March 4, 2014

The Spencer County Historical Society met on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 in the Rockport Library Genealogy Room.

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

The minutes from the last meeting were read and approved.

The treasurer’s report was given. 

The treasurer went through several reports that she had generated.  One included the cost of producing the newsletters in 2013.  It was mentioned that the Society might want to consider raising the membership dues as they hadn’t been raised since the Society reorganized in the 1980’s.  A member suggested the matter be tabled until the next meeting.

A member asked about the possibility of sending out an electronic form of the newsletter which would save on postage.

It was mentioned that the Society had received a new membership from Fresno, California. 

A member read comments from Facebook concerning the calendars the Historical Society produced several years ago.  A Society member wrote that a calendar might be a good project for the Society for the upcoming Indiana Bicentennial in 2016. 

There was a short discussion about making a calendar with historical information about Spencer County.  Another idea would be a photo contest of historical places in Spencer County with photos taken in black and white and then matted.  These photos could be displayed in the Courthouse rotunda.

A member announced that the Historical Society webpage now has historical information about Spencer County listed for 30 days before the event.

The president mentioned he had heard on the NPR radio that Indiana may be having a Lincoln Trail for the 2016 Bicentennial.  It would trace the trail the Lincolns took in Indiana.

The president reported that the new Spencer County Youth and Community Center had been reserved for October 11, 2014 for the Historian of the Year Banquet.  This is a change from the normal spring date. 

The time for the meal was discussed.  It was suggested to have the meal at noon making it easier for people who didn’t like driving at night.  A motion was made and seconded to have the meal at noon.  The motion carried.

The commemorative historian was discussed.  No one had been selected yet.  Two men were mentioned.  This was tabled until the next meeting.  The president had spoken to several people about being the speaker.

A member told that he had been contacted by a man, who was not a member of the Society, asking for information about an area family.  He had told the man that it might be possible to create a web page for such requests for members.

The president stated that a member of the Society used to be able to ask a query one time a year.

A member mentioned that Ancestor.com has excellent information for research.  He also mentioned that Facebook has a lot of information about the area.  Two sites were – Grandview – and South Spencer Memorials.

A member also told that he was on a radio show in Indianapolis several weeks ago.  It was called “Hoosier History Live”.  It is a live weekly radio adventure through Indiana history with host Nelson Price each Saturday at noon on WICR 88.7 FM in Indianapolis.

A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.  The motion carried.  The meeting adjourned at 8:05 PM.

The next meeting will be April 1, 2014 at 6:30 PM in the Genealogy Room.