Thank you, Caledonian Record, for running this piece!
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Like a lot of folks out there, I am trying to find good news and a more positive side of life. I am finding it in our own backyard. I came to the realization a short while ago that next year in November, History & Heritage will have been open ten years. Add to that number another five that we spent looking for a place to house St. Johnsbury’s history collections, and you can see what a journey it has been. My dad used to say “I never saw the beat of it”, and it was always about something that was positive and so I am borrowing that sentiment when I speak of this “army” of volunteers that turned a dream of finding a home for St. J’s historical treasures into a reality.
In 2009, rumors were leaking that the Fairbanks Museum could no longer house or display the vast collection of the town’s history. After my uncensored mouth uttered, “over my dead body will these things leave St. Johnsbury”, my next assignment was to find a place and this is when the volunteers entered the picture. In an apartment on Main Street, Joanne and Gail worked their magic with a logo and first brochure. Lorrie and Jim allowed History & Heritage to camp out in the basement of Summer Street School where Jen and Jackie took up residence too.
A Board was formed in 2010 with an emphasis placed on what the members could do to make fledgling plans a reality. I called on my classmate, Reg, to chair the board, and others followed: Bob the builder, Mike the town official, Jim, whose love of preservation is unmatched, Shara from the Athenaeum, Jo-Ann from the school, and computer savvy Gail. As time moved on, others became members, including Sue, another classmate who brought knowledge of how nonprofits work, Peter the banker, Martin, the keeper of the meeting minutes, Denise, a teacher with computer skills, plus Joanne with her collections knowledge, and Sean, whose skills and connections with Lyndon woodworkers provided the cases for the collections. Lawyer Richard A. put the puzzle of becoming a 501 (c)(3) together in the chapel of Mt. Pleasant Cemetery! Bernier Mayo gave us great advice on how to get started and raise money which led to John (another classmate) doing the feasibility study.
After the Armory Building—our initial choice for a location—turned into an environmental nightmare, we had to focus on finding another place. Volunteers toured Glovers, now a Vet clinic on Railroad Street, the first armory (Bertrands Hall) on the northern end of Railroad St., Crownlands on Summer Street, Paddock House on Main Street, and finally the Primmer and Piper Office on Summer Street. This last place had a barn which made it rise to the top of the list! Walking back to Summer Street School, volunteer Jen laughingly said, “All we need is 250 people giving a thousand dollars each” and so the 250 Club was formed! Judy & Jerry jump started the campaign with a donation, and Jerry said that one of the reasons they chose St. Johnsbury was because of its history.
Fast forward to the move; we had the Work Camp folks in the barn tearing up what was left of a floor, while the Building and Electrical trade classes at St. J Academy worked their magic on the house. Once the buildings were ready, yet another group of volunteers fell into place and some of the volunteers got others to join as well! Denise’s husband recruited friends who soon found that some of the heavy items needed to reach the second floor. Stan and Beth with their trucks helped ferry the collections from the Museum and Rectory (Dentist office) and were joined by Brian, Edna, Dave, Barb, Denise, and others. And did I mention Cindy of Roland’s Wrecker, who moved the hearse, water wagon, Ide’s wagon, etc. Never saw a bill!
Now that we are open, we have four volunteers daily that perform the greeting and showing of the Center. The volunteers are managed by a volunteer – first up was Karlene, who also brought her husband Bob and even son Chris helped out with moving. Karlene’s passing was a great loss to the Center and the job fell to Jackie. The greeters as we call them carry out other functions, such as Sue who can get rid of trash, post posters, run the vacuum and be a ghost on our cemetery walk. Nancy, Patty, and Deb researched the timeline that hangs on the wall; Randee formatted the info for the printer and the finished project is viewed by many that stand and read the “wall”. And did I mention Deb, who is in charge of paper towels and toilet paper! Other greeters, Otto, Kris, Deb, and Jen are the liaisons with the school. Many of the greeters help with collections under the leadership of Jen; Carol, Don, Bobbie, Dale, Edna, Dave, Martin, Marie, Robert, Nola, Sandy, Pat, Bill, we lost Lois who was part of the team too. Doug has pored over thousands of negatives from the Caledonian Record. Jo-Ann transcribes diaries and makes the ghost walks happen. Mike checks the mice traps, takes the recycling, changes out the screens and storm windows and anything else Jen asks!! Dianne (another classmate), keeps financial track of us and writes checks, etc. Liz kept the membership list that Sue M. now manages. Any greeter is fair game when it comes to mailings!
Outside grounds finds Gena crawling under every bush and tree we have and managing the Academy groups when they come in the spring. Steve, Peter, and Dennis have taken their turn with the lawnmower. Showed Stan a picture of the Summer House that used to be there and now all you have to do is look and there it is – another donation! Steve, Bob, and Dave all worked on it too. And then came the dream and need for a new building to better show off more collections. Sadly, the decision was made to build by the loss of a classmate, Gaye Brown, who left a substantial amount to get us started; before her passing, my posts on the web would be gone over carefully by her editors’ eye! Staci’s (Board Chair) husband John helped break ground with his equipment and labor as a volunteer. He dug the hole that made us realize that the ground was clay which helped make decisions. Bob and Roo were clerks of the work for the new structure and put hours into making this piece of the puzzle fit perfectly. When trusses came in via truck and were placed on the lawn, out of nowhere came many Tom, Dick, and Harry’s to act as pallbearers to get them closer to the construction!
The Steve mentioned is our Jack of all Trades – Master of None, but figures it all out! Problem with the heat, the dehumidifier, check on the place during closure, frozen water, mowing, raking, moving – call Steve!
If I have missed a name – I have not missed your efforts, just memory lapse on my part!
All of this has taken place because so many of you have donated money to this project – I just want you to know that your dollars have been well spent and St. J’s history shines bright.
For those of you who wonder what Peggy does—she directs traffic!
Happy Holidays to all.
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