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PUB PARTY
LETTER
FROM THE PRESIDENT
Dear SDHS Members,
It is truly a sign of the end of Winter. The March meeting held at
the High School was well attended. We had approximately 60 people
join us for the presentation on Cora Bliss Taylor. On Saturday, the
Annual St Patrick's Day Pub Party was held at Coral Gables. We had a
very good turn out on such a beautiful day. 147 members and friends
joined us for dinner, a silent auction, live auction, 50/50 raffle
and of course the trip to Las Vegas raffle. Everyone had a chance to
get reacquainted after a long winter.
A special note of thanks and gratitude to the following people who
worked together this year to make the Pub Party a success. Nancy
Woods, Bill Hess, Ken Carls, Fred Schmidt, Janet Ryskamp, Elizabeth
Bordenave, Mike Johnson and Theresa Lee of Coral Gables, Larry Van
Liere of Pathfinders Travel, Ron Elmore of Open Door Music in
Saugatuck, Jack Sheridan and Bob Berger. All the volunteers who
worked during the party with, setup, decorating, selling tickets,
handing out name badges, directing traffic. An additional thank you
to Judy Mauger and Dottie Lyon for offering guidance and incite on
the what was done in the past.
We are pleased to announce that the Old School House will be open by
April 10th. We have not been able to use the building
without an occupancy permit. Now we are not able to use the building
during the installation of the elevator. In order to regain
occupancy, we needed to complete the elevator installation and some
work in the lower level to bring the building up to code. An
inspection will be conducted in about two weeks. Next step is to get
the doors open for our members and visitors and to work on ways to
get the work paid off. We will continue to work to raise funds to
finish the lower level. We are pleased that the building will be
open for use and we can continue to move forward.
It has taken almost a full year for the new board to review,
reinstate polices, projects and programs of the Society. We have a
clearer picture of what is being done and what areas need volunteers
to pick up and carry on. The Board chose to continue this work
through the winter months so that we can keep the momentum going in
the right direction. Many volunteers have continued working on the
projects in their areas of interest and we thank them for the
continued dedication and success. We also welcome our new members
and those who wish to become more involved to work together to bring
our mission and goals to the community. This will be an exciting
year.
I am going to put out the first request for volunteers. It is for
the Pub Party. I am not asking for any one person to manage the
program, but rather to enlist all who would be interested to sign up
so that we can have another great party next year. This is a key
event for the community and the Society.
One last thing, as this is getting a bit lengthy. We need your
continued support both as volunteers and financially. It is a time
of much economic uncertainty, but we have always come together to
make it work. Let's continue to be the example and show what a group
of dedicated individuals can accomplish with a common goal.
Thank you all.
Best regards, Kathy Sturm, President
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
●
Wed., April 8, 7 PM, 2009
Heritage Preservation Awards, All Saints' Episcopal Church
●
Wed., May 13, 7 PM, Society Annual Meeting, location to be
announced.
OSH/DC MOVES AHEAD DESPITE WINTER
While winter naturally diverts our focus to things like holidays,
family gatherings, indoor projects or snowbird vacations, the Old
School House Discovery Center has quietly moved ahead toward a
spring opening, now targeting April 10.
Dangerously weak and dying trees were culled in the first step
toward landscaping the 1.16-acre School House grounds for our
planned "Back-In-Time" Pathway, which will wind through the site
offering six "learning stations" with educational plaques telling
about our area's environment and ecology, its maritime and agrarian
history, and its architectural heritage.
Operating elements of the elevator were installed, with completion
scheduled for late March.
Drywalling was completed in the lower level, advancing the build-out
of spaces to house our Tech Center -- now renamed Historical
Archives Digital (HAD) Lab -- plus archive storage, oral-history
studio and "Skills Learning Center" where people can learn about
archiving, digital imaging, historical research and museum
management.
