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| January-March 2006 |
 March 1st ushered in the 2006 Spring and Summer schedule, and as the dogwoods and redbuds bloom, we anticipate a busy tourist season. Your membership renewals should be in the mail by now, and with the arrival of this first edition of the Historian / Oak Leaves for 2006, I hope you will realize just how important your support is needed for continuation of our work to preserve the history of Boone County and its people.
A lot of good things have happened at the museum the past few months. Heating and cooling units were installed on the second and third floor, but while we were depending on the one older unit on first to heat that floor, it is still not adequate. Hopefully this problem can be taken care of soon, as Ken Allen of Conward's Heating & Cooling has generously volunteered to install the unit as a donation to the museum. We appreciate his great gift! |
 Topping the list of good happenings, one thing must surely be the opening of a first floor genealogy/meeting room, named in honor of the late JoAnn Forrest, a hard working and faithful board member. John Forrest, her husband, gave funds that made possible new carpet, lighting, new paint and badly needed shelving. Dedication and open house, scheduled for March 19th, will be featured in the next issue of the Historian / Oak Leaves.
Volunteers are the backbone, heart and soul of our museum. From the very beginning, two volunteers - Virginia Phillips and Fred Hudson - have dedicated so many hours of work and support. Without them and our other faithful group of volunteers, it would be very hard to keep the doors open. We deeply appreciate all the hours they contribute! |
Please take the time to check out our new website: www.bchrs.org. This was made possible through the hard work and generosity of Greg Waters. Another huge and difficult job has been taken on by Nita Gould, as she works to get our building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. These two energetic young people are invaluable to our museum, and we owe both a deep debt of gratitude.
Special thanks go to Andrew Zupka for his gift of the two volume set of Cemetery Cencus of Boone County, Arkansas, published by Brigham Young University Press. This will be added in our genealogy section. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| April-June 2006 |
 We are now starting the second half of 2006. It hardly seems possible that the year is half gone. Many good things have happened at the museum! The new JoAnn Forrest Genealogy/Meeting Room is in daily use, and the well-lighted area is so appreciated by researchers.
Since the last publication, we have had a number of artifacts donated - everything from WWII pictures of local men to an outstanding handmade quilt. The patriotic quilt was made in 1976 by the members of the Harrison Senior Center Club, with each person's name who worked on the quilt embroidered on the back. |
| But the story gets better! Noel Gagny of Waterville, Kansas was in the area working on a construction job and bought three chances on the quilt from ladies who had a table set up in a local bank. Much to his surprise he won, and the quilt went home with him to Kansas in 1976. |
| He sent word by a friend in 2002 that he would donate it to the museum, since he thought it was a piece of local history. Marilyn immediately wrote him, expressing our delight that we would be more than happy to display the quilt. On May 20, 2006, while visiting the Branson area, Gagny brought the quilt to the State Police Station in Harrison and requested they contact the museum. Needless to say, it was quickly picked up! The quilt is in pristine condition and a must-see the next time you are in the museum. |
| Class and family reunions are a perfect time to join others and visit the museum. Come and recall things from your past. It can prove to be a memorable experience! |
| Do you have extra time on your hands? We can always use extra volunteers at the museum. They keep our organization going, and we deeply appreciate those who give hours of service. |
 This issue of the Historian / Oak Leaves features a new page dedicated to an old home place within the county. In each future issue, we will show another old home and tell the story of the family who lived there. Many old home places that you have been familiar with through the years are fast disappearing, so please share your photos and story with Marilyn as we try to preserve the history of these old home places. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| July-September 2006 |
| Summer is gone so quickly, and we welcome the cool air of autumn. With all the very hot temperatures and dry weather this summer, we hope the maple trees will still show their wonderful fall color. |
| The past three months have been a time for great gifts to the museum. Thanks to Ken Allen of Conward's Heating & Cooling, we now have a new system on the first floor of the museum. What a change this has made in our volunteers comfort level! |
| Then, following a wind storm that did damage to the west side of the building, Jim Judy of Judy's Insulation came to the rescue. His crew did repairs at no charge. We are thankful to Jim and his crew, and also to Ken Allen. We appreciate your generosity. |
 Another person who has given countless hours researching the history of the 1912 Harrison High School building with the hopes of getting the museum on the National Register of Historic Places is Nita Gould. Nita makes her home in Tulsa, but also owns her grandparent's home in Zinc, which is listed on the Register. Her application has passed the first review with flying colors, and an on-site review is due very soon. We are very excited and hopeful that this building will pass their approval for listing as an historic place. Thank you, Nita. |
| In case you have not visited our website at www.bchrs.org, please do so soon. Greg Waters is to be commended for his hard work creating this website. It is wonderful, and we deeply appreciate his dedication to our organization. Greg's ties to Boone County include the Martin-Rogers family and the Waters family at Yardell. |
| We inadvertently failed to list a donation from Fed-Ex in our last issue, and we apologize for this mistake. Their gift of $300 was deeply appreciated and vital to the operation of the museum. |
| New items are added on almost a daily basis to the museum, so take time to stop by and visit. You'll be proud of what has been accomplished through the years. |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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| October-December 2006 |
| As we come to the end of another year, it is amazing the progress that has been made over the past year. More and more visitors stop and visit the museum, commenting on our many displays and about visiting our web site. We feel this has been a great asset and we thank Greg Waters for developing this site for us! |
 We have exciting news to report - as we go to press with this edition, we will probably be on the National Register of Historic Places. This is a giant step towards better things happening. We will have more opportunity to get grant money and have this building put in better condition.
We now have hot water in the building - and it is nice! Some electrical upgrading and some plumbing work had to take place first, but no more cleaning with cold water! Our thanks to Jim Breece for paying for the water heater! |
| We also acquired a microfilm reader, thanks to the generosity of Sally Jo and J. O. Gibson. Along the same line, we were able to purchase a reader-printer, thanks to John Forrest. Both will help Marilyn doing her weekly newspaper columns and those doing genealogy research. |
| Update on the Boone County, Arkansas Family History Book, Volume II: It is progressing nicely, and sales of the book have been brisk. If you have not submitted your family history, please do so as soon as possible - don't miss this opportunity to get your family in this book. |
| Sad news to report - past president of the Historical Society, Harry Shinall, passed away last month. Many good things happened on his watch, and he will be remembered with affection and appreciation for a very long time. Our sympathy to his wife, Betty. |
| Railroad Day, which was held in October, was a huge success. Over 60 interested individuals and serious railroad buffs attended a great program. Details of the day are in the Oak Leaves section of this edition. |
| Best Wishes for a Healthy & Happy New Year! |
| ~ Norman Rowe |
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