February 7, 2017
The Spencer County Historical Society met on Tuesday, February 7, 2017, in the Rockport Library Genealogy Room.
The meeting was called to order by the president at 6:38 PM with seven members and two guests present.
The president commended a new member on the excellent work he did in publishing the 50 year history of Jim Haaff and Bob Snyder with the Rockport Legion Post 254 baseball team.
After introductions, one guest, representing the Spencer County Tourism Commission, presented the president with a check. He stated that the money was remnants from the State Bicentennial Celebration held in 2016.
The other guest offered her services in helping to plan the bicentennial celebration of Spencer County (1818 - 2018). She had helped with Spencer County’s part in the recently held State Bicentennial Celebration.
Before the guests left, a member asked about the George Honig mural “Lincoln’s Forest College” which Honig had produced as part of a WPA project. The man stated the WPA project had been turned over to the General Services Administration. The General Services Administration had transferred ownership to the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial. The Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial had put it on permanent loan to the South Spencer County School Corporation. (The mural hangs in the entryway of the Rockport Elementary School in Rockport, Indiana.) The General Services Administration had contacted a WPA professional restoration company in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, and they would possibly start restoration on the mural within the coming year.
The president told of the upcoming Lincoln Day Program at the Lincoln Boyhood National Memorial to be held Sunday, February 12, 2017, at 2:00 PM. It is a program that honors the 16th president, followed by a pilgrimage to the grave of his mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln.
A new member mentioned he had found many family items of historical interest and was asking what he could do to preserve them. Some of the items could be donated to the Genealogy Room, but the general consensus was that the items needed to be digitized and put on a CD disk.
The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.
The treasurer’s report was given.
The secretary read several items she had received.
The Society’s online contact person read several e-mails he had received. He had two requests from different book authors asking for information about people in the county. He was able to refer the requests to Society members for the answers.
He also had an e-mail from a woman who had an original copy
of the program booklet from the July 4, 1930 pageant, “When Lincoln Went
Flatboating from Rockport”, asking if the Society would like to have it. He
told her the Society would be glad to have it and could display it in the
Genealogy Room. The booklet was received in the mail Tuesday, February 7,
2017, the day of the scheduled meeting. It will be put in the display case.
The president mentioned he and a man from Mt. Olive Church would be coming to the library to copy items to put in the church folder.
A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:56 PM.
The next meeting will be March 7, 2017, at 6:30 PM in the Genealogy Room.