October 3, 2018 Meeting minutes
The Oct. 3, 2018 meeting of the Knox Historical Society was called to order by President Dennis Barber at 7 p.m. Members present included Elly Czebiniak, Linda Devinpeck, Bill Donato, Jay Francis, Zenie Gladieux, Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, Howard Ohlhous, and Anna Wolfe.
The minutes of the August meeting were accepted as corrected.
The Treasurer’s report was given by Anna. KHS has $822.93 in the SEFCU checking account and $4055.15 in the SEFCU savings account.
Dennis reported that the new Town of Knox seal, designed by Dennis and adopted by the Town 2 months ago, will be on 9 road signs on the town borders. The road signs are being made now and will be installed soon.
Zenie gave an update on the Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit. This group is composed of town historians, librarians, and representatives from historical societies and museums in the Hilltowns. The group collaborates to bring events and activities to the Hilltowns. The group realized that the history of the Hilltowns is not being taught in the schools. Zenie spoke to BKW Superintendent Dr. Mundell and suggested that a series of programs be conducted for the teachers on history of the Hilltowns. Suitcases of History could be a vehicle for bringing programs on local history and geology into the classrooms. The Suitcases of History program was developed by Mary Kinnaird and complies with NYS Learning Standards. Each “Suitcase” is on a specific topic and has objects and primary documents that make history more meaningful to students. The following topics have been suggested for 8 new “suitcases”:
Howard Ohlhous from the Duanesburg Historical Society spoke about the grand opening of their Research and Archival Building. The Society is in the process of cataloging the records that are now stored in their new building. This site is open by appointment. The Society sponsors monthly programs that are very well attended. KHS lists those upcoming programs on our website http://www.knoxhistoricalsociety.org/ Duanesburg has about 150 members and about 60-70 people regularly attend the monthly programs. Howard said the programs are specific to Duanesburg. The vice-president finds the speakers.
Howard presented a Tax Roll from Knox School District #10 that had been in Duanesburg’s collection. Bill made a motion that KHS accession the document, Elly seconded the motion, and the motion carried. Howard will fill out the accession paperwork.
Duanesburg publishes a newsletter biannually and KHS receives copies of it.
Ray reported that during the HHA Farms and Artisans Tour the Saddlemire Homestead had 6 visitors on Saturday, Sept. 15. The Quilt and Needlework Show was held Sunday, Sept. 16. Berne Historical Society co-sponsored the show. 48 quilts and 34 needlework items were displayed. There were 43 visitors and we received $64 in donations. Half of this money will be given to the Berne Historical Society. It is not certain if or when KHS will have another Quilt Show.
Ray reported that the computer is back in the Homestead. It appears that the monitor is not working. Ray will check to see if he can obtain a used monitor. KHS has a scanner.
Sarah Jastremski from NYSED will be doing a site visit on Thursday, October 11 at 9 a.m. KHS has sent in its paperwork for the Absolute Charter application and this site visit is one of the last requirements. Bill will install the smoke detectors. Dennis said that Supervisor Lefkaditis will then check into tying the Saddlemire Homestead’s smoke detectors into the Town Hall system. Dennis, Anna, Bill, and Donna will be at the Homestead for the site visit. Following the visit, the Homestead will be prepared for winter: items covered, etc.
Balladeer Linda Russell will be presenting “A History of American Women in Song” on Friday, Oct. 12 at the BKW HS auditorium at 7 p.m. This program is being funded by a Stewarts Holiday Matching Grant of $500. BKW teachers are encouraging their students to attend. KHS members will bring refreshments.
Dennis suggested changing the summer hours of the Homestead in 2019 because we did not receive any visitors on Wednesdays from noon-2 p.m. In 2019 we will try Saturdays, either 10-12 or 12-2.
Mike Nardacci had suggested an historical marker for the Knox Caves. For safety reasons, the Cave Conservancy did not want the marker near the cave entrance. KHS members did not think locating the historical marker at the Homestead was appropriate. Next year we will talk about new markers: possibly putting the Knox Cave marker at the intersection of Street Road and Knox Cave Road; possibly a marker for School #12; possibly a marker for School #2.
Jay suggested topics for KHS meetings:
Dennis suggested the cemeteries of Knox as the topic of an additional program.
Discussion was held regarding Nancy’s concern addressed in an email that we did not notify KHS members about the change in the meeting schedule as set in the By-Laws. Nancy said that after discussing the change in schedule we had to notify members in writing about such a change. We discussed the change at the June meeting. The proposed change was written in the minutes. Members voted on the schedule change at the August meeting. Members present felt we had followed the rules of the By-Laws
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
The minutes of the August meeting were accepted as corrected.
The Treasurer’s report was given by Anna. KHS has $822.93 in the SEFCU checking account and $4055.15 in the SEFCU savings account.
Dennis reported that the new Town of Knox seal, designed by Dennis and adopted by the Town 2 months ago, will be on 9 road signs on the town borders. The road signs are being made now and will be installed soon.
Zenie gave an update on the Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit. This group is composed of town historians, librarians, and representatives from historical societies and museums in the Hilltowns. The group collaborates to bring events and activities to the Hilltowns. The group realized that the history of the Hilltowns is not being taught in the schools. Zenie spoke to BKW Superintendent Dr. Mundell and suggested that a series of programs be conducted for the teachers on history of the Hilltowns. Suitcases of History could be a vehicle for bringing programs on local history and geology into the classrooms. The Suitcases of History program was developed by Mary Kinnaird and complies with NYS Learning Standards. Each “Suitcase” is on a specific topic and has objects and primary documents that make history more meaningful to students. The following topics have been suggested for 8 new “suitcases”:
- Geology and Prehistory of area up to the 1500s
- French and Indian Wars and Revolutionary War.
- Beverwyck and the Patroons
- Anti-Rent Wars
- Walter Church
- Local schools
- Advances in Lighting
Howard Ohlhous from the Duanesburg Historical Society spoke about the grand opening of their Research and Archival Building. The Society is in the process of cataloging the records that are now stored in their new building. This site is open by appointment. The Society sponsors monthly programs that are very well attended. KHS lists those upcoming programs on our website http://www.knoxhistoricalsociety.org/ Duanesburg has about 150 members and about 60-70 people regularly attend the monthly programs. Howard said the programs are specific to Duanesburg. The vice-president finds the speakers.
