MONROE - He returned home armed with an appreciation of where he was raised and the area's history. But little did Matt Figi know he'd become the face of the Green County Historical Society.

And that role can be a mixed bag.

"It's certainly an honor," said Figi, 66, whose first project with the society was to create a photo book, "A Pictorial History of Monroe."

It can also be thankless.

"We have a real gem of a museum in the middle of downtown Monroe (on 9th Street) but not many people visit us - and that includes most of the society's 300 members."

Figi, however, is a fixture there, especially with its many remodeling projects in full swing.

The building itself is a mixed blessing as well, it being the perfect setting considering its Civil War-era roots. It was erected in 1861 as the Universalist Church, and the society moved in back in 1966 - the year Figi was a senior at Monroe High School.

With that age comes the need for repairs, of course, and Figi now finds himself not only playing the role of historian but contractor.

"It's a great building to showcase our items, but you can display history in a new building as well," he said with a chuckle and a sigh of exhaustion.

Figi grew up on a farm south of Monroe and fell in love with history through things as commonplace as family reunions.

"I remember my Aunt Mabel and how she'd organize the family photos for our get-togethers and I just loved that," Figi said. "One year, when I think I was 12, a relative invited a woman who was born in 1867 and I realized that was just two years after the end of the Civil War. It fascinated me to think she grew up during that time period."

He would teach math and computer processing for 30 years in northern Indiana, but the hustle and bustle was hard on him.

"There were a half-million people in the county where I lived - a county smaller in square miles than Green County," Figi said. "There was no public transportation so getting around was so difficult. I never called Indiana home - that's what I called Monroe.

"I wanted a place with fewer stoplights, with a clinic nearby and with a taxi service that could get you there. I missed Monroe."

So in 2004, he came home and tried to carve out some semblance of retirement. But his love for history made that difficult.

"I put in 1,500 hours of work with the historical society my first two years," said Figi, who serves on the board as treasurer and is the self-appointed archivist and publisher of a quarterly newsletter he created.

He estimated the newsletter has helped double the society's membership.

Meanwhile, the building's condition required Figi to stay on that hectic pace, and with a 10-member board that has only one member younger than 60, the physical labor is challenging. But as a non-profit without deep pockets, it's required.

"Two of the people doing wood work right now are in their 70s," Figi said. "The dedication is incredible."

One project the society undertook was the restoration of its majestic stained-glass windows, at the cost of $189,000, made possible by community donations. The windows bear the names of some of Monroe's most prestigious families - names like Treat, Ludlow, Whitney and Lysaght.

Jane Lysaght died in 1919 and left money for the society which, incredibly, still trickles in today.

"We're lucky to be in such a generous community," Figi said.

And it's a community that cherishes history, he said.

"We had so many public-minded people back when Monroe was first a village," Figi said. "And the city is full of these 150-year-old houses that have been preserved. As a result, they have been a treasure trove of historical items."

Some recent milestones have also added to Figi's busy schedule.

"We had the 150-year anniversary of the Green County Fair and then Cheese Days' 100th last year," he said. "We've been changing the clothes on the mannequins (which mirror a selected time period) a lot."

Obviously, all these tasks and exposure to history lead to the gathering of lots of knowledge. It's part of what makes Figi tick, but again, it can be a bit of a cross to bear.

"Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming - everyone wants a piece of what you know," Figi said.

And that leads us to the goose chase. Few days go by in which Figi isn't asked to dig through the museum or the archives for something obscure.

"I just had a man from Janesville who wanted to go through old phone books for a phone number," Figi said. "Then there was a man in Los Angeles who asked me to help find out about a relative. I went through my archives and then the city and then the library and finally found some information which I sent him. I heard nothing back.

"Yes, I have a hard time saying no."

And that appears to be the case regarding requests for a follow-up photo book, which Figi is targeting for late 2015 or shortly after.

"People just love history," he said. "They're always asking, "Matt, when will we see another book?'"