Whitley County moves forward on concept for Native American Cultural Center; encroachment agreement to follow

Aaron Matthew, museum director, told the Whitley County Board of Commissioners the historical society has removed an old garage and a private donor will fund a new single‑story building intended to house a Native American Cultural Center.

"It will sit adjacent to the Thomas Marshall home and the research and education center building," Matthew said, and he told commissioners the proposed building would lie partly on the Marshall Home property and partly on Whitley County Historical Society land. He said a survey is underway.

Commissioners discussed the property boundary issue and agreed an encroachment agreement would be the minimum legal instrument needed; they also said a resolution formalizing the public‑private partnership could be prepared after the survey. The board indicated support for the project and asked staff to prepare the encroachment paperwork for a future meeting.

The plan is presented as a public‑private partnership between Whitley County and the historical society; Aaron said exact property lines will be finalized after the survey and that next steps include drafting the encroachment agreement and, if needed, a resolution to make the partnership official. No formal vote on an encroachment or resolution was recorded at the June 1 meeting.

The museum will provide additional documentation, the county will wait for the survey, and the item may return to the agenda once the encroachment language and survey results are available.