Howard presented a Tax Roll from Knox School District #10 that had been in Duanesburg’s collection. Bill made a motion that KHS accession the document, Elly seconded the motion, and the motion carried. Howard will fill out the accession paperwork.
Duanesburg publishes a newsletter biannually and KHS receives copies of it.
Ray reported that during the HHA Farms and Artisans Tour the Saddlemire Homestead had 6 visitors on Saturday, Sept. 15. The Quilt and Needlework Show was held Sunday, Sept. 16. Berne Historical Society co-sponsored the show. 48 quilts and 34 needlework items were displayed. There were 43 visitors and we received $64 in donations. Half of this money will be given to the Berne Historical Society. It is not certain if or when KHS will have another Quilt Show.
Ray reported that the computer is back in the Homestead. It appears that the monitor is not working. Ray will check to see if he can obtain a used monitor. KHS has a scanner.
Sarah Jastremski from NYSED will be doing a site visit on Thursday, October 11 at 9 a.m. KHS has sent in its paperwork for the Absolute Charter application and this site visit is one of the last requirements. Bill will install the smoke detectors. Dennis said that Supervisor Lefkaditis will then check into tying the Saddlemire Homestead’s smoke detectors into the Town Hall system. Dennis, Anna, Bill, and Donna will be at the Homestead for the site visit. Following the visit, the Homestead will be prepared for winter: items covered, etc.
Balladeer Linda Russell will be presenting “A History of American Women in Song” on Friday, Oct. 12 at the BKW HS auditorium at 7 p.m. This program is being funded by a Stewarts Holiday Matching Grant of $500. BKW teachers are encouraging their students to attend. KHS members will bring refreshments.
Dennis suggested changing the summer hours of the Homestead in 2019 because we did not receive any visitors on Wednesdays from noon-2 p.m. In 2019 we will try Saturdays, either 10-12 or 12-2.
Mike Nardacci had suggested an historical marker for the Knox Caves. For safety reasons, the Cave Conservancy did not want the marker near the cave entrance. KHS members did not think locating the historical marker at the Homestead was appropriate. Next year we will talk about new markers: possibly putting the Knox Cave marker at the intersection of Street Road and Knox Cave Road; possibly a marker for School #12; possibly a marker for School #2.
Jay suggested topics for KHS meetings:
- History of the Churches of Knox – the Reformed, Methodist, Baptist, and Lee’s Churches
- History of Camp Pinnacle
- Five generations of the Francis Family
Dennis suggested the cemeteries of Knox as the topic of an additional program.
Discussion was held regarding Nancy’s concern addressed in an email that we did not notify KHS members about the change in the meeting schedule as set in the By-Laws. Nancy said that after discussing the change in schedule we had to notify members in writing about such a change. We discussed the change at the June meeting. The proposed change was written in the minutes. Members voted on the schedule change at the August meeting. Members present felt we had followed the rules of the By-Laws
The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
August 7, 2018 Meeting minutes
The Aug. 7, 2018 KHS meeting was called to order by President Dennis Barber at 7:05 p.m. Members present included Elly Czebiniak, Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, and Anna Wolfe.
The minutes were accepted as corrected.
Treasurer’s Report: Anna reported that in July KHS had a balance of $1007.61 in the SEFCU checking account and $4053.12 in the SEFCU savings account. Elly made a motion that KHS pay the insurance bill of $157.81. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that Donna be reimbursed $72 for a 2 year payment to Weebly Website Creator. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that KHS pay the annual fee of $20.17 to GoDaddy, the website domain company. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Anna reported on correspondence KHS has received. The Grand Opening of the Duanesburg Research and Archive Center will be Aug. 20. All are invited to attend. Newsletters from the Spindle City Historical Society and Guilderland Historical Society were received. The Art Conservator Magazine was received. Discussion was held about joining the Museum Association of New York. Anna will research the association more and we will discuss the desirability of joining at the September meeting.
Old Business: Three policies that are needed for the Absolute Charter application were voted on. Elly made a motion to accept the Whistleblower Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion to accept the Conflict of Interest Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion to accept the Outgoing and Incoming Loans addition to the Collection Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Donna will mail these policies to NYSED Charter Department.
A vote was held to change the ByLaws regarding Meeting Days. Elly made a motion that KHS will not meet in the months of December and January. Donna seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that KHS will not meet in November if our KHS meeting day coincides with Election Day. Donna seconded the motion and the motion passed.
There is a new photo of the Saddlemire Homestead on the webpage showing the new location of the sign. A write-up of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and Election Machines is on the website.
Dennis mentioned that additional 8x10 photo frames are needed for displaying items in the Homestead. Donna made a motion that 5 8x10 frames be purchased. Elly seconded the motion and the motion passed. Dennis will purchase the frames.
At a meeting on Aug. 1 at the Homestead Mike Nardacci had suggested to Dennis and Donna that KHS look into installing an historical marker for the Knox Cave. The William Pomeroy Foundation allocates grant money for historical markers. The NE Cave Conservancy owns the property where the caves are located. The Conservancy does not want to advertise the location of the Cave for safety reasons and Mike suggested that the marker be installed in front of the Homestead. KHS members said they thought the marker should be in the vicinity of the Knox Cave and not at the Homestead. Donna will email Mike to let him know this decision of the members. KHS has found more historical information about the discovery of the Cave and this information will be displayed in the Knox Cave room of the Homestead.
Nancy Frueh had suggested at one time getting a marker for Knox School District #12 which was located on Quay Road and is now at the Altamont Fairgrounds. The Pulliam sons had done research on the school. We will check further on this.
New Business: Dennis attended the community meeting with Congressman Paul Tonko at the Berne Public Library. Dennis asked Congressman Tonko about grants for historical societies and was informed of a seminar that will take place on Aug. 22 at Hudson Valley Community College. Dennis would like to apply for a grant to purchase a computer and scanner for the Homestead. Ray mentioned that the computer that had been in the Homestead is now at Sue and John Miner’s home, but the computer appears to be frozen. Ray will check to see if the computer can be repaired. Elly’s husband might also be able to diagnose the problem.
KHS will sponsor a Quilt and Fancywork Show during the Farm and Artisan Tour. The show will take place on Sunday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Set-up will be on Sat., Sept. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Berne Historical Society will also be a sponsor. Quilts and needlework from Berne, Knox, and Altamont will be displayed.
