Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Plaques And Programming topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Historical-plaques project, volunteer drive and speaker series move forward
Summary
The Merrimack Valley Historical Society outlined a plan to finish plaque research by Dec. 15, seek bids in January and deploy plaques by spring; staff reported sizable volunteer scanning and cataloging work and announced a fall speaker series and community events.
The Merrimack Valley Historical Society heard updates on a planned historical-plaques project, volunteer archives work and an expanded speaker series during the Aug. 14 meeting.
Kelly said the society has recruited help for plaque research from the partnership and volunteers including Brian Quick and Val Drogely. The group aims to complete research and proposed plaque text and photos by Dec. 15 so bids can be solicited in January and plaques purchased in time for spring installation. Kelly said the project envisions about 40 plaques total: roughly 10 freestanding signs and about 30 plaques mounted on buildings. Board members suggested pairing some larger plaques with a piece of the original building (for example a foundation brick) and holding unveiling ceremonies for prominent sites.
Volunteers are central to the effort: Bonnie Post and a college volunteer have been cataloging and scanning materials; Kelly reported the volunteer had scanned 347 pictures in about six weeks and that the museum has 784 photos scanned total and 25 oral histories recorded (11 posted online). Kelly said staff are also working on a single, cross-board exhibit standard so displays follow uniform guidelines.
The society also announced upcoming public programs: Sept. 12, Joe Sonderman will give a talk related to Route 66 in Pacific; Oct. 17, Ben Brown will present on Civil War slang; and Nov. 7, Jo Schaeffer will speak on regional sandstone in a program titled "To the Wide Pacific Shore." Kelly noted the society was featured in a Missouri Humanities video after winning a small-town showcase and encouraged organizers to submit events for the shared calendar at discoverpacificmo.com.
Board members discussed signage and marketing: attraction panels placed by MoDOT now include the museum and visitor center listing, a new Viaduct billboard has been installed, and discoverpacificmo.com will be used to consolidate event listings shared between the chamber and the society. The board asked staff to circulate exhibit standards and to keep recruiting volunteers for scanning and accessioning work.
