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| January-March 2004 |
| We are now into another spring and summer season with the museum open from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. Before summer is over, we will have completed our 17th year located in the historic 1912 Harrison High School building. |
| When the museum started, no one expected the results that have been attained in a few short years. Many thanks are due to the volunteers who have worked so tirelessly to see those valuable records, stories and artifacts are preserved for years to come. |
| With all the changes that pass through our lifetime, it becomes a great interest for our next generation to learn about their ancestors. I would like to suggest that anyone who has done research on his or her family tree and have it in printed form, to please share it with the museum. |
| Many times when someone in the family has done research, and they pass away, the papers get lost or given to heirs who have no interest in genealogy. This valuable research is often lost forever unless a foresighted person had given the museum a copy of their work. Researchers can tell you just how important such papers can be when doing a family tree. |
 Two projects that were started in 2003 have been very rewarding work and helpful to the community. The cemetery clean-up project, started by our curator Marilyn Smith, is off to a good start. Our cemeteries hold the remains of those who helped shape our area and made it a desirable place to live - we should have enough pride to see that our cemeteries are nicely maintained. Volunteers are always needed on cemetery workdays and we invite you to give a few hours and help us!
The other project that is receiving lots of praise is the weekly questions and answer column that appears each Friday in the Harrison Daily Times. Marilyn answers questions about the area and does stories on early residents and about old businesses that are gone forever. |
| I have hopes that we will see many of you come through the museum this summer. We welcome family and class reunions and will extend hours for such groups. |
| Volunteers are always needed and we encourage you to give a few hours each week to help preserve the history of Boone County and its people. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| April-June 2004 |
| The year 2004 is now half gone and if you made a New Year's resolution to come to the museum this summer, now is the time to follow through with your plans. The cost is still $2 for adults, with children under 12 admitted free. This has to be the best bargain in the entertainment field! |
| A yearly membership makes a great birthday present and entitles the recipient free admission to the museum and four issues of the Boone County Historian / Oak Leaves. Not only are you helping the museum financially but at the same time, you are helping preserve the history of our county. |
| This is the time of year when families and schools have their reunions. I can't think of a better place to start or finish the day with friends and relatives, than a visit to the museum. If you attended school in the historic 1912 High School building, then you have many memories of this wonderful old building. |
| If you subscribe to the Harrison Daily Times, I hope you are enjoying the Friday column that our curator, Marilyn Smith, submits each week. She goes through a lot of research to write this column and if you have a question about Boone County history, be sure to mail it to the museum. |
 We are fortunate to have Mandie Street as a summer volunteer. Mandie is a college student at Hendrix College and plans to serve as a curator in a major city museum in the future. We are certainly enjoying her bubbly personality and wit this summer.
The cemetery clean-up project is on hold for a while as we wait for cooler weather and the decline of chiggers and ticks - not to mention, snakes! We are not anxious for the critters to provide themselves a meal at the workers expense. |
| The air conditioner is on - the building is comfortable - so stop by and visit on a hot, humid day. Artifacts are being added almost daily, so you are sure to see something interesting from the past. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| July-September 2004 |
| The summer has passed quickly and we now look forward to the beautiful fall season. Here in the heart of the Ozarks, this is a very special time of the year. |
| There are some pretty places to stop and enjoy the scenery, starting with Maplewood Cemetery. It has been listed as one of the places to see when all the maple trees start changing their colors. Then the drive down Highway 7 South will take your breath away when the colors peak in October. I am sure many of you that have moved away can still remember what a treat it was to see the colors change in Autumn. |
 We have had a number of changes here at the museum over the summer. The greatest addition was a sculpture "Lillie's in White" by Don Landes-McCullough, a renowned artist who lives in Vancouver, WA. He has fond memories of his early years spent in Boone County and wanted to do something for the community and his Aunt Lillie, whom he loved so dearly. This is a marvelous sculpture and you have to see it to do justice to this beautiful work of art.
After a short program in which Mr. Landes-McCullough explained to the audience of about 250 people the family history of the statue and what it meant to them, the crowd then viewed the sculpture and enjoyed refreshments. We are grateful for this gift he presented to the museum! A big thank you to all the volunteers that helped, and especially to our curator, Marilyn Smith, for her hard work on this project. |
| We also received a gun from Joe Miller, that was used during the big bank robbery in 1921 by Henry Starr. One of our faithful volunteers, Jim Willingham, skilled carpenter, made a beautiful oak gun case which is also a "must see." Many more items of interest also have been donated this summer. |
| All through this summer, we welcomed college student Mandie Street as a volunteer. She was a very busy girl and sometimes she could only spend a few hours but her services were most welcome. We will miss her wit, intelligence and smiling face - we wish her only the best. |
| If you are looking for a Christmas gift for that hard to shop for person, remember the Boone County Family History Book or a membership in the Historical Society. What a wonderful way to share the history of Boone County with a loved one. |
| Our summer hours are 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday - but remember beginning on December 1st the museum is open only on Thursdays. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| October-December 2004 |
| My hope is that everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a joyous and prosperous New Year. It really doesn't seem possible that the year 2004 has slipped by so quickly. We, at the museum, have been blessed with a good number of great volunteers this past year and hope that support from our volunteers and the community will continue into the New Year. |
| I would like to pay tribute to those volunteers that have helped at the museum this past year. I will try and name them and hope that I do not forget a single one! Starting with Monday - Daphne Haworth; Tuesday - Imogene Hammerschmidt, Merle Vincent and Andrea Miller; Wednesday - Bob Vinyard and Helen McPherson; and on Friday - Averil Davis, George Dearing and Joyce Lindsey. |
| The big work crew comes in every Thursday. It includes our curator Marilyn Smith, her assistant Marlene Rowe, Historical Society officers Norman Rowe, Mary Sue Barger, Fred Hudson, Virginia Phillips and our volunteers Jim Willingham, Jim Breece and Bill Speaker. We have one seasonal volunteer, Bob Schmidt, a winter resident of Pennsylvania who spends his summers in Harrison and volunteers at the museum. Sammie Rose and Ralph Leta Robinson are our dependable drop-in help. |
| This past summer, Mandie Street, a young college student with a load of talent, helped with special projects and brightened the days with her wit and humor. Together we accomplished a lot of work. |
| When we start the New Year, we will lose our skilled carpenter, Jim Willingham, who is moving to Missouri. He will be sadly missed but we hope someone with carpenter skills will pop in and give us a hand. A BIG THANKS TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED IN SO MANY WAYS IN 2004. |
 The year 2004 also brought us some sadness when long time board member, Retired Brigadier General Leland W. Smith, passed away on Friday 15th at the age of 90. He was a good member and fine gentleman. He will be missed by his family and many friends.
In closing, I want to remind anyone that we still have gift certificates for memberships and also the Boone County Family History book - perfect for the belated holiday gift. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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