Sandra Stempel from the Berne Historical Society mentioned that the Altamont Fair is looking for historical items pertaining to Farming in the 1890s. We will check our collection and get back to Sandra for more information.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
The minutes were accepted as corrected.
Treasurer’s Report: Anna reported that in July KHS had a balance of $1007.61 in the SEFCU checking account and $4053.12 in the SEFCU savings account. Elly made a motion that KHS pay the insurance bill of $157.81. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that Donna be reimbursed $72 for a 2 year payment to Weebly Website Creator. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that KHS pay the annual fee of $20.17 to GoDaddy, the website domain company. Ray seconded the motion and the motion passed.
Anna reported on correspondence KHS has received. The Grand Opening of the Duanesburg Research and Archive Center will be Aug. 20. All are invited to attend. Newsletters from the Spindle City Historical Society and Guilderland Historical Society were received. The Art Conservator Magazine was received. Discussion was held about joining the Museum Association of New York. Anna will research the association more and we will discuss the desirability of joining at the September meeting.
Old Business: Three policies that are needed for the Absolute Charter application were voted on. Elly made a motion to accept the Whistleblower Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion to accept the Conflict of Interest Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion to accept the Outgoing and Incoming Loans addition to the Collection Policy. Dennis seconded the motion and the motion passed. Donna will mail these policies to NYSED Charter Department.
A vote was held to change the ByLaws regarding Meeting Days. Elly made a motion that KHS will not meet in the months of December and January. Donna seconded the motion and the motion passed. Elly made a motion that KHS will not meet in November if our KHS meeting day coincides with Election Day. Donna seconded the motion and the motion passed.
There is a new photo of the Saddlemire Homestead on the webpage showing the new location of the sign. A write-up of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and Election Machines is on the website.
Dennis mentioned that additional 8x10 photo frames are needed for displaying items in the Homestead. Donna made a motion that 5 8x10 frames be purchased. Elly seconded the motion and the motion passed. Dennis will purchase the frames.
At a meeting on Aug. 1 at the Homestead Mike Nardacci had suggested to Dennis and Donna that KHS look into installing an historical marker for the Knox Cave. The William Pomeroy Foundation allocates grant money for historical markers. The NE Cave Conservancy owns the property where the caves are located. The Conservancy does not want to advertise the location of the Cave for safety reasons and Mike suggested that the marker be installed in front of the Homestead. KHS members said they thought the marker should be in the vicinity of the Knox Cave and not at the Homestead. Donna will email Mike to let him know this decision of the members. KHS has found more historical information about the discovery of the Cave and this information will be displayed in the Knox Cave room of the Homestead.
Nancy Frueh had suggested at one time getting a marker for Knox School District #12 which was located on Quay Road and is now at the Altamont Fairgrounds. The Pulliam sons had done research on the school. We will check further on this.
New Business: Dennis attended the community meeting with Congressman Paul Tonko at the Berne Public Library. Dennis asked Congressman Tonko about grants for historical societies and was informed of a seminar that will take place on Aug. 22 at Hudson Valley Community College. Dennis would like to apply for a grant to purchase a computer and scanner for the Homestead. Ray mentioned that the computer that had been in the Homestead is now at Sue and John Miner’s home, but the computer appears to be frozen. Ray will check to see if the computer can be repaired. Elly’s husband might also be able to diagnose the problem.
KHS will sponsor a Quilt and Fancywork Show during the Farm and Artisan Tour. The show will take place on Sunday, September 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Set-up will be on Sat., Sept. 15 from 9 a.m. to noon. Berne Historical Society will also be a sponsor. Quilts and needlework from Berne, Knox, and Altamont will be displayed.
Sandra Stempel from the Berne Historical Society mentioned that the Altamont Fair is looking for historical items pertaining to Farming in the 1890s. We will check our collection and get back to Sandra for more information.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
June 5, 2018 meeting minutes
The June 5, 2018 meeting of the Knox Historical Society was called to order by President Dennis Barber at 7:10 p.m. Members present included Elly Czebiniak, Linda Devinpeck, Bill Donato, Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, and Anna Wolfe.
The minutes of the May meeting were accepted as emailed.
Anna gave the Treasurer’s report. Dues have been received from some members and Anna will send thank-yous to the members. KHS has $1,059.07 in the SEFCU checking account and $4,051.42 in the SEFCU savings account. KHS has one new member. Ray will contact him to welcome him. Bill will be reimbursed $85 for the cash prizes awarded to the essay contest winners. Ray will be reimbursed $21.46 for the purchase of a poster frame. There was a good crowd for the Memorial Day Open House. Next year we will place the donation jar more prominently in hopes of attracting more donations from visitors. Anna sent sympathy cards to the Stevens family.
Old Business: The Memorial Day essay contest was very well received and a moving addition to the Memorial Day ceremony. Members thanked Linda for the idea of having the contest and thanked Elly and Linda for their work in its execution. KHS will again sponsor the contest in 2019. The timeline for notifying students about the contest and the deadline for submission of essays will be moved up. Students will be given 2 weeks notice about the contest and essays will be due before the May 1, 2019 KHS meeting date. This way the essays can be judged at the KHS May meeting. Permission to use the photographs of this year’s essay winners on the KHS website was received. Information about the essay contest and the top winners was sent to the BKW Board of Education in hopes of encouraging a stronger community partnership. Copies of the winning essays will be given to Donna and kept in the Secretary’s notebook.
Three-cut publicity sheets listing KHS events were handed out by Linda on Memorial Day.
Elly will update the KHS stationery with the officers’ and trustees’ names. A copy will be kept in the Secretary’s notebook.
The Saddlemire Homestead outside sign is installed in a new location. This was done to improve the visibility for the sign at the Knox Fire House. Bill will eventually make a new sign with the Saddlemire name on it.
There is a sign-up sheet for manning the Saddlemire Homestead on Wednesdays in July and August.
Nancy is planning an event for Saturday, July 14 on Women’s Suffrage. Members will try to find out information about the Knox women who participated in the first vote. Dennis will talk to town officials about moving the old voting machine from the town hall to the Saddlemire Homestead.
New business: To obtain the NYS Absolute Charter, KHS needs to have in our Collection Policy procedures for handling outgoing loans and incoming loans. After some discussion a Loan policy was tentatively approved. This inclusion to our present Collection Policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy. Anna will check our insurance policy to see if items borrowed would be covered by our insurance.
