Minutes 2023
The May 2, 2023 Knox Historical Society meeting was called to order at 7:10 pm by President Dennis Barber. Members present included Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, Henry Whipple, and Anna Wolfe.
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,905.35. We have $1415.74 in the checking account. We have $1409.47 in the savings account. We have $3,079.97 in the CD. Anna issued a check for $99.26 to Donna for the photocopying of the Driving Tour, Dutch Barn Tour, 1866 Beers Town of Knox map, and cardstock.
Anna received correspondence from the Cohoes Spindle City Historical Society. Dues are due this month.
Old Business: Ray made a motion to nominate the slate of officers: Dennis Barber, President; Terry Baldwin, Vice-President; Anna Wolfe, Treasurer; Donna Gwin, Secretary; Nancy Frueh, Trustee; Ray Hand, Trustee; and Henry Whipple, Trustee. Henry seconded the motion. The motion passed.
BKW High School Principal Bonnie Kane said the school would welcome a visit from Knox Cave expert Mike Nardacci next October. We will coordinate a date that works for Mike. We are waiting to hear from the Helderberg Christian School to see if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on Knox Caves to their students.
Eleven essays were received from BKW for the Memorial Day essay contest, “Local and Family Heroes”. Essays will be judged at the conclusion of this meeting. Winners will be invited to read their essays at the conclusion of the Knox Memorial Day parade on May 29.
Loose photos that had been on a table in the Saddlemire Homestead Reading Room are being put into a binder. Very few photos have any identification on them.
Dennis will speak to the Guilderland Historical Society on Thursday, May 18 about life in Knox over the past 200 years.
Ray Weiler, town groundskeeper, will set aside mulch for the flower beds around the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS will spread the mulch.
Money has been set aside in the Town’s budget to paint the Homestead and repair the shutters.
We have two speakers lined up to speak as part of the “Stories on the Porch: series: Jay Francis will speak about churches, past and present, in Knox and Dave Whipple will speak about the family’s solar farm. We would like to find additional speakers for this series that will take place in July and August.
KHS has not purchased the Ledger Knox, New York Manuscript Town Records Ledger, 1851-1887 from the antiques dealer in Cohoes. KHS was willing to offer $200 for the ledger but the seller would not consider less than $275.
New Business:
Henry Whipple told us that Deb Degan, who spoke about the Whipple Family History in August 2022, has been sick. Henry will provide us with Deb’s address and KHS will send her a card.
Eleven essays from BKW were judged (names of writers were not seen during the judging). Winners are:
1st Place winner. Trevor Stempel. $75
2nd Place winner. Jonathan Brach. $50
3rd Place winner. Manny Hooks. $25
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be June 6, 2023.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,905.35. We have $1415.74 in the checking account. We have $1409.47 in the savings account. We have $3,079.97 in the CD. Anna issued a check for $99.26 to Donna for the photocopying of the Driving Tour, Dutch Barn Tour, 1866 Beers Town of Knox map, and cardstock.
Anna received correspondence from the Cohoes Spindle City Historical Society. Dues are due this month.
Old Business: Ray made a motion to nominate the slate of officers: Dennis Barber, President; Terry Baldwin, Vice-President; Anna Wolfe, Treasurer; Donna Gwin, Secretary; Nancy Frueh, Trustee; Ray Hand, Trustee; and Henry Whipple, Trustee. Henry seconded the motion. The motion passed.
BKW High School Principal Bonnie Kane said the school would welcome a visit from Knox Cave expert Mike Nardacci next October. We will coordinate a date that works for Mike. We are waiting to hear from the Helderberg Christian School to see if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on Knox Caves to their students.
Eleven essays were received from BKW for the Memorial Day essay contest, “Local and Family Heroes”. Essays will be judged at the conclusion of this meeting. Winners will be invited to read their essays at the conclusion of the Knox Memorial Day parade on May 29.
Loose photos that had been on a table in the Saddlemire Homestead Reading Room are being put into a binder. Very few photos have any identification on them.
Dennis will speak to the Guilderland Historical Society on Thursday, May 18 about life in Knox over the past 200 years.
Ray Weiler, town groundskeeper, will set aside mulch for the flower beds around the Saddlemire Homestead. KHS will spread the mulch.
Money has been set aside in the Town’s budget to paint the Homestead and repair the shutters.
We have two speakers lined up to speak as part of the “Stories on the Porch: series: Jay Francis will speak about churches, past and present, in Knox and Dave Whipple will speak about the family’s solar farm. We would like to find additional speakers for this series that will take place in July and August.
KHS has not purchased the Ledger Knox, New York Manuscript Town Records Ledger, 1851-1887 from the antiques dealer in Cohoes. KHS was willing to offer $200 for the ledger but the seller would not consider less than $275.
New Business:
Henry Whipple told us that Deb Degan, who spoke about the Whipple Family History in August 2022, has been sick. Henry will provide us with Deb’s address and KHS will send her a card.
