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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-11-13 Historical Preservation Committee Minutes November 13, 2006 Call to Order Chair, Betty Fuller called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. Members Present Thomas Stover, Michele Burger, Betty Fuller, Helen Lightbody, David Massey, Weldon Cannon, Glenn Walker, Helen Payton, Dan Clark,Ralph Williamson, Chris Jones, Troy Fuller. Staff Present Suzanne Hendrickson, Recreation Manager Ofa Faiva-Siale, Projects &Events Visitors Doris Brown Shirley Mercer Donna Mickan James Gathings Beth Gathings Norma Lively Patty Benoit Approval of Minutes Glenn Walker made a motion for the minutes to be approved. Troy Fuller seconded the motion, motion approved. Treasurer's Report Helen Payton reported that the Committee's current balance is $8,495.11. Old Business 1. Everyone including visitors and new Committee members were welcomed to the meeting. 2. Members report: a. Mr. and Mrs. Nail are at their daughter's,mother-in-law's funeral. b. Mr. and Mrs. Byers will be out due to their grandson's kidney condition. EHPC Mtg. 111306 3. Docent report: a. It was reported that 12 people visited the Museum on October 14, 2006. b. It was also reported that there were 16 visitors on November 11, 2006. 4. Mrs. Payton invited the Committee to have their December meeting at her home as in previous years. She volunteered to furnish the meat, dressing and gravy. Mrs. Fuller and the Committee were appreciative of Mrs. Payton's offer. Everyone was asked to bring a generously portioned covered dish to the meeting as the Mayor, City Manager and other City staff members are invited to the meeting. A sign up sheet was passed around and Helen Payton can be contacted if anyone has a question about what to bring. 5. Ana Ahovelo displayed the new open house signs for the Committee's viewing. Members were appreciative of the new, sturdier signs. 6. Suzanne Hendrickson was asked to report on the upcoming Council meeting. Ms. Hendrickson reported that Veterans will be honored on Tuesday's Council meeting and will include a Veterans presentation and a tree giveaway. Veteran's can plant these trees in commemoration of Veterans Day. 7. Details on Heritage Park Christmas were provided by Suzanne Hendrickson; the event will be on December 9 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be booths specializing in old-tyme arts and crafts, a cowboy band playing music from the 1880's, local church choirs, kettle corn, hot chocolate, train rides, a petting zoo, stories with Mrs. Clause,butter making, etc. Mrs. Fuller hopes that a heater will be available inside the Log House during the event as it tends to get cold in the house. Ms. Hendrickson will ensure Mr. Stover has corn for his "grinder" presentation. The Committee was agreeable to wearing their blue denim shirts and name tags for the event. Mrs. Fuller stressed the importance of the Committee's presence during the event. 8. Dan Clark and Chris Jones reported on the following regarding the Mosier Valley Oral History project: a. They were successful in locating Brother Austin; he will be contacted later to schedule an interview. b. Mr. Clark indicated that he would like to request permission to use Mosier Valley information from the author the New Texas Handbook. This information is available online. c. Reported that they have the text for the two historical markers at Mosier Valley. 9. Mrs. Fuller thanked Bill Byers on behalf of the Committee for his presentation on "Significant Businesses in Euless". 10. Shirley Mercer and Thomas Stover were tentatively noted to help Chris Jones on the oral history project on the Tongan Community in Euless. Ofa"Mary"will assist in the project. 11. Boyce Byers and Helen Payton have spent hours working on the McCormick Scrapbook project. Shirley Mercer and Doris Brown have helped with the project as well. Mr. Byers as well as Mrs. Fuller have also assisted. It was mentioned that the project is nearing EHPC Mtg. 111306 completion. Mrs. Fuller expressed her appreciation to everyone who worked on the project. 12. Weldon Cannon reported on the Texas Genealogical Summit that was held on October 27 and 28, 2006. Mrs. Fuller and Mr. Cannon worked the Euless Historical Committee's table during the event. Staff support was provided by Suzanne Hendrickson, Ana Ahovelo and Ofa"Mary". Mr. Cannon had the "time of his life" at the event. He was able to make contact with others regarding historical matters. Mrs. Fuller also reported that the Historical Committee's table was at an excellent location. A laptop was provided by Ms. Hendrickson with a slide show of historical photos from the Committee's collection. A display board containing photos of the Himes Log House, Fuller House, etc. was also on display. Mrs. Fuller and Mr. Cannon were complimentary and very appreciative of the support they received from the staff. 