KHS also has to have a Whistle Blower policy. Members discussed the wording and a policy was tentatively approved. This policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy.
A Conflict of Interest Policy is another necessary policy. After some discussion a policy was tentatively approved. This policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the Conflict of Interest Policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy.
Dennis discussed changing the monthly meeting schedule as set by our By-Laws. He suggested KHS not have meetings in December and January. Also, if a meeting date falls on Election Day or the 4th of July, there would not be a meeting. The By-laws can be changed by a 2/3 vote. This proposal passed unanimously. According to our By-Laws this proposed meeting schedule change must be presented at the next KHS meeting in order to become law.
No date has been set yet for the HHA Farm and Artisan Tour.
There was discussion about having our next meeting on July 3. Anna made a motion that the meeting be canceled, Bill seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
Bill asked if the Knox Fire Department sign will advertise KHS events. Dennis will check with Fire Department officials.
Dennis will look for a new “Open” flag so that we have 2 flags.
Bill made a motion to adjourn, Elly seconded it, and the motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
The minutes of the May meeting were accepted as emailed.
Anna gave the Treasurer’s report. Dues have been received from some members and Anna will send thank-yous to the members. KHS has $1,059.07 in the SEFCU checking account and $4,051.42 in the SEFCU savings account. KHS has one new member. Ray will contact him to welcome him. Bill will be reimbursed $85 for the cash prizes awarded to the essay contest winners. Ray will be reimbursed $21.46 for the purchase of a poster frame. There was a good crowd for the Memorial Day Open House. Next year we will place the donation jar more prominently in hopes of attracting more donations from visitors. Anna sent sympathy cards to the Stevens family.
Old Business: The Memorial Day essay contest was very well received and a moving addition to the Memorial Day ceremony. Members thanked Linda for the idea of having the contest and thanked Elly and Linda for their work in its execution. KHS will again sponsor the contest in 2019. The timeline for notifying students about the contest and the deadline for submission of essays will be moved up. Students will be given 2 weeks notice about the contest and essays will be due before the May 1, 2019 KHS meeting date. This way the essays can be judged at the KHS May meeting. Permission to use the photographs of this year’s essay winners on the KHS website was received. Information about the essay contest and the top winners was sent to the BKW Board of Education in hopes of encouraging a stronger community partnership. Copies of the winning essays will be given to Donna and kept in the Secretary’s notebook.
Three-cut publicity sheets listing KHS events were handed out by Linda on Memorial Day.
Elly will update the KHS stationery with the officers’ and trustees’ names. A copy will be kept in the Secretary’s notebook.
The Saddlemire Homestead outside sign is installed in a new location. This was done to improve the visibility for the sign at the Knox Fire House. Bill will eventually make a new sign with the Saddlemire name on it.
There is a sign-up sheet for manning the Saddlemire Homestead on Wednesdays in July and August.
Nancy is planning an event for Saturday, July 14 on Women’s Suffrage. Members will try to find out information about the Knox women who participated in the first vote. Dennis will talk to town officials about moving the old voting machine from the town hall to the Saddlemire Homestead.
New business: To obtain the NYS Absolute Charter, KHS needs to have in our Collection Policy procedures for handling outgoing loans and incoming loans. After some discussion a Loan policy was tentatively approved. This inclusion to our present Collection Policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy. Anna will check our insurance policy to see if items borrowed would be covered by our insurance.
KHS also has to have a Whistle Blower policy. Members discussed the wording and a policy was tentatively approved. This policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy.
A Conflict of Interest Policy is another necessary policy. After some discussion a policy was tentatively approved. This policy will be sent to all members and at the next KHS meeting the Conflict of Interest Policy will again be presented and if approved will become a KHS policy.
Dennis discussed changing the monthly meeting schedule as set by our By-Laws. He suggested KHS not have meetings in December and January. Also, if a meeting date falls on Election Day or the 4th of July, there would not be a meeting. The By-laws can be changed by a 2/3 vote. This proposal passed unanimously. According to our By-Laws this proposed meeting schedule change must be presented at the next KHS meeting in order to become law.
No date has been set yet for the HHA Farm and Artisan Tour.
There was discussion about having our next meeting on July 3. Anna made a motion that the meeting be canceled, Bill seconded the motion, and the motion passed.
Bill asked if the Knox Fire Department sign will advertise KHS events. Dennis will check with Fire Department officials.
Dennis will look for a new “Open” flag so that we have 2 flags.
Bill made a motion to adjourn, Elly seconded it, and the motion passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
April 3, 2018 meeting minutes
The April 3, 2018 meeting of the Knox Historical Society was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by President Dennis Barber. Members present were Elly Czebiniak, Bill Donato, Jayson Romanczuk, Ray Hand, Donna Gwin. Guests included Jim Czebiniak and Linda Devenpeck. Donna took the minutes of the meeting because Secretary Kathleen Putzig was unable to attend.
The minutes for the KHS March meeting stand as emailed.
There was not a Treasurer's report because Anna Wolfe was unable to attend.
Old Business
The Knox Town Board executed a memorandum of lease with the Knox Historical Society for the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS can now complete its application for its Absolute Charter.
The Hilltown Summit of local historical societies that was scheduled for April 21 will be rescheduled for a later date and will be held at the Berne Town Hall.
Author Candace Christiansen will be speaking at the Berne Public Library on Monday, May 21 @ 6:30. Candace, author of the children's book Calico and Tin Horns, will be speaking about the Anti Rent War. The public is invited to attend.
The Duanesburg Historical Society will have the Grand Opening of their new building on Aug. 20 from 4-8 p.m. Bill is planning to attend.
Dennis will pick up the donations from Zenie Gladieux soon. The items will be displayed in the Saddlemire bathroom.
The Saddlemire Homestead will be open either Saturday, June 30 or Sunday, July 1 for the Pucker Street Fair. Specific date to be announced.
The Saddlemire Homestead will be open on Wednesdays in July and August from 12-2 p.m. Volunteers will need to sign up.
The following slate of officers for 2018-2020 was presented:
Dennis Barber. President
Nancy Frueh. Vice President
Anna Wolfe. Treasurer
Donna Gwin. Secretary
Ray Hand, Bill Donato, Elly Czebiniak. Trustees
Voting will take place at the May meeting.
