Questers Strive to Educate, Restore Historical Landmarks

The only thing it takes to become a member of The Questers, an international nonprofit group with a local chapter known as The Cobblestone Home in White Lake, is a passion for history or antiquing — or both.

The Questers has hundreds of chapters in the U.S. and Canada. Each group names itself after a historic location, person, happening or item. Conventions are held annually at the state levels and at the international level, along with monthly meetings for area chapters. This year's international convention will take place in May in Omaha, NE.

“It’s just a fun organization to belong to, and we do a lot of good,” said Marge Mosser, 77-year-old Cobblestone Home Quester. “Plus, it’s a wonderful group of girls.”

White Lake’s chapter comprises 11 committed women who meet on the second Tuesday of every month. In addition, the women go on field trips to area museums, historical landmarks and antique shops.

White Lake resident Marilyn Baroni, president of White Lake’s Questers,  stressed that the group would like to gain members. She has been a part of the group for about seven years and would like to see the it grow.

“If you’re looking for something fun to do, a nice group to get into where you learn new things and make new friends, this is it,” Baroni said.

In addition to trips and social meetings, The Questers are dedicated to making a difference. Each Questers group seeks out a building or project to restore and maintain. The Cobblestone Home’s mission through the years has been upkeep of the state historic site.

Not so coincidentally, many Cobblestone Home Questers are also members of the , which is based at the Kelley-Fisk Farm. Both groups have similar missions.

“We have separate meetings, but we intermingle a lot,” Baroni said.

Most recently, the local Questers have been working at the Kelley-Fisk Farm to create a 1930s kitchen. The group also helped raise money for fencing around the and the historical marker there. 

“We are responsible for taking care of the inside of Fisk Farm farmhouse, and we’ve restored a lot of things in it,” Baroni said. “We raise money either by quilt raffles or flea markets or other fundraisers.”

Sharon Bigelow, 70, has been a part of Questers nearly since the White Lake chapter was conceived 30 years ago. One of her favorite aspects of being a part of the group is attending the conventions. Not only does she travel to new places and meet new friends, according to Bigelow, a lot of sites near the conventions open doors to Questers that aren't normally open to the public.

She also is an avid collector.

“Almost everyone collects something — at least one thing,” Bigelow said.

She likes to collect vintage wedding cake toppers that were made in the 1800s and up to 1950, before they were made out of plastic, she explained. She also collects doorknobs, teacups, seashells and other knickknacks she has come across through the years.

What she enjoys nearly as much as collecting is sharing her finds with fellow Questers and educating others.

Mosser, who has been a member of Questers for 11 years, also collects a lot and joked that she has a sickness. Mosser said she has antiques throughout her house and has a sizeable collection of pottery.

“You have to make time if you really love something, and this — it’s just so interesting,” Mosser said.

Baroni enjoys listening to the other women discuss their collections, but says she doesn’t collect anything herself, aside from holiday decorations.

“It’s a great group to be in, and you learn so much,” Baroni said. “If you don’t know about your history, you don’t know about your future.”