In the Beardsley Family Tradition
The Ruthmere Foundation, Inc. owns and operates the home of Elkhart's founder, the 1848 Havilah Beardsley House, and Ruthmere, the region's premier 1910 Beaux Arts mansion. Today they stand as cornerstones of community history; architecturual icons of a time gone by.
The Ruthmere Foundation, Inc. offers valuable opportunities to the commnity. These include significant history, elegant architecture, a world-class fine arts collection, and programs that bring stories of our communitiy's past to life in meaningful ways. You can be a part of keeping these stories alive for many years to come.
Collections, Library and Gardens
The industry and careful stewardship of
the Beardsleys led to an endowment for
the community that we
enjoy in many ways today:
Ruthmere and its outstanding
collections, including works
that rival those held in much
larger museums found in
our nation’s major cities,
are easily accessible to area residents; an Arts
Reference Library; carefully tended gardens
that provide a welcome respite in the city; a
venue for special events and weddings ; and
most importantly, strong educational programs
for learners of all ages.
School Tours and Public Programs
Your contribution will help us
to inspire and educate a future
generation of citizens whose
lives will be enriched with an
appreciation of art, architecture
and history. Currently, more than
1,200 students visit Ruthmere
annually to learn about our
community’s rich past. Your participation will assist us in ensuring
that more children can take school tours. Additionally, you will
help to fund other important cultural programs throughout the
year for audiences of all ages such as concerts, exhibitions, and
a lecture series. Popular family programs include monthly Free
Family Sundays, a Children’s Summer Garden Party, and the All-
American Ice Cream Social, all offered at no cost with the help of
community support like yours.
The opportunities afforded by restoration of the
home of Elkhart’s founder, Havilah Beardsley,
are exciting. Your gift helps to make possible the
ongoing restoration of Elkhart’s oldest house and
to provide an intergenerational learning center
in the Havilah Beardsley House. Bridges to
History, opening as early
as 2011, is phase one of
the multi-year restoration
project. It invites
children to use their
imaginations and exercise
their thinking skills
as they pretend. The
new gallery reflects the
mission of The Ruthmere
Foundation, Inc. as an
organization that invites all ages to discover the
meaning, relevance, and inspiration of exploring
our cultural heritage
This restoration of Havilah Beardsley House
will prove to be a key part of the development
of a new cultural corridor for the city that
will stretch from its current downtown
revitalization, particularly the redevelopment
of the Lerner Theater arts and entertainment
district, to the Wellfield Botanic Gardens on
North Main.
Through your gift to The Ruthmere
Foundation, Inc. you choose to make a
significant contribution to the cultural life of
our community, to celebrate its entrepreneurial
roots, and to lay the foundation for its
promising future.
Thank you for becoming a part of the story!