July 2008 |
Artifacts
and Fiction Montgomery Historical Society P.O. Box 47 Montgomery, VT 05470 e-mail pratthall@gmail.com www.montgomeryvt.us/mhs.htm Click here for a pdf version that will print with correct pagination |
Number 15 |
| Scott
Perry - Chair/Editor Bill McGroarty - Vice Chair Marijke Dollois - Secretary Sue Wilson - Treasurer The MHS Board meets the third Wednesday of the month at 5:30. Pratt Hall in the summer, Public Safety Building Conference Room in the winter. Check out the History For Sale link for DVDs, Xmas
decorations, cards and Frig magnets.
Montgomery History Quiz: 1. What kind of woods were Atlas 3-ply veneer plywood packing crates made from? 2. Who was their principal client? What was the predominant product they were used to ship? 3. What was the name of the dog that heard “His Master’s Voice”? |
Chairman's Message
Sometimes when you set out on a journey you end up in places you never
anticipated. Such was the case when we began to develop our History
Expo exhibit this year. "Carry the Weight, Save Freight: The Story
of an Innovative Packing Case Manufactured in Montgomery, Vermont" resulted
in two acquisitions we never expected.
First, we were stunned to find a circa 1920 Atlas packing case manufactured in Montgomery for sale on Ebay in mid-June. It was bought by a man in Columbus, OH at an estate sale. We purchased the case for $50.00 and are working on getting it shipped back here as I write this. This is the first time we have paid to add an article to our archives. (see more on the exhibit later in the newsletter) Second, we tried in vain to find a butter tub we could display since the context of the exhibit on the packing cases was the timber industry in Montgomery. At the eleventh hour Rita Tatro (who had donated the original Atlas catalog) obtained and donated a butter tub manufactured in the Nelson and Hall mill on Mill Hill (Route 58). When you think of the millions of tubs made here it seemed funny these weren't more common. As we learned at the Expo, it turns out most tubs were shipped away and when packed with butter almost always absorbed some of the oil/fat. They eventually became rancid and were thrown away. We will be showing the exhibit at the Library beginning August 9th. I hope you can come by and see it if you haven't already. Thanks to Rita for her generosity, and to your Board for supporting this effort, and thank you for your continued support. Scott Perry Chairman |
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(Reminder: All MHS events are listed on the Town's Community Events Page and the Society's Calendar Page)
(Reminder: All MHS events are listed on the Town's Community Events Page and the Society's Calendar Page)
| Concert
Series Celebrates Its 20th Anniversary
The "Concerts By The Common" series got off to
a rousing start with Jenni Johnson and Friends on July 5th. Nothing
like vibes being played at Pratt Hall... And Klezmer music
for the first time on July 19th...and August 17th, 7pm (a Sunday): The
Diller Quaile String Quartet
All concerts are at Pratt Hall, Montgomery Village. Call Lutz Automotive (802) 326-4528 for tickets. Concert tickets are $12 each ($10 for MHS members). Pratt Hall is accessible to the handicapped. Thanks to our sponsors and patrons: Sponsors
Lisa and Alan Cennamo/Sylvester’s Market The Laura Crane Family Eastman Foundation Fairpoint New England Steve & Catherine Hays Ann and Jim Lackner-Graybiel Lutz’s Automotive Bill and Noela McGroarty People’s Trust Company Rock-Tenn Company TD BankNorth Vermont Arts Council Patrons Michael and Lee Forman/The Inn on Trout River Chantal and Marty Lumbra/The Belfry Marijke Dollois and Charlie Fichman Mr. and Mrs. William Hays Betty Stanton Deb and Bob Winders Other Acquisitions |
2008 Membership
Drive In Final Push
Our 2008 Membership drive kicked off March 31st. Thanks
to those who have renewed, we appreciate your support. Those
we haven't heard from yet will be receiving a reminder letter and another
donor card in the mail, but if needed, you can find a renewal donor
card on our web site.
VT
History Expo
We received a lot of great feedback on our exhibit this year, including one suggestion that we publish a version of it in the Vermont Historical Society quarterly magazine, we'll see about that. A slide show based on the exhibit is now available for viewing on our web site at: www.montgomeryvt.us/pdf/mhscarrytheweight.pdf.
It is a 6.1 Mb pdf file and will take a bit of time to download.
The picture below is of the packing case we acquired in June. 
