Meeting Minutes

March 23, 2006

Starksboro Historical Society Meeting
March 23, 2006
Starksboro Town Offices, 7:00 pm

Members Present: Emma Lou Craig, Sarah Adams, James Lockridge, Cynthia Kling, Olive Phillips, Elsa Gilbertson, Gerald Heffernan, Kevin Hanson

Guests: Sarah Detweiler, Jan McCleary

1. Secretary's report approved from 1-26-06.

2. Treasurer's report approved; report included. Checking account balance: 783.59

3. A warm welcome to our new members: James Lockridge, Kevin Hanson, Steve Eustis, and John Burbank. John is a life member.

4. Revised bylaws accepted by motion Adams, 2nd Phillips. We now can go forward with Articles of Association and 501(c)3 status.

5. A brochure is in the works.

6. No decision from Library on joining with SHS on fall program. Sue Shepard said that they are planning a possible Bertha Hanson Program: Quilting Ladies of Starksboro in June.

7. SHS will go ahead and try to have Dan Wickman come in September and do his slide program on Regimented Civil War Flags. Gerald Heffernan said that he knew of the Bristol Regiment: 14 Regiment Company G under Col. Dunshee probably had their own flag; will check on it for Sarah Adams.

8. Gerald will also find out Starksboro boys who served in other regiments for the Howard Coffin website. He said that the Bristol Regiment only served about 6 months and were sent home.

9. Porch business: Library has a grant to restore the porch, which is the only real architectural feature on the building. They have asked for someone from SHS to work with them. With Elsa's background in historical architecture, she was volunteered.

10. Music Museum Building (not a true public space now but perhaps in the future). The site: the building on west side of Rte 116 adjacent to Ruth Brown's (now Hank Bissell's) house on south. Historically: old store and a one-time home of Olive Hanson and husband. Problems: no water, no septic, and no parking. A benefactor according to Jim Lockridge, has a purchase sale agreement and will close within 2 weeks. Purpose is to create a repository for original music in an archival space. There will be digital recordings left in the Burlington space of Big Heavy Metal (Jim is with them). Have Preservation Trust cooperation in restoring old building. They have not yet received town permits but Jim Lockeridge is hopeful. Hope to use Prison Detail in clearing up and cleaning up space.

11. Sarah Adams, Emma Lou Craig, and Elsa Gilbertson went to the Folk Life Center for a program on oral history recording. The Folk Life Center will be a great resource to SHS for their oral history expertise, both technically and with storage details.

12. Jan McCleary is working as a Home School participant with Sarah Detweiler on a project to document the houses and buildings on Rte 116 in the village. There is a book planned using Sarah's paintings and a brief description/history of each. Sarah had her first painting to show us of the Mason house.

13. Kevin Hanson is currently working on archival info websites (such as Past Perfect) to find the best way to set up our acquired bits and pieces. If one uses a program such as this, it does cost, but they maintain the site. If we do it ourselves, then someone must be in charge and maintain it as well.

14. Ideas of projects: Gerald Heffernan encouraged us to keep scrapbooks of all Starksboro events and Starksboro cemetery records.

NEXT MEETING: MAY 25th (4th Thursday of every other month) at Starksboro Town Offices, 7 pm.

Respectfully submitted by Cynthia Kling (typed by Ruth Beecher)