April 5, 2022 minutes
Members present: Terry Baldwin, Dennis Barber, Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, Henry Whipple, Anna Wolfe. The meeting took place in the Knox Town Hall.
President Dennis Barber called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
The minutes of the Feb. 1, 2022 meeting were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s Report: The balance of our accounts is $4,634.92. This includes $785.19 in the checking account., $796.65 in the preferred savings account, and $3,052.91 in the 9-month CD. No bills were submitted. Anna has received notification of Tax Exemption status for KHS. Dues are due in May: Individual $10; Family $20; Sustaining $75.
Correspondence: We received a thank you from the Helderberg Family and Children Organization recognizing our participation in the HFCO Festival of Trees.
Old Business: The Proclamation Ceremony for the Knox Bicentennial was held Monday, Feb. 28. Eighty people attended the ceremony. Dennis Barber presided over the festivities and local dignitaries included Russ Pokorny, Town Supervisor, Michelle Hinchey, State Senator, Jeff Perlee, County Legislator, a representative from Congressman Paul Tonko’s office, Chris Smith, County Legislator, Mary-Jane Araldi, Westerlo Historical Society.
The 5-page history of Knox that Dennis read at the ceremony will be posted on the KHS website at http://www.knoxhistoricalsociety.org/
The essay contest for BKW school district middle and high school students will begin Monday, March 21. Letters for teachers and students will be distributed on that date. Guidelines for entering the contest are included in the letters. The contest will end Monday, May 2. Essays will be judged by KHS members on May 3 at the regular KHS meeting. The theme of the contest is Life in Knox Through the Years. Three prizes will be awarded and the winners will read their essays at the Memorial Day Parade in Knox on Monday, May 30 at noon.
Nancy Frueh compiled a list of historical re-enactors. Donna contacted Annette Landry, BKW Elementary Principal to see if teachers would be interested in having an historical re-enactor present a program to students. Teachers have expressed interest and details are being finalized. This program would utilize money from the 2020 Stewarts Matching Grant. If we receive the Stewarts Grant for 2022, we will also use that money for programming for students.
New Business:
Henry Whipple will be one of the speakers in the “Talks on the Porch” series in August. The date is still to be decided. The location will either be on the Saddlemire Homestead porch or in the town hall. Henry will speak about his family who has lived in the town since 1793.
The quilt show “Quilts of Knox and its Environs” will be held Sat., April 30 from 10-4 at the Knox Town Hall. Quilts and needlework are being sought to display in the show.
On Fri., Aug. 5 a chicken bbq will be held in front of the Knox Reformed Church. Food will be pre-ordered and picked-up.
On Sat., Aug. 6 there will be a car show, food vendors, 3 live bands, and fireworks, all held in the Town Park. KHS will apply for a license to conduct Pull-Tab games on this day. Anna will send in the paperwork.
We need to set goals for using the funds we have in our savings accounts. Better displays in the Patriots Room are needed. We needed to brainstorm additional ideas to improve the Homestead. The Town will be repairing the backstairs and the front porch.
The family cemetery on Quay Road is Town property. Perhaps the County could provide workers to help clean up the site.
Lou Saddlemire and Margaret Torok researched the names of the town roads in Knox. Town Clerk Traci Schanz will check to see if she can locate town records from the 1950s that detail the new road names. The road names are available under the History of Knox on the KHS website.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
President Dennis Barber called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
The minutes of the Feb. 1, 2022 meeting were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s Report: The balance of our accounts is $4,634.92. This includes $785.19 in the checking account., $796.65 in the preferred savings account, and $3,052.91 in the 9-month CD. No bills were submitted. Anna has received notification of Tax Exemption status for KHS. Dues are due in May: Individual $10; Family $20; Sustaining $75.
Correspondence: We received a thank you from the Helderberg Family and Children Organization recognizing our participation in the HFCO Festival of Trees.
Old Business: The Proclamation Ceremony for the Knox Bicentennial was held Monday, Feb. 28. Eighty people attended the ceremony. Dennis Barber presided over the festivities and local dignitaries included Russ Pokorny, Town Supervisor, Michelle Hinchey, State Senator, Jeff Perlee, County Legislator, a representative from Congressman Paul Tonko’s office, Chris Smith, County Legislator, Mary-Jane Araldi, Westerlo Historical Society.
The 5-page history of Knox that Dennis read at the ceremony will be posted on the KHS website at http://www.knoxhistoricalsociety.org/
The essay contest for BKW school district middle and high school students will begin Monday, March 21. Letters for teachers and students will be distributed on that date. Guidelines for entering the contest are included in the letters. The contest will end Monday, May 2. Essays will be judged by KHS members on May 3 at the regular KHS meeting. The theme of the contest is Life in Knox Through the Years. Three prizes will be awarded and the winners will read their essays at the Memorial Day Parade in Knox on Monday, May 30 at noon.
Nancy Frueh compiled a list of historical re-enactors. Donna contacted Annette Landry, BKW Elementary Principal to see if teachers would be interested in having an historical re-enactor present a program to students. Teachers have expressed interest and details are being finalized. This program would utilize money from the 2020 Stewarts Matching Grant. If we receive the Stewarts Grant for 2022, we will also use that money for programming for students.
