Historical Society Minutes - 2010 |
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August 2010
Officers elected in August were: President-Matt Tate, Vice-Presidents-B.J. Gudmondssen and Gail Hyer, Treasurer-Bill McNeel, Secretary-Denise McNeel. Bill McNeel continues to be the Museum Curator. At the August meeting it was decided that a meeting should called to discuss the structure and future goals of the organization. This meeting was to be held at 6 PM on Thursday September 23 and people would be invited to bring a sandwich. Secretary Denise McNeel was asked to contact members from all over the county to represent their district and to advertise this meeting in the Pocahontas Times.
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Thursday, September 23, 2010 , 6 PM at the Marlinton Presbyterian Church
All officers were in attendance as well as the following members who represented various different sections of the county : Kathy Henry, Liz Gay, Nancy Cochran Wooldridge, Susie Landis, Mary Jo Fisher, Christine Smith, Michael Smith and Barbara Shinaberry. We also welcomed a visitor from Florida, Lois Sumlin.
While the group was enjoying refreshments, several members spoke about past and current activities of the Historical Society. Bill McNeel read the minutes of the early meetings of the society forty-nine years ago. B.J. announced that she was seeking volunteers for each of the five libraries to help people scan their own documents for the preservation projects.
President Matt Tate then asked the group to subdivide into three smaller groups and each group was asked to list the needs, objectives and possible future projects of the Society. After about 30 minutes the large group reassembled and Matt read these lists aloud and there was some discussion. Since the lists included some duplication, Matt offered to make a single list of them. Members were also asked to think of other ideas and to invite comment from other people in the community.
It was decided that the next meeting would be held Monday, October 25 at the Museum, again at 6 PM. The secretary would put this date in the paper and send out an e-mail reminder to interested participants.
The officers met after the general meeting to discuss the Museum building’s needs. Bill McNeel will submit an application to the Snowshoe Foundation for funding to complete the maintenance project begun in 2008.
Denise K. McNeel (secretary)
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Monday, October 25, 2010, 6 PM at the Museum
Present: all officers + Susie Landis, Jane Price Sharp, Kathy Henry, Emily Lassiter, Bob Sheets-apologies were received from Bob and Joanne Lister, Moffett McNeel, Tom Shipley, Christine Smith and Geoff Hamill.
The meeting began with a tour of the museum (downstairs). President Matt Tate summarized the last meeting and read aloud the list of projects proposed at the last meeting and lists were passed around for people to sign up for. It was suggested that this list be posted on the PCHS website.
2011 is the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War-this should be commemorated, possibly starting with listing local combatants. Support of Pioneer Days returning to its roots, with more historical emphasis Need for secure archives (+ archivist) Maintain the Museum building and make people comfortable with loaning/donating items Need a membership secretary to remind people to pay dues Need programs-events, activities, speakers 50th anniversary of Historical Society approaching-celebrate 150th anniversary of statehood of WV-celebrate McClintic Library's Heritage Room needs to be open on Saturdays Historical Society needs to produce more books to sell (photographs, update of County History....) Change displays at museum for current celebrations, reunions etc. Do living history presentations in various parts of the county On train ride days, the museum should be open earlier Need a building committee to oversee the restoration, repair and maintenance of the Museum and other properties Work with Snowshoe and the CVB to develop motor coach traffic to the museum Encourage more volunteers Publicity, publicity, publicity Encourage school groups and other groups to visit the museum and take an interest in local history Newsletter and historical articles more often
The 100th birthday of Louise McNeill Pease was added to the list. There was discussion of various items on the list. Kathy Henry volunteered to be membership chair. Bill McNeel presented the treasurer’s report. He has submitted an application for $14,000 to the Snowshoe Foundation for the completion of the repairs begun 2 years ago. He has met with Coby Brown, who had asked for a breakdown of the cost of items, so he was hopeful of receiving some, if not all of the money requested. Work would probably not begin until the spring. Under Gail’s leadership, the Society has also applied for $5000 for the preservation/display project (our vintage clothing collection). There will be a dress party (sorting out the attic) on Wednesday, 10 November (5-7PM)-volunteers include Gail, B.J., Emily, Denise and Kathy. Bill also announced that founding member Bob Jacobsen had sent a $1000 donation in with his membership. He also said that we had sold close to $1000 worth of books since the museum closed for the summer. In the spring we may have to consider raising the entrance fee for the museum.
