NEW---- support TROTOM
with an online donation!

TROTOM has established a way for you to support our museum through a secure online portal.

Just click HERE or scan the QR code at left, and you'll be directed to the portal, where you can contribute to TROTOM's efforts to renovate the historic building at 7 South Elm Street and turn it into a campus of the museum, focusing on the Featherbone Company and the Warren family that established it.

The museum is a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit entity dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the history of the region of Three Oaks.

Celebrating Michiana Cinema
at the Vickers Theater

An enthusiastic group of movie (and history) lovers was on hand on September 23 for TROTOM's program about the history of movie theaters in our area. The event took place at the Vickers Theater in downtown Three Oaks, and three of the folks most responsible for preserving the Vickers as an independent and interesting movie theater were on hand--- Jon Vickers, Bill Lindblom, and current owner Zach Hackett.

Lindblom, Vickers, Hackett, and Bogert

Museum kicks off fundraising to
restore Three Oaks' "mystery building"

The building at 7 South Elm Street, recently donated to the museum, has been something of a mystery for decades. It hasn't been occupied since the 1980s, but it has a long and interesting history.

On Saturday, August 16, a few dozen generous donors gather at the building, enjoying drinks and light bites, and heard about the fascinating history of the building and the agricultural empire that its occupants managed.

We plan further events at 7 South Elm, hoping to raise money to restore the building to its 1933 origins and house exhibits in it. Keep checking this website for future opportunities to see the "mystery building".

Dozens of visitors got a look at a unique, 45-year-old car on display outside the museum in Sunday, July 13. Only 250 Clenet I autos were made in Southern California back in 1978, and one of them resides in Three Oaks! The car's "cool factor" was such that Farrah Fawcett, Sylvester Stallone, Julio Iglesias, Rod Stewart, and heavyweoight boxing champ Ken Norton all owned Clénet's.

Ron Zarantenello read about the car as a kid and vowed to own one someday. Today, he keeps the Clénet at this Three Oaks home. Thanks, Ron, for letting us display this stunning piece of automotive history.

Museum receives donation of the
Warren Oil & Gas Building

Museum visitors check out
"Three Oaks' coolest car"

TROTOM Vice President Nick Bogert led off with a pictorial history of early area theaters-- the Fairyland and Princess in Three Oaks, the Flynn Theater in Sawyer, and the Lee Theater, the movie mainstay of the area for decades. The Lees were the first to bring "talkies" to the area, and moved the theater to its present site, a former livery stable at 6 North Elm Street.

Jon Vickers then told about his rescue of the then-abandoned theater in 1994. He and wife Jennifer invested thousands of hours restoring and upgrading the structure. Bill Lindblom, whose entertaining pre-screening introductions were a hallmark of Vickers shows for years, spoke about his experiences running the theater.

Finally, Zach Hackett talked about his initial plans to convert the building to another use, and how the Vickers' passionate customers convinced him to maintain the independent movie house treasured by so many locals.

A portion of the ticket sales from the event will go to the museum, a 501 (C) (3) nonprofit dedicated to the preservation and presentation of local history. Thanks to the movie "impresarios" for helping us tell the story of movies in Michiana!

At a "handover ceremony" on the morning of June 12, the museum accepted the donation of the historic building at 7 South Elm Street in Three Oaks, and agreed to turn the building into a display space.

Donor Jim Barkhurst signed the building (built in1932-33) over to the museum on the condition that it would house displays about the Warren family and its many businesses-, which were the economic lifeblood of the area for decades.

Two of those businesses-- E. K. Warren and Son and the Warren Oil & Gas Company-- operated in the building from the 1930s until the 1980s. The building has been unoccupied since then.

The museum has already begun work cataloguing the building's contents (which included the original blueprints for 7 South Elm) and will begin a capital campaign to restore the building, as close as possible, to its original 1930s elegance.

The new display space, which will augment, rather than replace, the existing museum, will be named in memory of Josephine Warren Hoffman (pictured below), the granddaughter of E. K. Warren and the president of the Oil & Gas Company in the 1980s. The museum thanks Jim Barkhurst and appreciates his confidence in our ability to tell the story of the Warrens, a story which has had such a profound effect on the history of our area.

On the evening of May 1st, a great crowd of our members and volunteers gathered at the museum to get a "sneak peek" at what's new for 2025...and enjoy snack and drinks.

The next day at noon, the museum opened its doors for this year. We'll welcome visitors from now through the end of October-- 12-5 PM, Friday through Sunday. There's no admission charge, though a donation of $3 is appreciated. We look forward to seeing you!

Museum's 2025 season
is underway!

PrancerPalooza provides holiday cheer
and a nostalgic return of movie cast and crew

35 years after the Three Oaks area provided the charming setting for the filming of Prancer, some of the film's stars came back to town on December 14 for a celebration dubbed PrancerPalooza. Rebecca Harrell, who played Jessica Riggs, the little girl at the heart of the movie, attended, as did Rutanya Alda (Aunt Sarah) and Belinda Bremner (Miss Bedelia).

The film's director, John Hancock (still an area resident) and film editor Dennis O'Connor and other crew members were also on hand. A. J. Workman, who helped control the robotic reindeer used in the movie, came all the way from

Oklahoma, bringing with him some fantastic print illustrations of movie scenes and of Prancer done by his fellow reindeer operator John Brunner during delays that are a part of every filmmaking experience. He gave the first print of the illustration at right to Prancer's producer, Raffaella De Laurentis.

Sam Elliott (John Riggs) had planned to attend but is no longer able to come, due to an unexpected professional commitment. Mark Rolston (Herb Drier) also planned to attend, but had to drop out after a hiking injury that required surgery.

Cast members who have passed away-- Cloris Leachman, Abe Vigoda, and Michael Constantine among them-- were remembered throughout the weekend.

The film itself was shown three times at the Vickers Theatre, each screening followed by a Q-and-A session, with performers and crew members recalling their movie-making experiences in Michiana in 1989.

At 4 PM, cast & crew were hailed in a PrancerPalooza parade that wound down Elm Street Between Maple and Linden. They rode in sleighs decked out in Christmas finery, accompanied by "rein-dogs" (pooches wearing antlers) and even a pony and a couple of llamas!

The parade ended just outside Three Oaks Heritage Hall, where the museum displayed the scale model of Three Oaks village used in the film's final scene, along with a slide show showing more that 100 images of the cast and crew at work on the streets of Three Oaks and other Michiana sites.

PrancerPalooza was a joint effort of the museum, Three Oaks Village, and the village's Downtown Development Authority. The festivities shifted to LaPorte the next day, where cast and crew answered questions at a screening at the city's Civic Center.