Green said.
That deal was made in November. Since then, plans for the space have been in the works. Green said the building will give the society more space for meetings and allow them to host larger exhibits.
“We have had some exhibits that have been pretty well attended. We had a gun show that was awesome. The man brought like 50 or 60 guns of various ages and guys flocked into it. We could have something like that and spread it out so that people could really see the stuff,” Green said.
The society also plans to host community events like bingo nights and live music.
“We are going to have to charge a little bit. People are going to have to pay or we are going to take up donations or something because we are going to be using heat and electricity,” Green said.
Green said the society plans to share the space for other purposes, as well. She said plans include utilizing the space as a resource for various community activities.
“I know people use the school, but the school isn’t always available. There really isn’t a community center in Crane now. The senior center is gone,” Green said. “We don’t want to see Main Street in Crane die. We want to see things going on there.”
The American Legion’s signage will remain on the building, but the Historical Society plans to add its sign. The American Legion will still own the lot between the Stone County Historical Museum and the newly purchased building.
“They’re very willing to let us use that [lot] for something if we want. So, we could do outdoor things there too and still have access to the bathrooms and stuff like that,” Green said.
It is clear that the Historical Society has big plans for the space, which Green says will benefit the entire community. That’s why they’re asking for buy-in from locals.
“There are a lot of things that we’d like to do. We need more help. We need more members,” Green explained. “We are going to be asking the county and the community to support this.”
Green said one of the biggest needs is donated labor to help maintain the building.
“We need volunteers who know how to do tuck pointing because the bricks, some of them, need mortar. We are going to need volunteers to help with the building maintenance and roof and little things like that,” Green said. “[These old buildings are] so beautiful. They don’t make that kind of stuff any more.”
In addition to supporting the utilization of the new building, the Historical Society also needs people to get involved in the society in general. The purpose of the Stone County Historical and Genealogical Society is to collect, preserve, make accessible and publish material relating to the history of Stone County,
Green said people can help by bringing them any old Stone County books, photos, and documents. The society also needs people to file documents and organize items.
“We have the need for someone to do data entry with our inventory and help us keep our inventory up-to-date,” Green said.
The County Historical Museum and Genealogical Center is open on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The membership meeting is the second Saturday of the month at 2 p.m. You can learn more about the organization and find membership applications at: stonecountyhistoricalsociety.com.