There was a lot of discussion on the fast-approaching sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Bob Sheets suggested and volunteered to work on the commemoration of Civil War events in Pocahontas County and this section of West Virginia.
B.J. announced that the archiving project has purchased a small scanner for each of the 5 libraries. The first scanning class will be at Hillsboro on the 9 November ,3-5 PM.
The next meeting will be held at McClintic Library on Monday, November 22 at 6PM. Program to be determined. In the spring we will have meetings in different parts of the county.
The meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM for refreshments
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Monday, 22 November, 2010, 6 PM at McClintic Library
Present: all officers+ Michelle Evans, Geoff Hamill, Norman Alderman, Emily Lassiter, Mary Jo Fisher. John Baxter, Tina Taylor Apologies were received from Liz Gay, Bob and Joanne Lister, Bob Sheets and Christine and Mike Smith
President Matt Tate welcomed everyone. The minutes of the October meeting were read and approved. (B.J., Gail). Copies of the financial report were passed round and discussed. Our $14,000 renovation plan for the museum will be helped by a donation of $3,000 from the Snowshoe Foundation and by an individual donation of $1,000 by member Bob Jacobson.
All people in attendance introduced themselves. Matt then outlined for the group the list of proposed projects and invited committee members to report on progress. Denise reported that Bob Sheets had phoned her about the Civil War Sesquicentennial project. He has talked to the social studies teachers and to several classes at the high school about a project to find out about ancestors who fought in the Civil War, and will contact the Pocahontas Times about Civil War anniversaries of events in Pocahontas County and this area. Bill McNeel reported that he had been contacted, separately twice in a two week period, by people interested in republishing, On to Grafton, the account by his great-grandfather, Rev. William T. Price, of the first few months of the Civil War and his journey as a chaplain with the Highland County troops to join up with other Confederate troops. Don Rice of Randolph County was requesting permission from the family to reprint the account, but upon learning of Paul Cunningham’s (of McDowell, Virginia) 150 page book on the first six months of the war, which would include On to Grafton among other material assembled and written, Mr. Rice has decided to relinquish his project.
Gail, working on programs, has applied for a grant from the Smithsonian on a project called The Way we Worked, which will bring an exhibit to only six locations in West Virginia. The decision will be made in January and, if accepted, we would receive the exhibit in September or October. This would be connected with the lumber industry in this area. Living History/ Pioneer Days: Gail will propose the inclusion of a couple of living history performances, when the Pioneer Days Committee meets in the new year; she has specific programs in mind. Building Maintenance: The committee will decide in the spring which project to tackle first. Geoff repainted the flagpole last year and is currently working on the Civil War cemetery sign to make it more impermeable to weather, while maintaining its original appearance. He will be working on masonry around the chimney as his next project.
Preservation: Gail and B.J. attended an excellent conference in Charleston on historic preservation. B.J. reported that the dress party on 10 November worked very well. She, Kathy, Emily and Michelle accomplished a lot in two hours in the museum attic. They sorted, identified, folded and boxed most of the clothing collection and generally reorganized the space and had a better idea of the contents up there. They plan to meet again some sunny afternoon to work further on the project. She also spoke of the archiving project and her many activities archiving documents and photographs and interviewing and filming. She has focused, too, on publicity, by putting an archival photo in the Pocahontas Times each week and listing activities and information on preserving old documents, photographs and artifacts. In future these will be located on the same page as Fifty Years Ago.
B.J. also had the program of the evening, which involved her explaining and demonstrating the use of the hand-held scanners which have been purchased, one for each of the five public libraries, so that people may borrow the scanners to scan their pictures, either at the library with the help of a volunteer, or at home. She emphasized that she would be responsible for the memory cards and their erasure before their being passed to a new user and pointed out that the user might upload their images to their own computer or receive a copy of them on a C.D. She also explained the paperwork that goes along with the scanning and people filled up the forms that would accompany their scanned pictures. These scanners can be used over a plastic screen or glass, which means that photos need not be taken out of a frame or books damaged by being placed in a flat bed scanner. Then came the fun part, as everyone there learned to scan pictures. Bobbie Jo has already conducted a similar workshop at Hillsboro and will do similar ones at the other three libraries.
It was decided that the next meeting would be held at McClintic Library at 6 PM, Monday, December 27.
The meeting adjourned at 7:20 PM.
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