13. A detailed discussion was held regarding the "Portal to Texas History"project that was previously tabled at last month's meeting. It was indicated that there may be more merit to the project than what was originally thought. The possibility of participating in the program was brought up for discussion. It was mentioned that Dreanna Beldon, the University of North Texas (UNT) professor in charge of the project, might be able to help the Committee scan and upload its photo collection onto the interne. It was further discussed that the Committee's photo collection could be given to Tarrant County College (TCC) to scan. The question was raised on whether the Committee should work together with UNT and TCC on scanning and posting all the photos online, or should the work be completed by the City. It was apparent from the discussion that some of the members felt it may be better for the City to maintain rights and control of the photo collection. Suzanne Hendrickson was asked her opinion on the matter and she indicated that she will do further research on the topic and propose a decision on the project at a later date. 14. Wilshire Elementary School will be touring the Museum on December 12, 2006. There will be eighty students. Mrs. Fuller provided details on how the tour will be divided up, lengths of each tour, etc. James and Beth Gathings, Ralph Williamson,Helen Payton, Doris Brown, Donna Mickan and Troy Fuller volunteered to be at the tour. Other Committee members may be available to work as well. 15. Donna Park Elementary will tour the Museum on February 8, 2006 and there will be sixty- six students. 16. Helen Payton presented a glass display case for the Faun Boyd Cookbook that Suzanne Hendrickson is scanning. Gloves have been purchased for handling the cookbook. 17. Mr. Massey reported on the Tubby Huffman oral history project discussed at last month's meeting. Mr. Massey mailed Mr. Huffman's daughter a City tape recorder and a problem occurred where the recorder was destroyed. Mr. Massey has replaced the City's recorder and the project is on hold at the moment. 18. Suzanne Hendrickson reported on the Tarrant County Historical Commission's 3rd Annual Summit. The summit was on October 19 at the Cattle Raisers Museums and it went very well. The Euless Historical Committee had a table at the function. EHPC Mtg. 111306 19. Mrs. Fuller gave a report on the Thistle Hill tours she worked on October 26. 20. Flowers were sent to Mrs. McCormick for her birthday on behalf of the Historical Committee. A thank you card from Mrs. McCormick expressing her appreciation and affection for the Committee was received. 21. The need for an interview with George Brown was mentioned. Mr. Brown lives in Stephenville and he was a resident manager of the Ray Woods Audie Murphy Rodeo in the 1940's and 50's. 22. "Mary" will have shirts and name tags for new Historical Committee members as well as replacement name tags and shirts for current members prior to Heritage Park Christmas. 23. Folders containing a list of all objects with incomplete and/or nonexistent donor information were given to the Committee. Committee members will review the list and give Ms. Hendrickson updates on the artifacts. Ana Ahovelo will update the inventory as information becomes available from the Committee. All artifacts at Heritage Park have been photographed, inventoried and entered into the Museum's database. 24. Weldon Cannon spoke with Martha Paisley with the Mid-Cities Genealogical Society during the summit last month. Ms. Paisley indicated that the Genealogical Society would still be interested in transcribing material for the Euless Historical Committee. Mr. Cannon will coordinate the project between the Committee and the Genealogical Society. 25. Mrs. Fuller reported that Johnny Eden recently visited Calloway Cemetery to get a photograph of Mood Fuller's grave but could not find it. Mrs. Fuller informed Mr. Eden that Mood Fuller's gravestone is engraved W.M.N. Fuller and not Mood Fuller. A discussion followed about a survey of the graveyard. Weldon Cannon expressed his desire to have the cemetery professionally surveyed. Suzanne Hendrickson reported that an old survey was found among the boxes of papers from the Fuller House. It was further mentioned that there is also a 1955 DAR survey of the cemetery in existence. This survey was done by a Boy Scout group. 26. January's meeting will be at City Hall. The Museum will not be open for tours in January due to foundation repair work scheduled for the Fuller House. New Business 1. The Boards & Commissions Appreciation dinner will be tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Texas Star Conference Centre. Committee members were encouraged to welcome all the new Committee members at the function. 2. Chris Jones donated H.E.B. Chamber maps from 1973, 1974, 1953 and 1956 to the Museum's collection. 3. Doris Brown and Shirley Mercer enjoyed their first meeting. EHPC Mtg. 111306 4. Pattie Benoit enjoyed the meeting. She gave a few suggestions for the Committee to consider while deciding on what to do with the"Portal to Texas History"project. Ms. Benoit also spoke with Suzanne Hendrickson regarding various options to consider when researching the project. 5. David Massey mentioned that he recalls a book with a comprehensive history on the First Baptist Church of Euless. This information generated interest from the Committee. 6. James and Beth Gathings enjoyed the meeting and are glad to be members of the Historical Committee. 7. Donna Mickan invited the Committee to a Christmas celebration to be held at Morrisdale. Mrs. Mickan also needs three judges for a lighting contest in Morrisdale on December 15, 2006. She asked for any volunteers. Mrs. Mickan mentioned the existence of a Texas State Historical Marker at Morris House. Mr. Cannon and a couple of other Committee members indicated their uncertainty that such a marker exists. Mrs. Mickan said she would research to see if there was a marker at the house. Adjournment Chair, Betty Fuller adjourned the meeting at 12 noon. Respectfully submitted by Ofa"Mary" Faiva-Siale Recreation Specialist, Projects &Events Euless Parks & Community Services EHPC Mtg. 111306