Tuesday, February 7, 2006.

The president called the meeting to order with 13 members present.

The news reporter read her notes of the December 6, 2005 meeting.

The treasurer’s report was given. 65 members have renewed their membership for the 2005 - 2006 year. There were several bills that needed to be paid. A motion was made and seconded to pay the bills. Motion carried. A final year-end report was presented to the members.  It was mentioned that the membership to the Indiana Historical Society had expired but was not noticed until after the December meeting.  The renewal was sent in on December 12, 2005.  The new membership will expire January 1, 2007.

It was mentioned about the research done in the Genealogy Room.  The president read a letter of appreciation for research that had been done and a check was presented to the Society for the research done for him by a society member.

The president mentioned the annual program that will be presented at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial this coming Sunday, February 12, 2006 in honor of President Abraham Lincoln.  There have been several articles about the program in the local papers.

A report was given on the Old Rockport Cemetery.  The scout working on the project had sent out a letter to various organizations asking for donations or volunteers to help with the project.  It was suggested that we wait a little bit before giving a donation as right now there hasn’t been much cost to the project as most people had donated their services.

While talking about the Rockport Cemetery, it was mentioned that someone had asked about the various cemeteries and wondered if Shiloh Cemetery had a plat book that showed where people are buried.  It was not sure if such a book exists.

The Kiwanis wanted to know if a member from the Historical Society would be a speaker for their March meeting at the Rockport Inn.  There would be a meal at 11:30 AM with a business meeting to follow.  If anyone is interested, they are to contact Vicki Brauns.

The president mentioned that he was speaking to the Lion’s Club on March 13, 2006 on the topic of the Revolutionary War.

A motion was made and seconded to accept the bid from Nana’s Catering for the meal for the Historian of the Year Banquet.  Motion carried.  A motion was made and seconded to raise the price of the ticket to $12.00.  Motion carried.

There was more discussion about the banquet, the speaker, and people to invite.  The public is welcome to attend.  The president is going to have tickets printed and they should be available at the March meeting.

Several members talked about having a picture of Charles Lieb, who is to be honored as the Commemorative Historian this year, hung in the Court House.  It would need to be approved by the County Commissioners first.  A motion was made and seconded to ask the commissioners for permission.  Motion carried.  A member plans to attend the next meeting to ask for permission.

A member told about an e-mail that he had received from a lady in Midway, who had found a class ring in her flower bed and was try to locate the ring’s owner.  The member had tried several different ways to help her, but had no luck

A member announced that there was going to be a meeting of the “Friends of Huffman Mill Bridge” on February 16, 2006 at DJ’s Restaurant in Troy, Indiana to discussion what is going to done with Huffman Mill Bridge.  The bridge has been completely power washed, a picnic table with an umbrella has been placed there, and Perry County plans to develop a park on the north end of the bridge.  It was mentioned that, maybe later, the Society could possible furnish another table or some type of plaque for the area.

The position of County Historian was mentioned.  A motion was made and seconded to nominate David Ranger as Spencer County Historian.  He had been filling in the remainder of the term of the previous historian, but would now begin a new term.  Motion carried.

Several books that the Genealogy Room wished to be purchased were discussed.  It was decided to table any purchase until the next meeting.

A member had received an e-mail asking about any minutes that pertained to the early Historical Society (1920-1930’s) and any information on Bess Ehrmann.  No one remembers seeing any old minutes, but the president was going to check with the Genealogy Room to see if they are aware of any old Society papers.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried.

The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.

The next meeting will be Tuesday, March 7, 2006 at 6:30 PM.