Dennis displayed the Perpetual Plaque that lists the 47 names of Town of Knox Supervisors. This plaque cost $241. The Knox Town Board has offered to pay half of the cost and KHS will pay the other half of the bill. Dennis found the names and dates of terms of office of the supervisors by researching the Altamont Enterprise and the Board of Supervisors Books. Dennis is now trying to obtain photographs of as many of the supervisors as possible.
New business
Elly suggested having a contest for BKW students to interest them in local history. Students will write an essay on “What Memorial Day Means.” Elly and Linda will judge the essays and prizes will be awarded to the top essayists:
1st Place. $50
2nd Place $25
3rd Place $10
Essays will be read by the student writers at the Knox Memorial Day Parade. Dennis will contact BKW Social Studies teacher Andy Wright about this contest so that information is sent home to students. The contest will be advertised in the Altamont Enterprise, on the KHS webpage and Facebook page, and flyers will be put up.
Jayson volunteered to be the administrator for the KHS Facebook page. Donna will try to figure out how to turn the account over to Jayson.
Ray has acquired a box fan that can be used at the Saddlemire Homestead. We will now have 2 fans.
The KHS sign in front of the Homestead will be moved when the weather improves.
Bill has been trying to contact the manager of the Ostrander Cemetery to see if clean-up of the cemetery can continue.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin
The minutes for the KHS March meeting stand as emailed.
There was not a Treasurer's report because Anna Wolfe was unable to attend.
Old Business
The Knox Town Board executed a memorandum of lease with the Knox Historical Society for the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS can now complete its application for its Absolute Charter.
The Hilltown Summit of local historical societies that was scheduled for April 21 will be rescheduled for a later date and will be held at the Berne Town Hall.
Author Candace Christiansen will be speaking at the Berne Public Library on Monday, May 21 @ 6:30. Candace, author of the children's book Calico and Tin Horns, will be speaking about the Anti Rent War. The public is invited to attend.
The Duanesburg Historical Society will have the Grand Opening of their new building on Aug. 20 from 4-8 p.m. Bill is planning to attend.
Dennis will pick up the donations from Zenie Gladieux soon. The items will be displayed in the Saddlemire bathroom.
The Saddlemire Homestead will be open either Saturday, June 30 or Sunday, July 1 for the Pucker Street Fair. Specific date to be announced.
The Saddlemire Homestead will be open on Wednesdays in July and August from 12-2 p.m. Volunteers will need to sign up.
The following slate of officers for 2018-2020 was presented:
Dennis Barber. President
Nancy Frueh. Vice President
Anna Wolfe. Treasurer
Donna Gwin. Secretary
Ray Hand, Bill Donato, Elly Czebiniak. Trustees
Voting will take place at the May meeting.
Dennis displayed the Perpetual Plaque that lists the 47 names of Town of Knox Supervisors. This plaque cost $241. The Knox Town Board has offered to pay half of the cost and KHS will pay the other half of the bill. Dennis found the names and dates of terms of office of the supervisors by researching the Altamont Enterprise and the Board of Supervisors Books. Dennis is now trying to obtain photographs of as many of the supervisors as possible.
New business
Elly suggested having a contest for BKW students to interest them in local history. Students will write an essay on “What Memorial Day Means.” Elly and Linda will judge the essays and prizes will be awarded to the top essayists:
1st Place. $50
2nd Place $25
3rd Place $10
Essays will be read by the student writers at the Knox Memorial Day Parade. Dennis will contact BKW Social Studies teacher Andy Wright about this contest so that information is sent home to students. The contest will be advertised in the Altamont Enterprise, on the KHS webpage and Facebook page, and flyers will be put up.
Jayson volunteered to be the administrator for the KHS Facebook page. Donna will try to figure out how to turn the account over to Jayson.
Ray has acquired a box fan that can be used at the Saddlemire Homestead. We will now have 2 fans.
The KHS sign in front of the Homestead will be moved when the weather improves.
Bill has been trying to contact the manager of the Ostrander Cemetery to see if clean-up of the cemetery can continue.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin
March 6, 2018 Meeting minutes
The regular meeting of the Knox Historical Society was called to order at 7:10 pm by President Dennis Barber. Members present were Kathleen Putzig, Donna Gwin, Elly Czebiniak, Anna Wolfe, Bill Donato, Linda, and Jayson Romanczuk.
Hearing no additions or corrections to the minutes for February, they were accepted as distributed.
The Treasurer, Anna Wolfe, reported no activity other than a gain of .27cents in interest. We have $4,609.87 in total. There were no bills presented. Anna sent a bill for the fire extinguishers to the Town Clerk.
Correspondence: Duanesburg has a Grand Opening scheduled for their new museum on August 20 from 4 pm – 8 pm. They have a presentation planned on the Palatine Migration on April 16, 2018 at 7 pm. This is a Monday. Some members, including Bill and Anna, plan to attend. This is a link to their newsletter: http://www.duanesburghistorical.com/newsletters/DHSv06i01.pdf
Anna was asked to reapply for the post office box for KHS. She will do that. She mailed a thank you note to Ann Hein for her recent donation of $50.
Old Business:
Donna reported on the dissolution plan for KHS, which are required for the charter. It was emailed to members, and Javid approved it. Donna made a motion to accept them as presented. Bill seconded, and the motion passed.
Dennis is working on a release document, with Javid.
Dennis spoke with Lou Saddlemire about the Cemetery Walk in June. We discussed again which cemetery we will be in. Lou said it was fine. Anna L. had agreed to spearhead the event.
The Hilltown Summit will now be April 21 at the Knox own Hall. That is a change of date.
New Business:
Kathleen reported on her Facebook page Grandma’s Helderberg Scrapbook, which has generated a good deal of local interest. One local resident mailed her pictures of old papers and a gravestone from the house she lives in, which used to belong to a Saddlemire family. Dennis asked her to invite people to meetings on the Facebook page.
An author is coming to the library on the evening of May 21, after doing a presentation at the school. She wrote Calico and Tin Horns, and The Ice Horse, which will be shown at the Knox Town Park on the Book Walk this spring. Donna plans to give her a tour of the towns in the later afternoon, and invite her to the NEAT Dinner at the Berne Reformed Church at 5 p.m.
