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July 15, 2007
GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THE SOCIETYIn the past couple of months there have been a lot of articles and editorials printed in The Gleaner newspaper regarding proposals to renovate the Civil War Era house located on Water Street, to building a Luggage Building Annex in Audubon Mill Park with the underlying agenda of moving the Society out of the new Depot Welcome Center. There are some facts that seem to have been forgotten regarding the sacrifices that the Society has made over the years. We would like to outline those for you here: #1 The Historical Society was formed in April 1922 by Susan Starling Towles with the purpose of the Society being that of “to serve the community by preserving the past to promote interest in the collection, preservation, distribution and publishing of genealogical and biographical matters and dedicated to the preservation of historical sites. #2 Over the years a great many of historical documents and artifacts relating to Henderson's history have been collected. Many of dedicated historians (too many to mention) have dedicated their lives to preserving Henderson's great history and heritage. One of the main preservation projects was to renovate the Union Station Depot built in 1901. #3 The Society tenaciously campaigned to save the original Depot located on Fourth Street since October 1979 when Frieda Dannheiser was president. The Union Station Depot was scheduled for demolition and thanks to Ms. Dannheiser's efforts along with the out pour of support from the members of the Society, the demolition was stopped and the Depot was not only saved but was also placed on the National Historical Register. #4 Despite the Society's best efforts, the renovations were just too big for such limited resources and as a last ditch effort, the Union Station Depot was deeded over to the City of Henderson so they could use the building to apply for federal grants that were available. #5 After the City of Henderson applied and was granted the $300,000.00, it was learned that the renovation price tag had grown considerably due to the detention basin that was dug in front of the depot. The detention basin altered the water tables all around it and in order to stabilize the depot, steel pilings would have to be placed underneath it. The original grant was not earmarked for the steel pilings so the renovations were considered no longer feasible. #6 Another proposal was presented about moving the Union Station Depot to the riverfront. The Heritage Council refused to allow the Union Station Depot to be moved because it would loose its National Register status. Instead of being able to use the very unique architectural features the Union Station Depot had, the Heritage Council was hoping a white knight would come along and save the depot. #7 Mr. John Talbert who was the grant-writing guru at the time was asked to revise the $300,000.00 grant and it was switched over to another transportation related project, i.e. the new Welcome Center. #8 Dr. John Logan then formed an Ad Hoc Committee the first of 2003 and presented his proposal to the city commissioners about using the $300,000.00 to build the new Welcome Center. The Tourism Commission sold their log cabin for an additional $100,000.00 located out on Highway 41 to add to the grant money. Private monies were donated and collected to finish funding the last portion of the building, which is where the Society is now located. So in a sense the Society has (been) paid (for) twice. #9 Resolution No. 06-05, dated January 11, 2005 authorized leasing of office space in the Henderson Welcome Center to the Henderson County Historical & Genealogical Society. Jeff Broughton, the City Manager (at the time) recommended that the lease agreement be approved. His recommendation was accepted and the lease of said office space was approved, and Mayor Henry Lackey authorized the execution of the lease agreement on behalf of the City. Commissioner Robert Hall made the motion and Commissioner Robert Mills seconded the motion. #10 The term of our lease is currently for twenty years with an option to renew for an additional twenty-year period. #11 According to Section #9 of the lease agreement, the Society is to develop and maintain display of historic artifacts, documents and pictures in the Community Room. #12 A great effort was put forth by Dr. John Logan's Ad Hoc Committee to prepare the Community Room area with museum type conditions such as purchasing display cases, placing UV film on the windows, putting up blinds and curtains, and promising a humidistat unit. #13 The Depot Welcome Center as a whole works very well together. The absence of vehicles in the parking lot does not mean that the building itself is not being utilized. The Tourism Commission offers brochures, pamphlets, special events and walking tours to the public. The Community Room houses 18 display cases depicting Henderson's history. Special events are held in the Community Room as well as tours of the history displays. The Society provides additional background information on the displays. The Society also offers research help to the many visitors that come to Henderson to locate their ancestors. The Society has tripled the amount of reference books available in the Research Library over the years. Many visitors plan their vacation time to spend time with the dedicated volunteers. #14 The history displays that are showcased in the Community Room are either owned by the Society or have been loaned by private individuals who have placed their documents or artifacts in the care of the Society. #15 The Society is a non-profit organization managed by a volunteer group who are dedicated to serve the community. The Society has been called upon many of times to help with city/county projects with little or no recognition. #16 These volunteers are not paid employees and keep the Society running by their memberships, sales of reference books and donations. We started this ball rolling many many years ago; and we earned our right to be housed in the new Welcome Center. If you should have any questions regarding the above facts please feel free to contact the Society. Netta Mullin , President Linda Hallmark , Vice President |