Backgrounding sessions initiated development of the Center's first
exhibit on "Summertime Fun", a project jointly conceived by
Saugatuck Middle School 6th grade language arts teacher Wendy Colsen
and Historical Society Museum chair Dr. James Schmiechen, for which
the students will plan, design, research and produce displays that
tell stories about how, when and why various kinds of summer
recreation have become so vital to our area.
The students' exhibit will expand upon and add a different
perspective to the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Museum's major
exhibit for 2009, "100 Years of Summertime and Fun", focusing on art
and artifacts documenting the history of leisure and summer life
here.
While opening the Discovery Center this spring is a major
achievement for which those who supported it can be proud, it does
not signal "Mission Accomplished". Finishing the Old School House
revitalization remains our Society's top priority and much remains
to be done, so fundraising must continue pursuing the goal of
fulfilling this project's budget. We have recently received matching
grants that cannot be maximized without an equal amount in new
donations. Members who have not yet contributed toward the earliest
possible completion of this distinctive community asset are urged to
do so now. We need your help, and hope to be able to demonstrate
100% participation. Donations may be sent to The Old School House
Project, Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society, PO Box 617, Douglas,
MI 49406.
NOMINATING COMMITTE REPORT
The ballots for the annual election for the Society board will be
mailed to the membership at the beginning of April. This year, we
have two current Members at Large open on the board and a vacancy
for President, Kathryn Sturm. A Nominating Committee was appointed
in February consisting of both current board members and
representatives from the general membership. We presented our
recommended slate for this year's election to the Board at the
February meeting. We are now sharing with the full membership as we
are required to do. At this time, if any member has a suggestion of
a person they would like to put into nomination, you may do so by
either sending an e-mail to me at:
jon@ibctv.info, or by phone:
269.857.3574, or by mail: 3522 64th Street, Saugatuck, MI 49453.
Ballots will be sent out on April 1 for return by April 20 for
tabulation. The new board members will be formally sworn in at the
May Annual General Membership meeting on Wednesday, May 13. This
notice in the newsletter will be received by the full membership and
not just to those in attendance at the monthly meeting as has been
done in the past. We welcome your input on this important matter.
Following is the Nominating Committee's recommend slate for the open
board positions in the April election - all terms are for two-years:
|
President |
Harold Thieda |
|
Treasurer |
Stacy Honson, current Treasurer* |
|
Member at Large |
Ken Carls, current Member at Large* |
|
Member at Large |
Tony Vettori, Saugatuck City council member and former mayor |
|
Member at Large |
James Cook, Saugatuck Township resident and noted photographer |
| * currently serving a one-year
term |
Thank you for your attention to the upcoming elections.
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WHAT YOU MISSED
Wednesday, March 11, 2009 Society Meeting
President Kathy Sturm called the meeting to order at 7:09 p.m.,
congratulated all for locating parking spaces amidst the mass of
basketball fans and shared the following announcements:
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Over 100 tickets have been sold for the Annual Pub Party,
Saturday, March 14 6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Fred Schmidt still has raffle
and pub tickets available.
●
All indications are that after elevator installation
inspections, the occupancy permit for the Old School House should be
reinstated and the building open for use in early April.
●
RENEW REINSTATE REJUVENATE! Veterans and new
volunteers are encouraged to respond, to take over more roles and to
expand the Society's goals. Spread the word to all interested in
making the 2010 Pub Party a success. Now is the time to enlist for
auction gifts, decorating, tickets and advertising. Continue as
positive community examples by supporting the Society financially as
well as volunteers.
Artist, Cora Bliss Taylor, 1927
Jane Underwood related her memories plus biographical background on
Cora Bliss Taylor (1889-1986) and introduced Nancy Beebee, fine arts
appraiser, art historian and featured speaker. Nancy explained that
Cora Bliss Taylor’s formal training began at age 11, continued under
the best artists, how she opened her studio in Saugatuck, loved
working with young children, inspired her students (including Jane,
Nancy and many in attendance), spoke to audiences often, exhibited
everywhere from Saugatuck to Chicago to the world's fair and that
her legacy is prolific. Nancy was very articulate in demonstrating
through the varied art samples brought in by members the whimsical,
pastoral, geometric and emotional diversity of each piece of art and
urged everyone to place known information in an envelope on the back
of each painting for posterity.
