About Us
In 1883, the Courthouse cornerstone was placed in the center of town square where it remains today. In 1885 the courthouse officially opened to the public. The courthouse was operational for 10 years before a fire gutted much of the inside. The building was reconstructed and operational until 1976 when the county relocated to the current county complex located at 1045 Independence Blvd. one mile north of downtown Charlotte. CSA officially took over the maintenance and care of the building and grounds (as well as the 1845 Courthouse and 1873 Sheriff's Residence) in November of 1993. Since then our goal has been to preserve and share the history of Eaton County with everyone. Currently, the upper two floors of the 1885 Courthouse are a public museum. The 1845 and 1885 Courthouses are rental venues. Located on the 1885 ground floor and in the 1873 Sheriff Residence are office and retail spaces.
museum Staff
Julie Kimmer - Museum Manager
Julie serves in the community in various ways from managing Courthouse Square to assisting the Historical Commission. She also loves history and has been with the museum for over 15 years filling in various roles from planning major events to even the dirty job of cleaning the bathrooms. She handles more of the administrative/day-to-day running of the museum but isn't afraid to get her hands dirty and get right to work, whether its painting or fixing the boiler.
Sherry Copenhaver - Collections Manager
Sherry came on board as Collections Manager in September of 2018. She has been a volunteer with Eaton County Genealogical Society since 2006 and is in charge of their website and databases. Sherry has worked with the CSA staff over the years with joint projects and such, and she is excited to now learn about museum tasks!
We also have many volunteers and without them, we could not do what we do!
Thank you to our Thursday group of people who come in and fill in the various roles/jobs that need to be done for maintenance, exhibits, etc.!
Board of Directors
We couldn't do what we do with out the support of our amazing Board of Directors.
Thank you to each and every one of you! (as of May 2024.)