Eleven essays from BKW were judged (names of writers were not seen during the judging). Winners are:
1st Place winner. Trevor Stempel. $75
2nd Place winner. Jonathan Brach. $50
3rd Place winner. Manny Hooks. $25
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be June 6, 2023.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
The April 4, 2023 Knox Historical Society meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm by President Dennis Barber. Members present included Jay Francis, Donna Gwin, Ray Hand, and Anna Wolfe.
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,969.79. We have $1482.87in the checking account. We have $1409.30 in the savings account. We have $3,077.45 in the CD. Anna issued a check for $39.13 to Donna for the Blurb book about the Knox Bicentennial. Anna purchased 2 binders and inserts totaling about $40. She will be reimbursed for these purchases.
Anna received correspondence from the Duanesburg Historical Society and the New Scotland Historical Society.
Anna will send an email reminding members of Dues, due in May.
Old Business: Donna has asked current VP Terry Baldwin if he would be interested in remaining in the position of vice president of KHS. Terry said he can remain as VP if no one else is available for the position. Henry Whipple, Ray Hand, and Nancy Frueh also said they would be available for the trustee positions. Dennis, Anna, and Dennis are also willing to remain in their offices.
Donna asked administrators at BKW and the Helderberg Christian
School if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on local caves to the students in grades 7 and up. The Helderberg Christian School responded and said they would like to have Mike present a program and it will correlate well with the school’s visit to Howe Caverns. No response has been received from BKW yet.
Donna sent information regarding the Memorial Day essay contest, “Local and Family Heroes” to the Helderberg Christian School and BKW. Entries will be picked up on Friday, April 28. Essays will be judged at the May KHS meeting.
New Business:
There will be a clean-up at the Saddlemire Homestead on Wed., April 12 at 1 pm.
Ray brought an article from the Altamont Enterprise dated Feb. 13, 2023 titled Knox Cave: Mysteries geological and historical await intrepid explorers by Mike Nardacci. We will add the article to items in the Cave Room in the Saddlemire Homestead on our Clean-Up day.
Dennis received an email notifying him about a ledger available for sale ($375) on eBay. The ledger is titled Knox, New York Manuscript Town Records Ledger, 1851-1887.Dennis then found out that the ledger is in the possession of antiques dealer Dennis Holzman in Cohoes. Holzan offered the ledger to Dennis for $275. After much discussion it was decided that Dennis should offer $100-$200 for the item.
Donna found 4 Albany County Board of Supervisors annual books at the Berne Library book sale. We will check to see if we have any of these annual books in the Homestead. If not, we will add them to the collection.
Ashlyn Hanley wrote a book titled Then and Now … Growing Up a Hilltowner. The book was written for Ashlyn’s Girl Scout award. Copies are available on Amazon. We will order 2 copies of the book for our collection.
We will update our tour guide sheets: Barn Tour, Driving Tour, Trails and Recreation and make additional copies.
Stories on the Porch will return on Sundays in the summer. Jay Francis offered to talk about churches in the town, past and present. Other possible topics include Solar Farms, Farming, and Pillboxes.
The display in the Town Hall should be changed. Possible displays are portraits or photos of homes that are hanging in the Homestead. We will decide on Clean-up day.
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be May 2, 2023.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,969.79. We have $1482.87in the checking account. We have $1409.30 in the savings account. We have $3,077.45 in the CD. Anna issued a check for $39.13 to Donna for the Blurb book about the Knox Bicentennial. Anna purchased 2 binders and inserts totaling about $40. She will be reimbursed for these purchases.
Anna received correspondence from the Duanesburg Historical Society and the New Scotland Historical Society.
Anna will send an email reminding members of Dues, due in May.
Old Business: Donna has asked current VP Terry Baldwin if he would be interested in remaining in the position of vice president of KHS. Terry said he can remain as VP if no one else is available for the position. Henry Whipple, Ray Hand, and Nancy Frueh also said they would be available for the trustee positions. Dennis, Anna, and Dennis are also willing to remain in their offices.
Donna asked administrators at BKW and the Helderberg Christian
School if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on local caves to the students in grades 7 and up. The Helderberg Christian School responded and said they would like to have Mike present a program and it will correlate well with the school’s visit to Howe Caverns. No response has been received from BKW yet.
Donna sent information regarding the Memorial Day essay contest, “Local and Family Heroes” to the Helderberg Christian School and BKW. Entries will be picked up on Friday, April 28. Essays will be judged at the May KHS meeting.
New Business:
There will be a clean-up at the Saddlemire Homestead on Wed., April 12 at 1 pm.
Ray brought an article from the Altamont Enterprise dated Feb. 13, 2023 titled Knox Cave: Mysteries geological and historical await intrepid explorers by Mike Nardacci. We will add the article to items in the Cave Room in the Saddlemire Homestead on our Clean-Up day.
