New Indian Ridge Museum

The New Indian Ridge Museum, Historic Shupe Homestead, and Wildlife Preserve is a complex founded in 2000 by Matt Nahorn. The Preserve is located on Beaver Creek in Amherst, Ohio and has received recognitions from the Ohio Archaeological Society, Lorain County Historical Society, Amherst Historical Society, and numerous other organizations. The Jacob Shupe Homestead, perhaps the oldest house in Amherst (and among the oldest in Lorain County), is located on the grounds of the Preserve, and it houses both the museum and its curator, Nahorn. Jacob Shupe, the first pioneer-settler (1812)[1] in what would later become Amherst Township, Lorain County, Ohio, is thought to be responsible for the house's later construction (built sometime in the first-half of the 19th-Century, making it one of the oldest frame-homes still standing in Lorain County).

Motto: "...Preserving, interpreting, & teaching the past To prepare & build for the future..."

Overview

With artifacts dating from prehistory to just a few decades ago, the Museum's collection is diverse. Many of the artifacts came from the Indian Ridge Museum of Elyria Ohio, founded by Col. Ray Vietzen. Matt Nahorn has worked to reassemble the museum (the contents of which, had been sold at public-auction in the 1990s, after the death of Col. Vietzen's widow). The goal of the New Indian Ridge Museum (NIRM) is to re-gather the original collection. In order to accomplish its goal, the NIRM has received loans and donations from the Amherst Historical Society, Ohio Archaeological Society, and many private citizens.

In recent years, the NIRM has begun to focus on ecology and the conservation of wildlife habitats. With the growth of Ohio's economy, developers are beginning to build up Amherst. In order to counter adverse effects caused by development on the surrounding ecosystem, Nahorn and his team at the NIRM have become leaders of the Beaver Creek Watershed Protection Group (BCWPG), a group that works to limit changes to the land that could augment flooding and pollution. The BCWPG has placed an emphasis on maintaining floodplains and riparian zones along Beaver Creek, in their natural states. For a creek of Beaver Creek’s size, a riparian area of at least 120–150 feet is needed; a river for the size of the nearby Black River or Vermilion River needs a riparian area of about 300 feet. To assist in this, the NIRM has declared that all NIRM land on Beaver Creek, including mature forested land, shall remain undeveloped. In September 2008, the Nahorns signed a land conservation easement, through the Western Reserve Land Conservancy, so that the property will be permanently preserved. This has allowed for the creation of trails to enjoy the natural beauty of the area and to observe the wildlife. As a result of Nahorn's conservation efforts, members of the Archaeological Society of Ohio petitioned the Kentucky State Government to have the curator named an official Kentucky Colonel in 2007, just as Col. Vietzen was named.

For the past several years, the NIRM team has reached out to local academic institution, Lake Ridge Academy and provided tours for the students and teachers. His efforts continue those of Col. Vietzen to help educate the students of Lake Ridge Academy and other interested individuals in regards to the natural, prehistoric, and pioneer history of the area.

Raymond C. Vietzen

Most of NIRM's collection of artifacts is based upon the work done by the bygone Indian Ridge Museum's curator, Col. Raymond C. Vietzen. Vietzen (who was later granted the honorary, non-military 'title' of "Colonel") was born near Elyria, Ohio in 1907, and in 1940[2] he opened the Indian Ridge Museum at his family-home, located at the corner of West Ridge and Fowl Road in Elyria. For over fifty-five years, Col. Vietzen (and his 2nd-wife, Ruth Bliss)[3] worked to document the prehistory and history of not only the local area, but also other important locations throughout the United States. Col. Vietzen authored seventeen books over the course of his life and was an artist. During his numerous archaeological explorations, Col. Vietzen uncovered valuable information on the prehistoric cultures that inhabited the Lake Erie Basin, including sound information supporting the existence of the Erie Indians in the Northeastern Ohio area. The Eries (Cat Nation) inhabited the area between approximately Ripley, New York to the Maumee River at Toledo, Ohio, on the southern shores of Lake Erie. The main tool identifying inhabitance of the Eries is the unnotched, triangular-shaped, flint arrowhead. The Eries were annihilated from the area in circa 1653 by the Iroquois. Col. Vietzen ( who claimed to be the grandson of "Baron Karl Von Zimmerman" [4]) was the last living founder of the Archaeological Society of Ohio. The museum served as an important resource tool for area schools and organizations; and although Vietzen repeatedly assured the community (many of whom had personally donated historical artifacts to his museum), that his collection would never be split-apart and sold —-- however, his entire estate was auctioned piece-by-piece after his death. (Nahorn's present aspirations will be instrumental in helping to negate the result of Vietzen's unfortunate oversight of insuring that, at least, the local artifacts would forever remain local.[5])

Matt Nahorn

Matt Nahorn is a 2008 graduate of Lake Ridge Academy who has held the title of museum founder and curator since his youth. In 2006, he worked with the Lake Ridge administration to found the Lake Ridge Archives, in an effort to preserve the school's rich history. This project is an ongoing process that will result in a well-organized, user friendly repository of the school's history. He currently serves as Archivist at L. R. A.

He plans to continue his museum and conservation efforts as an adult. His recent appointment as an official Kentucky Colonel has led him to a closer connection with Colonel Vietzen. Nahorn graduated from Oberlin College (Environmental Studies), a local college, which has enabled him to continue his research on his hometown and local environmental issues. He has begun to work with the Lake Ridge Academy staff to establish a historical inventory of the school and works closely with his family and local officials to maintain the complex. He and his museum have been featured in local newspapers, such as the Lorain Morning Journal and Elyria Chronicle Telegram.

References

  1. ↑ Elyria Independent Democrat (n.p.) November 16, 1870; p.3,c.3
  2. ↑ Elyria Chronicle Telegram, October 3, 1995, p.18
  3. ↑ Lorain County (Ohio) Probate-Court records
  4. ↑ Elyria Chronicle Telegram, October 3, 1995, p.18
  5. ↑ Commercialization in Archaeology: Problems, Old and New; by Ann C. Bauermeister, 1999; p.3

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