Jane Osman
NAVY IN SAUGATUCK
Commercial Record, August 17, 1956
Click on image for a higher resolution copy
The door panel shown above from the Watt's Cottage in Shorewood is
one of most interesting and unusual "historical records" we have
seen and will make a striking addition to the 2009
"Summertime" Museum Exhibition. There is a good deal of
family and community information here, but one piece that stands out
is the little drawing and notation: "Naval Invasion" an event we
know very little about and its happening was suggested by the
attached Commercial Record article at the beginning of this story.
Thanks to the Watt family. Jim Schmiechen
SDHS 101 IS BACK AGAIN
SATURDAY, APRIL 25,
10:00AM OSHDC
After a break of several
years, the society hosted a "SDHS 101" session last
fall at the Old School House Discovery Center. The response was
great, and now there are plans for four sessions to be held this
year, with the first one planned for Saturday, April 22nd.
New members and former
members who are interested in learning about the organization and
its history, as well as opportunities for volunteering, are invited
to attend. The meeting will include an informational session at
10:00 a.m. at the OSHDC and then a trip to the Museum to take a peak
at the new "Super Map."
Anyone interested in
attending should contact Nyla Hensley by calling 269-857-5704 or
emailing
noteablenyla@yahoo.com. If you are unable to
participate in this session, additional meetings are planned for
June 27, August 22, and October 24. Come with your curiosity and
talents to see how you can contribute to our great organization!
HISTORIC SAUGATUCK CHAIR NOW IN
CONNECTICUT
The other day, Bob Erickson
of Cheshire, CT was looking on the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical
Society “Photo Blog”. Imagine his surprise when he recognized a
chair that has been in his family for most of the last century!
There it was, this wicker
"photographer bench" in a circa 1899 photo of Saugatuck lighthouse
keeper Charles Baker and his wife. The photographer was identified
as "Baker - Saugatuck, Mich." A little historical sleuthing in the
Commercial Record revealed that photographer William Baker opened
for business on April 20, 1899, in Miller Robinson’s building, on
the southwest Corner of the Saugatuck town square. He returned in
1905 to take photos over the summer season, again in Robinson's
building. As the chair also appears in a 1901 baby photo of Bob's
Uncle Douglass Bryan, I assume that it may have been a part of the
Robinson studio furnishings at that time.
Mr. & Mrs. George Baker ca1899
1899 Commercial Record Ad
Bob writes: "That
Photographer's Bench (now in our condo) I believe was (later) in the
Simonson Photo Studio. I remember the studio being along the north
side of Culver Street running east from the Town Hall to the
building that housed the Town Garage. My dad's welding shop (A.G.E
Weld & Repair) was just around that corner. (Note: Bob's parents
were George and Lillian (Bryan) Erickson of Saugatuck. In the summer
of 1906, Herman Simonson finished his training at the Illinois
College of Photography and opened his studio in July. The building
Bob describes has more recently been home of "The Loaf and Mug".)
"I believe that Simonson was
an nth cousin to my grandmother Ellen Serena (Olsen) Bryan. When
that photography style went out of favor, the bench ended up in the
Bryan's Rosemont Resort. As a boy, I vaguely remember it sitting in
the parlor. After my grandmother's death, my aunt Nellie (Bryan) Howlett
claimed it. It came to my parents when Nellie moved in with them,
and to us when I sold Lillian's Saugatuck residence at 331 Grand St.
The Bench is in remarkably good shape. We brought it here in 1986
with a few other pieces of furniture."
The "Photographer Bench" Today
Saugatuck folks may move
away, but they carry their memories along with them, and sometimes a
grand old chair.
Browse through the Society's "Photo Blog" yourself. Go to the
Society's web site
and click on
Image Blog.
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