In The Media

Valerie Bumb and Nicol Waugh of Croghan Colonial Bank present a donation check to Society Treasurer Mary Mitchell on December 5, 2022

 

 

 

NEW FRONT DOOR INSTALLED
The door, sidelights, and transom for the new front of the Tremont House have been delivered and installed.  The door, custom made to be period correct, has a modern advantage:  one sidelight is hinged so it can be opened to allow larger objects to be moved in and out of the building. Saturday’s installation was done by Wilhelm Construction and museum volunteers. A generous grant from the Sandusky County Communities Foundation covered the cost of the door, sidelights and transom.  Installation costs were covered by an anonymous donor.  

Part of Phase I of the Tremont House Project, the Society is working to reclaim and restore the building which anchors our downtown.   The Tremont House is downtown Bellevue’s only building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Restoration of the Tremont House is an ambitious undertaking.  There are three phases in the restoration of this historic landmark.  Phase I involves restoring the front façade to its original 1846 appearance.  New pillars will be placed at street level.  New 6-over-6 small-paned windows will be built and installed to replicate the originals.  Contractor Mark Smith of Premier Construction in Norwalk is leading the restoration work by shoring the building up and leveling the upper floors with heavy duty jacks.  The $100,000 funding in this challenge grant is a great start to the capital campaign to raise the $380,000 needed for Phase I.   John Feick, Sandusky, is working on the Architectural drawings to submit for building permits.
The Bellevue Historical Society's goal is to provide display space showcasing the collections that bring the history of Bellevue to life, and re-create the ambiance of the grand ballroom to host community events.  The Tremont House is an Anchor of Historic downtown Bellevue, and will fulfill that mission again, with your help.    See here how to Donate or Become a Member.

Communities Foundation Grant $66K to Community Organizations
The Sandusky County Communities Foundation, Inc. is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2016 Community Grant Awards.  Since 2009 the Foundation has awarded grants totaling $517,022 to community organizations that benefit the residents of Sandusky County.   Ten community organizations were recently awarded a total of $66,621.  The recipients include The Bellevue Historical Society, Bishop Hoffman Catholic Schools, City of Clyde- Recreation Department, Fremont Community Theatre, KIC Start/Village House, Rider’s Unlimited, Sandco Industries, Sandusky County Agricultural Society, Sandusky County Food Pantry, and Sandusky Township Fire and EMS Department. 

Additionally, the Foundation awarded $20,500 in scholarships this year.  “Nearly forty organizations attended our grants pre-meeting this year, and we were once again very pleased by the quality of grant applications,” explains Foundation Board Chair, Tom Bowlus. “These grant awards span the entire county and benefit a diverse group of county residents,” continues Bowlus.  For information about creating a new fund within the Foundation or to donate to an existing fund, contact Cate Knipp, Executive Director, at 419-332-1591 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or visit www.sanduskyccf.org

 

 

 


On April 29, 2016 Tom Bowlus, Chairman of The Sandusky County Communities Foundation's Board of Trustees, presented the Bellevue Historical Society with a check for $50,000 to match funds raised last summer and fall through donations and numerous projects.

The projects included the annual sunflower sale, A Taste of Tremont , the Gingerbread House Contest, The Long Way Home Family Restaurant Day, a bike raffle, and the sales receipts from Bill Oddo's new book, Stories of Old Bellevue, Volume V, as well as the reprint of his Bellevue - A Pictorial History

Donations by Historical Society members, friends, and local businesses and organizations made up a large part of the funds raised. After the presentation, the check was deposited in the First National Bank and participants adjourned to the library where they enjoyed a box lunch from the Copper Top Bakery along with ice cream from Miller's Drive-In. Several speeches and good fellowship followed. The Society is very grateful to the Sandusky County Communities Foundation for sponsoring this grant which was funded by an anonymous donor and to Director Cate Knipp for her help during the process.

All of the money raised as well as the funds from the grant will be used in the restoration of The Tremont House. Twenty custom-built wooden six-over-six pane windows were ordered to replace the current ones which are from a more recent era. These were delivered on June 10 and after being painted several coats, the ones on the west wall should be installed this summer. If anyone can help with the painting, please contact John Miller at 419-483-4290. Also, architectural plans have been approved to permit the reinforcement of the ceiling on the first floor with steel beams making the building more structurally sound. When it is finished, The Tremont House will be an architectural gem in downtown Bellevue, a home for artifacts from Bellevue's history

Mary Mitchell and John Miller, receive a grant from Frank Vanyo, of The Sandusky County Communities Foundation.
The Bellevue Historical Society recently received a grant from the Sandusky County Communities Foundation for the purchase of PastPerfect Museum Software and training materials to help implement the program. PastPerfect is used by many smaller museums and is endorsed by the American Association for State and Local History.
In Bellevue the program will be very useful as a tool in cataloguing the Society’s collection as well as a means for managing membership and donation records. Volunteers will be able to add new items to the system as they are donated and it will be much easier to access available items and avoid duplications. This will assist in the development of presentations and exhibits by theme or by time period.
The society plans to purchase a computer and the accompanying devices needed to implement PastPerfect. A part of the Helen Walter bequest will be used for this purpose. It will take time and effort, but PastPerfect should greatly improve the efficiency of the organization.
On November 14, 2013 Mary Mitchell and John Miller attended a reception at the Fremont Country Club at which the grants were awarded. The Society would like to thank the trustees of The Sandusky County Communities Foundation for their generosity.