Thanks to Pat Farmer, Noella McGroarty, Marijke Dollois, Jo Anne Bennett,
Andre & Rosalia Labier, Parma Jewett, and Sue Wilson for manning the
MHS booth.
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Annual Meeting 2008 This year's Annual Meeting was on June 27th. We displayed the History Expo exhibit, recognized the scholarship winners, and League of Local Historical Society award winners, and reviewed our programs and financial status. We believe the Society is in good shape and continues to improve. The information below is excerpted from the Officers' reports. Annual Income and Expense Summary - Income: 2006: $28,080* 2007: $31,142 - Expenses: 2006: $27,566 2007: $17,439 - Balance: 2006: $ 514 2007: $13,703 * Includes $8,000 loan Treasury as of June 19th Assets* - General Fund Account - $6,664.26 - Scholarship Account - $6,814.86 - Capital Improvements Account - $1,857.63 - Stained Glass Window Account - $5,508.29 Liabilities - Mortgage - $23,967.74 Line Of Credit Balance Available - $20,000.00 * MHS property assessed at $348,300.00 Membership 2006 2007 2007 2008 so far... - Total 181 193 222 159 - New 23 20 14 9 - Dues $7,822 $9,317 $10,544 $7,835 2008 Challenges - Maintain & Increase Membership - Maintain & Increase Participation - Outreach - Plan for Exhibit Space/Storage - Continue Building Artifact Collection DB - Financial Security - Pratt Hall General Upkeep |
The Speakers Are Coming
Sally Newton and Charles Henderson have
confirmed a program on the Abenaki for October 4th. Sharon Anderson
will be erecting a 19 foot wigwam on the Pratt Hall lawn and preparing
traditional foods during the day, and Jean Burk will speak that
evening.
On August 9th we will present "Early Montgomery: A Conversation with Betty Stanton" at 7:00 p.m. at the Library/Public Safety Building. Betty's relatives, the Gates, were long time residents who lived in the West Hill/Hill West areas and the Village. We will also be opening our History Expo exhibit at the library that same night. All of these events are free and open to everyone. Art Show & Sale Our 10th Annual Art Show and Sale will
be Saturday, August 23 from 9:00a.m. - 4:00p.m., and Sunday,
August 24th from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. this year.
Our Member Appreciation Reception with the artists is scheduled for Friday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m. Thanks to Noella McGroarty for spearheading this year's event, and to all participating artists. Work Day
The Work Day on Saturday May 3rd was a great success. Heaton
House never looked better and we now have a plan to move the archives
there. Thanks to Bill and Noella McGroarty, Sue Wilson, Ken
Secor, Andre Gareau, Pat Farmer, Tim Chapin, and Allan Kalsmith.
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Elders Night II
A small group enjoyed the storytelling
of Fern Perley, Bill Branthoover, Agatha Blodgett and Morris Bushey on
May 17th. Stories of swimming holes, rum runners, logging, and neighborhoods
were among those told. Thanks to all participants and to Jo Anne
Bennett for organizing the event. Parma's goodies went fast.
We will do more of these. Let us know if there is anyone you would like to hear. Montgomery History Quiz Answer
1. Maple and Birch
2. Victor Talking Machine Company, Victrolas 3. Nipper Board Members
The Montgomery Historical Society
Board is... Scott Perry, Bill Branthoover, Marijke
Dollois, Sue Wilson, Bill McGroarty, Parma Jewett,
Sally Newton, John Beaty, Jo Anne Bennett, and Pat
Farmer. Meetings
are the third Wednesday of the month and are open to all MHS members.
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Memorial Day Program Well Attended
Sue Wilson was emcee for our annual Memorial
Day commemoration. Jon Ramey was our guest speaker and the ceremonies
included roll call by Bill Branthoover, and a poem read by Sally Newton.
American Legion Post 42's Honor Guard and Chaplain provided honors
and Parma's doughnuts were enjoyed by all.
Scholarship Winners This year Jordan Cota and Hayley Williams
were co-winners of the annual Lalia Pratt Hays / Montgomery Historical
Society Scholarship. Best wishes as they start their college endeavors
soon. Thanks too to the selection committee, Rita Kalsmith, Sue
Wilson and Patty Hathaway for another job well done.
Web Site Has More Content
If you haven't recently, may we suggest you check out our web site. We continue to add content (like the Expo Exhibit) and are eager to hear your feedback. |