Visitors with mobility issues will have easier access to the Rotary Jail Museum thanks to a central Indiana teen’s Eagle Scout project.
When 14-year-old Elijah Ragsdale and his Indianapolis Boy Scout troop visited the museum last summer, the tour guide mentioned the facility’s accessibility ramp needed to be rebuilt or replaced.
“It’s the only access to the museum that doesn’t require stairs, so anybody with mobility issues needs to use that ramp,” said Britt Turpin, the museum’s executive director.
Seeking a service project to earn the Boy Scouts’ highest rank, Ragsdale decided to take on the job. The Greenfield middle schooler is interested in history and said he “likes going to see old stuff.”
During the tour, which came during the troop’s camping trip to Camp Rotary, Ragsdale peppered Turpin with questions about the jail’s unique mechanisms.
“I’ve never heard of anything or seen anything like a jail that rotates,” Ragsdale said.
The museum’s caretakers were already considering options for the ramp, looking at costs as high as $12,000 to do all of the work out-of-pocket.
“We would have to do a lot more fundraising, that’s for sure,” Turpin said.
Ragsdale set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for the project and began recruiting volunteers to help with the labor. He expects to need about 20-25 people.
Once the project is approved by the Eagle Board of Review, Ragsdale hopes to begin construction in the spring.
“To see him grow up and become the leader he is, is just amazing,” said John Rincones, Ragsdale’s scoutmaster. “This is probably one of the most massive projects that one of our kids has done in years, and he’s the kid that can do it.”
Local businesses have agreed to lend their support. Town & Country Homecenter has offered Ragsdale a gift card and special discount if he buys materials from the store. Busse’s Excavating also expressed interest in making a donation.
Turpin is in contact with other businesses and has appealed for donations during art classes at the Tannenbaum Cultural Center next door.
For more information about making a contribution, contact the museum at 765-362-5222 or contactus@rotaryjailmuseum.org.
The GoFundMe page can be found by searching “Elijah Ragsdale Eagle Scout Project.”
