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| January-March 2005 |
| The 2005 spring and summer season began at the museum March 1st with hours of 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This schedule will be in effect until next December 1st. |
| Admission is only $2 for adults, with children under 12 free, if accompanied by an adult. But the best part, if you are a member of the Boone County Historical & Railroad Society, admission is free! |
| We have some big changes at the museum with Central Middle School moving in February to their new location. The School Board has made a proposal to the Historical Society to lease the 1912 Harrison High School building to us for the next 25 years. This will mean more responsibility on our part and also added expense. We do not know the extent of that expense yet, but we will do everything we can to keep the museum operating in the same efficient manner. |
| New faces are appearing on the Board of Directors with the election of three new members. They are John Berry, Pat Brown and Mark Fowler. All three are prominent members of the community and we welcome them to the board. |
| With the school moving and no longer using one room on the first floor, we will have access to that additional room. Plans are for this room to become the meeting room where monthly programs will be held. This will make it much easier for some of our older visitors to enjoy the programs. It also frees up the large room on the second floor for added display area. |
| The need for volunteers is great and we welcome anyone who could give three hours each week at the museum. Wednesday and Friday afternoons are not filled at this time, so join with us and help preserve the history of Boone County. |
| In closing, we hope to have a great many visitors, class reunions and family reunions drop in the museum for an afternoon visit. Marilyn will gladly open on Saturday for reunions, so give her a call at the museum. |
| Enjoy the Redbud and Dogwood trees this spring - a beautiful time in the Ozarks! |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| April-June 2005 |
| No doubt, summer is here and hot weather seems to be the order of the day! All the activities that usually take place this time of year, such as reunions and family gatherings, make for a busy time at the museum. A reunion group of the combined classes of 1926 through 1946, Harrison High School, toured the museum May 28th with members commenting how much they enjoyed seeing memorabilia from their younger days! |
| One of the museum's next big steps is to get the 1912 building we now occupy listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The board feels that this property should be deemed worthy of preservation and we hope we can meet the requirements for this recognition. Since the Harrison School District still owns the building, the local school board has given us permission to pursue this project in the near future. |
| We are also in the process of updating the building's heating and cooling system. The old heating unit has served its purpose but is so obsolete that parts are almost impossible to find when a breakdown occurs. By summer's end, we should have a new heating and cooling system in place, as well as a new meeting room ready on the first floor. And a special thanks to Larrie Collier and Ralph Gene Hudson for the time and help they have given on these projects. |
| Thanks to Books Galore, we now have a new shelving unit that displays our entire back issue collection of the Historian / Oak Leaves! Not only this unit, but they also donated ten more shelving units to be used in the new meeting room. We are indeed grateful to Books Galore and Jane Henley. |
 In closing, it is with sadness we tell of the death of Boone County Historical & Railroad Society, Inc. board member Jo Ann Forrest. She was a faithful member of our organization. But most of all, she was a dear friend.
Have a great summer and come visit the museum anytime!
~ Norman Rowe |
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| July-September 2005 |
| The past three months have been a busy time for the Heritage Museum. Guests from 22 states and Guatemala, plus many towns in Arkansas, have toured the museum this summer. Members of the Class of 1965, Harrison High School, were guests on Saturday, August 13th, and we encourage any class planning a reunion to include a museum tour on their agenda. |
 It has been ten years since the Historical Society published the History of Boone County, with a narrative by Roger V. Logan, Jr. After a second printing, only a limited number are still available, so if you have not purchased one for your family, this is the time to do so.
So many people have said they regretted their failure to turn in their family history in 1996 - so plans are now in the works to publish Volume II. This is your opportunity to include your family in the printing of the second important book.
You will be limited to 500 words and one picture - free of charge - so get together with family members and write your family story for the second volume. Club, church, business, memorial and tribute pages will be available for purchase at a very reasonable price, so many families may want to honor a family member by doing a tribute page. |
| I want to stress just how important your membership in the Boone County Historical & Railroad Society is to the operation of the Heritage Museum. Without membership fees, memorial contributions, donations, and purchases, we probably could not operate for very long! As our museum continues to grow, we encourage the entire community to support our endeavor to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. |
| Volunteers play a significant role at the museum. They free Marilyn to work with visitors; to write her weekly column for the newspaper; to catalogue artifacts given by patrons almost weekly; to collect articles for the Historian / Oak Leaves, and just the overall operation of the museum, so we would welcome your three hours weekly of volunteering anytime! |
| Our annual Railroad Day is October 8th. Make plans to attend this Saturday afternoon get-together recalling the years of the M&NA Railroad. In November, Terri Edwards will be our program speaker. This vivacious lady lived in England and Wales during WWII and she will delight you with her perspective of the war. WWII veterans are invited to attend and ask questions. In December, Susan Young of the Shiloh Museum will present the program. Susan always delights the audience - so make plans to attend these monthly programs. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| October-December 2005 |
| Another year has passed so quickly. 2005 has been a very busy one in many ways for the Heritage Museum, Legal work on the lease for the building is complete; a much needed heating and cooling system has been installed; and soon a room on the first floor will be remodeled and used for monthly meetings. |
| Through the generosity of John Forrest, the meeting room will have new carpet, lighting, paint and will be named in memory of his late wife, JoAnn Forrest, who was a faithful and hardworking board member of the Historical Society. We sincerely thank John for this wonderful gift. |
| The new year also brings many challenges for the museum. Utilities and upkeep of the building are now our sole responsibility, and as everyone knows, the costs are climbing at a horrible rate. But, one thing for sure, come heck or high water, we intend to keep the museum on course and continue to preserve the history of Boone County and its people. |
| Our faithful volunteers deserve medals for their work in 2005. We simply could not operate without them! They are: Daphne Haworth, Averil Davis, Merle Vincent, George Dearing, Teri Penquite, Bob Vinyard, Imogene Hammerschmidt, Jim Breece, and Andi Miller. |
| Andi Miller made a statement that I think needs repeating. She said, "Ozark culture is something that must be preserved so our children, and their children's children, will know and appreciate their ancestors and how they lived." We hope you will continue to support the museum in our effort to keep Ozark culture alive. |
| Most people think we receive state tax money for the operation of the museum. Believe me, we do not! We have received some funding (about $4,000) from the county, and a small amount from CATPC, and both are deeply appreciated, but membership in the Historical & Railroad Society is an important way everyone can help. Please remember the museum with your memorials, donations and renewal of your yearly membership. |
| I hope 2006 will bring you and your family good health and prosperity. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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