Dennis received an email notifying him about a ledger available for sale ($375) on eBay. The ledger is titled Knox, New York Manuscript Town Records Ledger, 1851-1887.Dennis then found out that the ledger is in the possession of antiques dealer Dennis Holzman in Cohoes. Holzan offered the ledger to Dennis for $275. After much discussion it was decided that Dennis should offer $100-$200 for the item.
Donna found 4 Albany County Board of Supervisors annual books at the Berne Library book sale. We will check to see if we have any of these annual books in the Homestead. If not, we will add them to the collection.
Ashlyn Hanley wrote a book titled Then and Now … Growing Up a Hilltowner. The book was written for Ashlyn’s Girl Scout award. Copies are available on Amazon. We will order 2 copies of the book for our collection.
We will update our tour guide sheets: Barn Tour, Driving Tour, Trails and Recreation and make additional copies.
Stories on the Porch will return on Sundays in the summer. Jay Francis offered to talk about churches in the town, past and present. Other possible topics include Solar Farms, Farming, and Pillboxes.
The display in the Town Hall should be changed. Possible displays are portraits or photos of homes that are hanging in the Homestead. We will decide on Clean-up day.
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be May 2, 2023.
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
The March 7, 2023 Knox Historical Society meeting was called to order at 7:15 pm by President Dennis Barber. Members present included Donna Gwin and Anna Wolfe.
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,967.01. We have $1482.87in the checking account. We have $1409.12 in the savings account. We have $3,074.85 in the CD. Russ and Amy Pokorny purchased Bicentennial glasses and ornaments and gave them to town employees and board members. There are still a few glasses and ornaments remaining for sale.
Old Business: Donna will again ask administrators at BKW and the Helderberg Christian
School if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on local caves to the students.
Anna and Donna cleaned up the Frink Family Cemetery in October.
Donna is working on making a Blurb book about events that took place during Knox’s
Bicentennial year. Dennis will email photos to Donna from various events.
Money has been set aside in the Town budget to either paint the Saddlemire Homestead or put vinyl siding on it.
Dennis and Russ Pokorny will select items to place in a time capsule which will be placed in front of the Saddlemire Homestead.
Dennis will speak about the history of Knox at the Guilderland Historical Society meeting on May 18 at the Mynderse Frederick house at 7:30 pm.
New Business:
Nominations are being sought for positions in the Knox Historical Society. If you would like to be nominated for a position as an officer or trustee, please email Donna at zooms83@gmail.com
Dennis will ask Paula Shafer for a DVD of the Anti-Rent play. We would like to show it sometime in 2023.
We will again have an essay contest open to students in middle and high school. The topic is “Local and Family Heroes”. Donna will contact administrators at Helderberg Christian School and at BKW. The deadline for submission of essays will be Friday, April 28. Papers will be judged by KHS members at the May 2 meeting.
Current history should be recorded. Dennis Cyr said he will take photos of the town's solar project on Street Road. We will ask Henry Whipple for photos and information about the solar farm on his property. Anna will check for information about other proposed solar projects.
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be April 4, 2023
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
Minutes were accepted as emailed.
Treasurer’s report: KHS total assets are $5,967.01. We have $1482.87in the checking account. We have $1409.12 in the savings account. We have $3,074.85 in the CD. Russ and Amy Pokorny purchased Bicentennial glasses and ornaments and gave them to town employees and board members. There are still a few glasses and ornaments remaining for sale.
Old Business: Donna will again ask administrators at BKW and the Helderberg Christian
School if they would like to have Mike Nardacci present a program on local caves to the students.
Anna and Donna cleaned up the Frink Family Cemetery in October.
Donna is working on making a Blurb book about events that took place during Knox’s
Bicentennial year. Dennis will email photos to Donna from various events.
Money has been set aside in the Town budget to either paint the Saddlemire Homestead or put vinyl siding on it.
Dennis and Russ Pokorny will select items to place in a time capsule which will be placed in front of the Saddlemire Homestead.
Dennis will speak about the history of Knox at the Guilderland Historical Society meeting on May 18 at the Mynderse Frederick house at 7:30 pm.
New Business:
Nominations are being sought for positions in the Knox Historical Society. If you would like to be nominated for a position as an officer or trustee, please email Donna at zooms83@gmail.com
Dennis will ask Paula Shafer for a DVD of the Anti-Rent play. We would like to show it sometime in 2023.
We will again have an essay contest open to students in middle and high school. The topic is “Local and Family Heroes”. Donna will contact administrators at Helderberg Christian School and at BKW. The deadline for submission of essays will be Friday, April 28. Papers will be judged by KHS members at the May 2 meeting.
Current history should be recorded. Dennis Cyr said he will take photos of the town's solar project on Street Road. We will ask Henry Whipple for photos and information about the solar farm on his property. Anna will check for information about other proposed solar projects.
The next Knox Historical Society meeting will be April 4, 2023
Respectfully submitted,
Donna Gwin, Secretary
