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Newsletter #4
Minco Historical Society
Minco, OK September 25, 2006
1.
BUILDING STATUS: We have a museum building! 40x60. It is yet a
shell, but is insulated and the ceiling and walls are useable “as is”.
We’ll have a 40x40 display area and a 20x35 preparation, storage, and
display rotation area. The work area partition can be moved back 10
feet for a 40x50 display area later when the exhibit area becomes
crowded.
The museum is insured. Next
steps are to install electrical, plumbing, lights, heat & air, double
sheet rock on east side to meet fire code, rest room, and a partition
separating the rear work area. Sidewalk with ADA (Americans with
Disabilities Act) ramp will be installed at some point, possibly before
the December Honey Festival. Also, an attractive facade to dress up
the front appears to be in the future.
2.
FINANCES: Memberships, both regular and lifetime, and generous
contributions have put our general fund at $7,221.81, and building fund
at $7,555.56. To bring in additional funding, the society is seeking
grants and planning fund raisers. One fundraiser in the works is a plan
to sell personalized bricks which will be displayed at the museum. A
fundraiser that was successful last year was the “Road Show” at the
Honey Festival. We will have the “road show” again this year, and will
have four evaluators this year as compared to one last year.
3.
EXHIBITS and HISTORY: Numerous items of interest have been pledged to
the museum or acquired. Some of these items are provided by distant
people with Minco connections who have found the society’s web site.
For example, in the web site’s guest book, a recent entry remarking
about a grand aunt’s memoirs of Minco led to acquiring the memoirs of a
young Minco girl’s experiences as a student in El Meta Bond College,
contact with Indians, and wild killer longhorns on the loose from huge
cattle drives. We found that the young girl’s father built many of the
buildings in Minco, such as the bank and opera house and other
businesses, and prestigious bank buildings and court houses in the state
and later in Texas. We found two of the girl’s sisters in a picture of
El Meta Bond student actors, and learned that one sister was the organist for
the Methodist
Church. The history of Minco
keeps emerging as we follow up on opportunities and the help of many.
For those
desiring to donate exhibits, we won’t have a place to store the items
until the building is near completion with electrical, A/C, etc.
However, photos of Minco and its people can be scanned, titled, and
stored digitally at any time, or simply e-mailed if already scanned.
The society secretary has a portable scanner and laptop, and can travel
to scan pictures without the picture leaving the owner’s home.
4.
HONEY FESTIVAL: The society will be in two places for the Dec. 2 Honey
Festival: The Senior Citizens Center with the Road
Show and in the new building. Photo exhibits will be in both
locations. Purpose of being in the unfinished building will be to show
the public how far the museum has advanced.
5.
GRAND OPENING: At this point, we have no estimate on our grand
opening. We plan to have the museum open at least by the Minco
High School reunion next May 26,
2007.
6.
WEB SITE: Detailed information is on the society’s web site at
http://members.cox.net/mincohistoricalsociety
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Prepared
by: Marvin Woodworth, Secretary
Minco Historical Society, PO Box 624, Minco, OK 73059
e-mail:
mwoodworth@cox.net PH 405-732-0527 |
