June 1, 2010

The Spencer County Historical Society met on Tuesday, June 1, 2010 in the Rockport Library Genealogy Room.

The meeting was called to order by the president at 6:40 PM with 6 members present.

The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.

The treasurer’s report was given.

The president read a letter from a member in California, formerly of Grandview, Indiana, concerning the records of the Grandview cemetery.  He stated that the records were on onion skin, were deteriorating, and wondered about the Society getting the records copied.  The Society was unaware of this situation.

A motion was made and seconded to renew the membership to the Indiana Historical Society and get a subscription to the “Indiana Magazine of History” which is published by the Indiana Historical Society.  The motion carried.

A motion was made and seconded to purchase the “Fuller Funeral Home Records – January 2000 to December 2005” as this is an addition to the records the Society already has.  The motion carried.

The president mentioned that a member had donated a book to the Genealogy Room – “Indiana 24/7”, a pictorial history of Indiana.

The president brought up the historical marker that was found damaged at Lincoln Ferry Park at Troy, Indiana on April 16, 2010.  The marker was picked up by the owners of Grandview Aluminum Products.  They had contacted the Indiana Historical Bureau, who is in charge of the markers.

The president had also contacted the Indiana Historical Bureau about the repairing of the marker.  The Bureau had contacted their contractual marker manufacturer, Sewah Studios, for its evaluation of the damage.  They indicated that repair was not recommended and a new marker was needed and they would work with us to raise money for a new one.  The Bureau also indicated that a new post was needed at a cost of $325.00 from the foundry that makes the markers. 

The Bureau did also indicate that there was a marker maintenance fund that could be used to fix damaged markers with the Bureau matching costs.

In the meantime, Grandview Aluminum Products repaired and replaced the damaged sign within ten days of rescuing it from Lincoln Ferry Park.

After several communications with the Bureau, they finally agreed to pay one-half of the cost of $800.00 for Grandview Aluminum Products to repair, refinish, and reinstall the marker.

The president said that he had inspected the repaired and installed marker and said it was “like new!” and he couldn’t see any signs of it having been broken and repaired.

A motion was made and seconded to pay one-half of the $800.00 or $400.00 as our share of the cost.  The motion carried.

The president mentioned that a member and his wife had volunteered to refurbish the David Turnham historical marker located in front of Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, IN.  They would use the detailed instructions found on the Indiana Historical Bureau’s website.

The president mentioned a Family History and Genealogy Conference that is to be held in Indianapolis on August 6 and 7, 2010.

A member mentioned that a book will soon be completed about the Meeks family.

The president read a letter from the Lincoln Amphitheater offering a 20% discount for groups of fifteen or more to see the Lincoln drama presentation this summer.

It was decided there would be no meeting in July.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.  The motion carried.  The meeting adjourned at 8:10 PM.

The next meeting will be August 3, 2010 at 6:30 PM in the Genealogy Room.