Dennis suggested we have summer meetings at the Homestead. Elly suggested we Skype future meetings to Kathleen. Unfortunately it will be after midnight in Czech Republic.
The Pucker Street Fair will be June 29, and 30, and July 1. The town has asked if we would like to open the Saddlemire Homestead for a few hours.
Zenie sent pictures of the items she wants to donate to the museum, and Kathleen passed them around. After general discussion, it was agreed that they would be accepted. There is a matching set of items from Wolfords of Knox and Berne and Gallupville, and other related items. Kathleen made a motion to accept the items. Donna seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. Once we open the Museum for spring, we will get the items from Gladieuxs.
We got a picture of the first graduating class of Berne Knox Westerlo, being donated by Rose Pritchard, Carl’s wife. It is the class of 1934/35. Dennis made a motion that we accept it to be accessioned. Elly seconded the motion, and it passed unanimously. The picture was taken in front of the Elementary School gym stage.
We discussed the possibility of putting signs in front of old houses, which Altamont has done. Bill reported that Altamont had gotten a grant to put the signs up, and it cost over a million dollars. It is called Museum In the Streets, and is meant to be used as a walking tour. Dennis asked Bill to get more information on it, to see if it would be feasible to do something similar in Knox.
We discussed the opening of the Homestead during the summer. In previous years we were open from 12-2 on Wednesdays between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Kathleen passed around a sign up sheet. We agreed to discuss it again in April. We would like to have 2 people sign up for each Wednesday except July 4.
Dennis had spoken with Zenie about having the Quilt Show at the same time as the fall Helderberg Hilltown weekend. She asked around and didn’t find any conflicts, so that is when we are planning to have the show. Donna had spoken with Sandra Kisselback, and they are interested in working on it with us. Donna wants to set up a committee to organize the show. We need to think about what the theme should be. During the last show, no one volunteered quilts on their own. Donna had to approach each individual and ask them if they would show their quilt. Donna wants to offer some Altamont quilters space to display quilts. This would broaden the scope of the show. We also included fancy work in the last show, which was well received.
Dennis reports that he has papers from when the Homestead became a museum, and KHS started an agreement with the Town of Knox to oversee the property and collection. He is working on updating the agreement. He will report on progress at the next meeting.
Anna Wolfe mentioned that Pauline Williman’s mother was among the first women voters in Knox.
We need a slate of officers for the upcoming year.
We plan to have the Cemetery Walk on a Sunday in June. We will open the Museum Wednesdays during the summer. We will be open on Sunday during the Pucker Street Fair. We need to find out from Nancy when she is thinking of having the voting/suffrage program. Please consider volunteering to help us out.
There was a brief celebration for Kathleen’s departure with cake and cookies, and thank you/goodbye cards.
The meeting was closed at 8:15 pm.
Respectfully submitted, Kathleen Putzig, Secretary
Feb. 6, 2018 minutes
The KHS meeting was called to order at 7:09 p.m. by President Dennis Barber. Members present included Anna Wolfe, Elly Czerbiniak, Bill Donato, Jayson Romanczuk, Ray Hand, Donna Gwin and guest Linda Devenpeck.
Secretary Kathleen Putzig was absent so Donna Gwin recorded the minutes.
The January 2018 minutes stand as emailed.
Anna gave the Treasurer’s Report. KHS has $4609.60 total in its accounts. We had income of $50.30. Ann Hein sent a check for $50.00. This paid for her membership 2018-19 and gave KHS $40 in donation. KHS received $.30 in interest. Anna bought 2 fire extinguishers, 2 smoke detectors, and a first aid kit. Anna will fill out a voucher so she can be reimbursed by the Town for the cost. Correspondence included a flyer from the New Scotland Historical Society listing their programs and the Spindle City newsletter from Cohoes.
Nancy Frueh has not received any word about the pinball game invented by a Knox resident.
Anna Lefkaditis is planning to buy a speaker for the Saddlemire Homestead to be used with flash drives or other computer accessories.
Donna has not heard anything more from Paula Shafer about the interview Dan Driscoll conducted with Ray Shafer concerning the location of lime kilns in Knox.
In order to apply for an Absolute Charter, KHS must have certain documents. The Code of Ethics was emailed to members this past month. The Code of Ethics was presented at the meeting. Ray moved that the Code be adopted, Donna seconded it, and the motion passed. The Emergency Preparedness document had also been emailed. The Emergency Preparedness document was presented at the meeting. Bill made a motion that the document be adopted, Elly seconded it, and the motion passed.
Another document that must be in our organizing documents is a Dissolution Policy. Donna has a sample policy. Dennis suggested that Donna compare the sample policy to the Dissolution Policy we already have. An email will be sent to members comparing the 2 policies.
Dennis will contact the town board about a lease/maintenance agreement between the town and the KHS regarding the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS needs to have the agreement in writing in the application for the Absolute Charter.
Dennis will check the Crown Awards catalog to choose a “Perpetual” plaque that can be personalized for the Town of Knox. The plaque will have name plates engraved with the names of all past Town of Knox supervisors. Dennis will choose a plaque that has room for 72 names. Knox has had over 50 supervisors thus far in its history. The new town seal will adorn the top of the plaque.
Bill reported that the Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit sponsored by Helderberg Hilltowns Association will meet on March 3.
Upcoming programs that KHS is working on include:
Donna will put the membership form on the knoxhistoricalsociety.org website.
Jayson bought the Knox Masonic Lodge silver spoon on eBay and donated the spoon to KHS. The Masonic Lodge was built in1826. After a few years the Knoxville Academy was housed in this building and served as a school from 1840-1869. Eventually the building became a private home. The building is marked with a NYS Historic Marker. Ray suggested checking with the Berne Masonic Lodge to see if they have any history relating to the Knox Masonic Lodge.
Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit group has the Anti Rent Wars as their theme for the NYS Path through History weekend on June 16 and 17. KHS does not have a program that day but the Saddlemire Homestead will be open (day and hours TBD). We have a tin horn and the Calico costumes and masks that were made for the Sesquicentennial. These items will be on display.
Elly announced that her church group will have a concert on Sunday, April 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 85 Elm Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054.
Dennis adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin
Secretary Kathleen Putzig was absent so Donna Gwin recorded the minutes.
The January 2018 minutes stand as emailed.
