The Rush County Historical Society is excited to announce the success of Brian Sheehan’s Legend of the Lions history book project.

"We have sold around 480 books to this point and have produced a profit of a little over $9,000 for the society," Sheehan said.

Brian Hill, club president, said the society plans to utilize some of the money raised to secure a laptop to be used for public presentations and to use specifically on their upcoming oral history conversion project.

“We also plan to make a couple of donations locally to honor Brian’s generosity” Hill said.

“I don’t have the where with all to write a check this large, but I can tell you it is extremely rewarding to use your time and talents to produce this kind of gift. I am a big believer in understanding and honoring the past and extremely proud of this fundraising project" Sheehan said.

“It’s hard to express the impact that this gift can make for the Historical Society. This is by far the most generous donation since I’ve been associated with the museum. I can only think of two previous contributions in the organization’s history, from Clark Offutt and Mary Sleeth, that compare with what Brian has done,” board member Al Hodge said.

“My goal for the project was to raise $10,000. If I can sell the remaining 40 books at $25 a piece, we should be very close," Sheehan said.

This project would not have been possible without the support of several local businesses, organizations, and individuals that helped along the way, who helped by providing upfront money for the publishing of the book, he added.

The first two to sign on to the project were the Rush County Community Foundation and the Rush County Historical Society.

“These organizations were paramount to getting this project off the ground, not only their financial support but also in publicly validating the project as worthwhile,” Sheehan said.

Others who assisted were Pizza King, Pavey’s Grocery, Curtis Brothers, Remax Realty, The Fraternal Order of the Eagles, The Emerald Group, and American Family Insurance.

Sheehan wanted to especially thank the Payne Insurance Agency and the Rushville Pharmacy, who not only sponsored the project but assisted in the sales and distribution of the books.

“I would be remiss if I did not send a special thank you and acknowledgment to Darrin McGowan, who helped get my information in a format that could be used by the publisher. His abilities saved our project nearly $5,000,” Sheehan said.

For those who have not yet picked up their copy, there are still a few books remaining. There is no plan to reprint so if you want a copy you should act now. Books will be available at today’s Artisan’s Day event at the Gowdy House Museum on Perkins Street. Books also may be purchased at the Rushville Pharmacy or by calling Sheehan at (765) 938-5030 or e-mail him at shamrocksheehan@verizon.net