New Business:
Henry Whipple will be one of the speakers in the “Talks on the Porch” series in August. The date is still to be decided. The location will either be on the Saddlemire Homestead porch or in the town hall. Henry will speak about his family who has lived in the town since 1793.
The quilt show “Quilts of Knox and its Environs” will be held Sat., April 30 from 10-4 at the Knox Town Hall. Quilts and needlework are being sought to display in the show.
On Fri., Aug. 5 a chicken bbq will be held in front of the Knox Reformed Church. Food will be pre-ordered and picked-up.
On Sat., Aug. 6 there will be a car show, food vendors, 3 live bands, and fireworks, all held in the Town Park. KHS will apply for a license to conduct Pull-Tab games on this day. Anna will send in the paperwork.
We need to set goals for using the funds we have in our savings accounts. Better displays in the Patriots Room are needed. We needed to brainstorm additional ideas to improve the Homestead. The Town will be repairing the backstairs and the front porch.
The family cemetery on Quay Road is Town property. Perhaps the County could provide workers to help clean up the site.
Lou Saddlemire and Margaret Torok researched the names of the town roads in Knox. Town Clerk Traci Schanz will check to see if she can locate town records from the 1950s that detail the new road names. The road names are available under the History of Knox on the KHS website.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
Feb. 1, 2022 Minutes
Members present: Terry Baldwin, Dennis Barber, Donna Gwin, Anna Wolfe. The meeting took place in the Knox Town Hall.
President Dennis Barber called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm.
The minutes of the Oct. 5, 2021 meeting were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s Report: The balance of our accounts is $4,633.95. This includes $785.19 in the checking account., $796.62 in the preferred savings account, and $3,051.97 in the 9-month CD. No bills were submitted. Anna will apply for Tax Exemption status for KHS.
Correspondence: We received the calendar of events from the New Scotland Historical Association.
Old Business: Donna added to the Accession List the individual names on deeds that had been in a binder entitled Deeds and Legal Documents. She also added the names from deeds that were loosely collected in a box. Now individual names can be searched on the accession list. The loose deeds will now be put in protective plastic sheets and all of the deeds will be in the binder. KHS has stored some original documents in the basement of the Knox Town Hall. Dennis will check with Town Clerk, Traci Schanz, to see if KHS could have a tour of the storage area in the basement.
New Business: Dennis reported on the activities of the Town Bicentennial Committee. A Proclamation will be read on Feb. 28, 2022, commemorating the creation of the Town of Knox. Local dignitaries and members of local historical societies and libraries will be invited to the reading of the Proclamation in the Knox Town Hall at 7 pm. KHS members will be invited to attend.
KHS will sponsor an essay contest for middle and high school students at BKW and the Helderberg Christian School. Donna will contact principals at the schools soon with guidelines for the contest. We will try to contact home-schoolers. The theme of the contest will be “Life in Knox through the Years”. Essays will be due May 2. KHS members will judge the essays at the May meeting. Winners will be notified and will be invited to read their essays at the Memorial Day Parade in Knox on Monday, May 30. Students will be invited to use information at the Knox Historical Society’s webpage at http://www.knoxhistoricalsociety.org/
Dennis also has uploaded many photos from the Saddlemire Homestead to a Facebook page. To access the photos, go to Facebook, Groups, Knox Bicentennial Group.
There will be a pageant in April to select a Miss Knox, Little Miss Knox, Little Mr. Knox, and Mr. Knox. The pageant winners will be in the Memorial Day parade.
The Puckerstreet Fair will be held in June. At some point, date to be decided, there will be a beard contest.
Bicentennial items will be sold. We will sell our supply of books, pill boxes, and plates that are housed in the Homestead. New items, such as glasses, Christmas ornaments, and pens, are being ordered that have the Bicentennial seal of Knox imprinted.
Two double-sided banners announcing the Bicentennial are being ordered and will be hung on Rt. 156 in front of the Town Hall and on Street Road by the transfer station. The banners will be hung in February.
On Fri., Aug. 5 a chicken bbq will be held in front of the Knox Reformed Church. Food will be pre-ordered and picked-up.
On Sat., Aug. 6 there will be a car show, food vendors, 3 live bands, and fireworks, all held in the Town Park.
We have $500 from the Stewarts Holiday Matching Grant from 2020. The money has not been spent because of the pandemic. Donna will check with Nancy Frueh to see if she has recommendations for re-enactors. Perhaps we can present a program at the BKW school. Donna will check with the school principals to see if they are interested.
KHS members uncovered the cemetery stones at the Frink Family cemetery in October 2021. We will plan to go again to the cemetery in Fall 2022 to continue removing encroaching plants in the cemetery. There is a family cemetery on Quay Road. Ownership of the land is in question. The Town is checking into the ownership of the site.
The Town will be repairing the front porch of the Saddlemire Homestead and the backstairs. Shutters need to be replaced. The house was painted within the last 10 years, but the paint is badly peeling. Should vinyl siding be considered?
The StoryWalk in the Knox Town Park will display the story Henry and the Cannons by Don Brown this spring. Knox was named for Henry Knox and this picture book tells the true story of his journey to bring cannons from Fort Ticonderoga to Boston at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