Anna gave the Treasurer’s Report. KHS has $4609.60 total in its accounts. We had income of $50.30. Ann Hein sent a check for $50.00. This paid for her membership 2018-19 and gave KHS $40 in donation. KHS received $.30 in interest. Anna bought 2 fire extinguishers, 2 smoke detectors, and a first aid kit. Anna will fill out a voucher so she can be reimbursed by the Town for the cost. Correspondence included a flyer from the New Scotland Historical Society listing their programs and the Spindle City newsletter from Cohoes.
Nancy Frueh has not received any word about the pinball game invented by a Knox resident.
Anna Lefkaditis is planning to buy a speaker for the Saddlemire Homestead to be used with flash drives or other computer accessories.
Donna has not heard anything more from Paula Shafer about the interview Dan Driscoll conducted with Ray Shafer concerning the location of lime kilns in Knox.
In order to apply for an Absolute Charter, KHS must have certain documents. The Code of Ethics was emailed to members this past month. The Code of Ethics was presented at the meeting. Ray moved that the Code be adopted, Donna seconded it, and the motion passed. The Emergency Preparedness document had also been emailed. The Emergency Preparedness document was presented at the meeting. Bill made a motion that the document be adopted, Elly seconded it, and the motion passed.
Another document that must be in our organizing documents is a Dissolution Policy. Donna has a sample policy. Dennis suggested that Donna compare the sample policy to the Dissolution Policy we already have. An email will be sent to members comparing the 2 policies.
Dennis will contact the town board about a lease/maintenance agreement between the town and the KHS regarding the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS needs to have the agreement in writing in the application for the Absolute Charter.
Dennis will check the Crown Awards catalog to choose a “Perpetual” plaque that can be personalized for the Town of Knox. The plaque will have name plates engraved with the names of all past Town of Knox supervisors. Dennis will choose a plaque that has room for 72 names. Knox has had over 50 supervisors thus far in its history. The new town seal will adorn the top of the plaque.
Bill reported that the Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit sponsored by Helderberg Hilltowns Association will meet on March 3.
Upcoming programs that KHS is working on include:
- Cemetery Walk in the spring at the Knox Cemetery
- Program utilizing the Voting Machine to commemorate Women’s Right to Vote
- Quilt Show to be held in conjunction with the HHA Farm and Artisan Tour in September. Berne Historical Society President, Sandra Stempel, said that the Berne Historical Society would like to be a part of the quilt show as they were in 2016.
- Re-enactor (to be decided) at the BKW school in the fall.
Donna will put the membership form on the knoxhistoricalsociety.org website.
Jayson bought the Knox Masonic Lodge silver spoon on eBay and donated the spoon to KHS. The Masonic Lodge was built in1826. After a few years the Knoxville Academy was housed in this building and served as a school from 1840-1869. Eventually the building became a private home. The building is marked with a NYS Historic Marker. Ray suggested checking with the Berne Masonic Lodge to see if they have any history relating to the Knox Masonic Lodge.
Hilltowns Regional Historical Summit group has the Anti Rent Wars as their theme for the NYS Path through History weekend on June 16 and 17. KHS does not have a program that day but the Saddlemire Homestead will be open (day and hours TBD). We have a tin horn and the Calico costumes and masks that were made for the Sesquicentennial. These items will be on display.
Elly announced that her church group will have a concert on Sunday, April 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 85 Elm Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054.
Dennis adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin
Jan. 2, 2018 minutes
The regular meeting of the Knox Historical Society was called to order at 7:05 p.m. by President Dennis Barber. Members present were Dennis, Donna Gwin, Elly Czebiniak, Jayson Romanczuk, Anna Wolfe, Kathleen Putzig, Bill Donato, and Ray Hand.
Hearing no additions or corrections to the minutes for November, they were accepted as distributed.
Dennis read the Treasurer’s report, as Anna Wolfe was unable to attend. The checking account balance is $1010.07. The Savings Account balance is $3548.93. We earned a $10 donation, and $0.30 in interest.
There was no correspondence report.
Old Business: We will wait until spring to talk to Zenie about the bathroom donations, and for Bill to talk to the owner about the cemetery we worked on cleaning up in the last couple of years. We will move the Homestead sign in the spring.
Anna L. suggested we get a small speaker that could be plugged in to use at the Historical Society so people could play anything off a flash drive or computer at the Homestead. This would save electricity. This would be instead of a CD player. Bill mentioned that it would also be more portable. People could download things to their phones and connect to the speaker with Blue Tooth. KHS decided to give this a try.
Per Nancy F., we haven’t heard back from the developers of the old game DinoBlast. The letter to them was mailed, and has not been returned.
Donna spoke with Dan Driscoll’s daughter about the Limekiln study. She was unable to get any information about locations of limekilns from the interview between Dan, Mr. Shafer and Paula Shafer. She has a transcript of it, but it wasn’t very useful. Paula has a copy of the transcript, and has promised to get back to Donna with information about the locations of limekilns.
Anna L. asked if we were going to pursue the Knox Supervisor project. We discussed making a plaque and laminating it, or making a display board with each supervisor’s name on an individual brass plate. The latter way would mean we could continue to add names in the future to keep the display current. There are 50 supervisors’ names now that we have recorded. Both Donna and Dennis are familiar with companies that could give us quotes.
Donna had an idea for a grant through Stewart’s. Since KHS is now a nonprofit, we can apply for this. The idea has to be submitted by 1/31. The only stipulation is that it be for children. Donna suggested we could use the money to cover the cost of the enactor at the school in the fall. This doesn’t set a precedent to suggest we would cover the cost in future years. There was general discussion on how much this would cost, and whether KHS would designate any money for other child-specific programs during the coming year. It was suggested to pursue a lecturer for a children’s program at the school on another occasion if we had funds to support that from the grant.
New Business:
Programs –
Kathleen suggested we organize (as Berne did last year) a Cemetery Walk in the spring. There would be about 10 people presenting the story of those buried in different plots. Each story would last about 3 -4 minutes. It was very successful at the Berne Cemetery, and well-attended. We discussed different cemeteries, dates and times, and logistics. Anna L., Jayson R, and Bill D offered to organize the program. The old cemetery across the street might be a great place to start. We might want to consider doing a cemetery walk for kids some time in the future. Jayson offered to advertise on the Helderberg Hilltowns site.
