Marlow Historical Society Minutes - October 2010

 

Executive Board Meeting

Marlow Historical Society

October 7, 2010

                        Maria Baril, Mary Blank, Johanna Kent, Gen Ells, and Loisanne Foster were present. The Secretary’s Report was given and approved with two dates corrected. The Treasurer’s Report was given and discussed. Our current total is $3815.14.

Old Business

            Loisanne will meet at the Museum with the local Girl Scouts and their leader, Simone Perry, on Monday evening, Oct. 18 to give them a tour.

            We again discussed the prospects of installing a new fence by the Pond as much as possible like the historic fence presently rotting away there. The fence consists of 24 sixteen foot sections. Our lowest of three estimates for restoration is $10,000. We discussed the idea of a petitioned Warrant Article at the next town meeting asking for the cost of materials and, in the meantime, asking sixteen local builders to do a section each. All that MHS has done in the way of conservation and restoration up until now has been by private donation, but now we need help. We voted unanimously to submit a petitioned Warrant Article for the fence restoration in the spring of 2011. We will be seeking signatures right after Christmas.

            We discussed an application for a Preservation Alliance Grant for Murray Hall. These grants are matching grants. We think we can reasonably raise $5000. (We have in the last decade raised between $25,000 and $30,000 for restoration purposes.)

            We must fulfill our promise to take our turn as a historical society to submit a Marlow photograph for the “Then and Now” feature of the Keene Sentinel.  Maria Baril is taking the project in hand. Mary has pictures of her house which was the Amos Fiske Store. Gen Ells has photos of the Whittemore place, her home.

New Business

            We determined to restore the double doors to the front of Murray Hall (The Grange). Brian Galleon’s quotation for a double door restoration installation for these front doors is $2,250 to $3,000. The charge is $45.00 an hour, including research and labor. We decided this is beyond our present budget. Al Blank is willing to do it for the cost of materials and hardware which will cost between $850 and $950. There will be no charge for the labor. We decided to accept his generous offer.

            Mary asked if it is acceptable to use cast iron replicas for the surface bolts for these doors, available on eBay for $75.00. We agreed that would be find. Originals would be scarce indeed. The frosted glass is a problem. How can we procure glass like the original (now broken) panes?  We will check with Architectural Antiques, Vermont Salvage, and a place in Holyoke, MA.

            We decided to put the $300.00 we earned on the sale of the school cabinet from School House #4 into the Murray Hall (Grange) Restoration Fund.

            We will sponsor another used book sale on Sunday, the 10th, of Columbus Day weekend. Mary will be in charge.

            Christmas on the Pond will be November 20th from 9:00 am to 3:00

pm. We will set up for our booth on Friday, the night before and be in place by 8:30 am on Saturday. We reviewed our inventory and decided what to order for our booth. We plan to have a new card and will ask for permission to use prints of David McClanahan’s Christmas photograph of Marlow.

            Our Christmas Program for our Jones Hall contribution of Marlow’s holiday celebration will be Marek Bennett’s Band, Big Paws from 4:00 - 5:15 pm. The cost will be $200.00.  From donations among ourselves, we have the cost nearly covered. We plan to insert a little extra fun with old “Marlow ads”.

Respectfully submitted,

Loisanne Foster