Kathleen said she had sent an email to Andrew Wright, who teaches the Local History class and asked if he would do a presentation to KHS and the public about his curriculum, sources, project assignments, and how we could help him to encourage interest in local history.
Nancy had mentioned last fall that she wanted to look into creating a program on Women’s Right to Vote, using our voting machine.
It has been 2 years since KHS hosted a quilt show. We discussed moving the date to fall, if we do it. We don’t have to do one every two years. We might ask Berne to host, and we could assist. Donna will look into whether there is interest. She suggested connecting it to the HHA Farm and Artisan tour. We wouldn’t want to cause a conflict if someone else was doing a quilt presentation at the same time or trying to sell quilts. But maybe we could coordinate with them. Donna will report back in February.
Bill reported that HHA has requested KHS host a spring 2018 meeting. We need to check with the town clerk to see if their date is available. We would need some people to be here to host. Bill will get more information from the HHA meeting this month and let us know in February. Providing refreshments is optional.
Donna reported on our charter extension. It was last done in 2014, and needs to at least be done every 5 years, but we are really supposed to get an absolute charter. Donna looked into what was needed for that. She found an example of a Code of Ethics that we could use. We also need an Emergency Preparedness document. We need to prove our fire and theft protection systems, a meeting place in case of fire, etc. We need to get 2 smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. Bill suggested we ask the Town of Knox if they would purchase these. We should have a prioritized list of objects that we would want rescued in an emergency. It doesn’t have to be a long list. We might want to give the Fire Dept a copy of the list of items, and where they are located at the Homestead. Ray suggested first sources like the Tea House guest books. Donna suggested the quilt. Kathleen suggested Michael Barckley’s sword. Kathleen asked whether Sue was working on copying the Tea House guest books, and was told she is ready to start, but hasn’t been given the books yet.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Putzig, Secretary
Hearing no additions or corrections to the minutes for November, they were accepted as distributed.
Dennis read the Treasurer’s report, as Anna Wolfe was unable to attend. The checking account balance is $1010.07. The Savings Account balance is $3548.93. We earned a $10 donation, and $0.30 in interest.
There was no correspondence report.
Old Business: We will wait until spring to talk to Zenie about the bathroom donations, and for Bill to talk to the owner about the cemetery we worked on cleaning up in the last couple of years. We will move the Homestead sign in the spring.
Anna L. suggested we get a small speaker that could be plugged in to use at the Historical Society so people could play anything off a flash drive or computer at the Homestead. This would save electricity. This would be instead of a CD player. Bill mentioned that it would also be more portable. People could download things to their phones and connect to the speaker with Blue Tooth. KHS decided to give this a try.
Per Nancy F., we haven’t heard back from the developers of the old game DinoBlast. The letter to them was mailed, and has not been returned.
Donna spoke with Dan Driscoll’s daughter about the Limekiln study. She was unable to get any information about locations of limekilns from the interview between Dan, Mr. Shafer and Paula Shafer. She has a transcript of it, but it wasn’t very useful. Paula has a copy of the transcript, and has promised to get back to Donna with information about the locations of limekilns.
Anna L. asked if we were going to pursue the Knox Supervisor project. We discussed making a plaque and laminating it, or making a display board with each supervisor’s name on an individual brass plate. The latter way would mean we could continue to add names in the future to keep the display current. There are 50 supervisors’ names now that we have recorded. Both Donna and Dennis are familiar with companies that could give us quotes.
Donna had an idea for a grant through Stewart’s. Since KHS is now a nonprofit, we can apply for this. The idea has to be submitted by 1/31. The only stipulation is that it be for children. Donna suggested we could use the money to cover the cost of the enactor at the school in the fall. This doesn’t set a precedent to suggest we would cover the cost in future years. There was general discussion on how much this would cost, and whether KHS would designate any money for other child-specific programs during the coming year. It was suggested to pursue a lecturer for a children’s program at the school on another occasion if we had funds to support that from the grant.
New Business:
Programs –
Kathleen suggested we organize (as Berne did last year) a Cemetery Walk in the spring. There would be about 10 people presenting the story of those buried in different plots. Each story would last about 3 -4 minutes. It was very successful at the Berne Cemetery, and well-attended. We discussed different cemeteries, dates and times, and logistics. Anna L., Jayson R, and Bill D offered to organize the program. The old cemetery across the street might be a great place to start. We might want to consider doing a cemetery walk for kids some time in the future. Jayson offered to advertise on the Helderberg Hilltowns site.
Kathleen said she had sent an email to Andrew Wright, who teaches the Local History class and asked if he would do a presentation to KHS and the public about his curriculum, sources, project assignments, and how we could help him to encourage interest in local history.
Nancy had mentioned last fall that she wanted to look into creating a program on Women’s Right to Vote, using our voting machine.
It has been 2 years since KHS hosted a quilt show. We discussed moving the date to fall, if we do it. We don’t have to do one every two years. We might ask Berne to host, and we could assist. Donna will look into whether there is interest. She suggested connecting it to the HHA Farm and Artisan tour. We wouldn’t want to cause a conflict if someone else was doing a quilt presentation at the same time or trying to sell quilts. But maybe we could coordinate with them. Donna will report back in February.
Bill reported that HHA has requested KHS host a spring 2018 meeting. We need to check with the town clerk to see if their date is available. We would need some people to be here to host. Bill will get more information from the HHA meeting this month and let us know in February. Providing refreshments is optional.
Donna reported on our charter extension. It was last done in 2014, and needs to at least be done every 5 years, but we are really supposed to get an absolute charter. Donna looked into what was needed for that. She found an example of a Code of Ethics that we could use. We also need an Emergency Preparedness document. We need to prove our fire and theft protection systems, a meeting place in case of fire, etc. We need to get 2 smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher and a first aid kit. Bill suggested we ask the Town of Knox if they would purchase these. We should have a prioritized list of objects that we would want rescued in an emergency. It doesn’t have to be a long list. We might want to give the Fire Dept a copy of the list of items, and where they are located at the Homestead. Ray suggested first sources like the Tea House guest books. Donna suggested the quilt. Kathleen suggested Michael Barckley’s sword. Kathleen asked whether Sue was working on copying the Tea House guest books, and was told she is ready to start, but hasn’t been given the books yet.
Respectfully submitted,
Kathleen Putzig, Secretary