ORDER N0.29077 KERR COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION Came to be heard this the 14th day of March 2005 with a motion made by Commissioner Letz, seconded by Commissioner Baldwin. The Court unanimously approved by vote of 4-0-0 the officers, membership and budget for the year 2005-2006. E~2/3/2@~5 21 : E~8 13 ,':r`+~HITFUr_f~~rL. F'L~hd a + i ~g'MM,,,~~~~vE~aS' ~'~DU1~T AU-EIYitA ~Q~,T~ST ~~;CiE k~l ~~off? MADE BY _^WaYer Schclihase_~ OI;1riCS: ___Kerr County Histasical G~nttnidsian MEE7'YI.1G DA'i'JE: __141VLasc~ 2005 T.ti11~ rREFERI~LD: __,_9,30 AM ~_-~ SUBJECT: (PL1~45E BE SPECIFI~) Tn presrnt to the Caitrt the Annual rcxaR of the Ken' Gamty Hiatrariral ConuiFls~i~m fcx the yrarr ~ C~03 and~~. ~ rx~t>sl a~i true of tltis ret~ueat ak~g aritlti back ups matautl will be wpp4dd timely? F.XEC[T~'iti'E SESSiO*t RF.QI:~LST~D (PLBA51~ STATk REASUN) _~~NIA r~1~ or rs~~.sox wmaxeE:~s~~, r~~ Co[ntT: ____V~Talta- scridihaae__.-. - ~, EsT~aT~n LEx~arx of r1KlES>~i~r~riorl. ___~ Mi~r~ .._._.._._ llF rr~ol~L MA'i~ar~.p - ?I,kM~ dF EMl1.UYElt:: .__,~........,_.~_ .r .r.....~ Tune for subraittitlg this requ t fez Court to aasw~ that the matter is pnated in aocardance with Title 5, Gl~apter 551 and 552, Govert ~textt Code. is as ivllaws: Meetutg schedtyled fdr Mc3: 5:00 P.M. previaua 'Cuaeday, ~ra>is z~Qul~s~r >t~CrEr~~>a sY: All Agenda Rec{uests wit! be screerned the C~:utaty lud~e's Office to detc+ratine if adequtete informaticm has 4~en prepared fur the Court's formal e;+~nsi ration and ektion at time of Catrr; Meetings. Your eaOperatiCn wit be ap}sreriated avid corrtriixae towards yodr ro~quaat bei addrtsacd st the e~rlir~+t olfpoaxut~ity. Sae Agenda Request Rules Adoption by Comtr~isaiornrs' ~,~,~.(,t ---- (,~ 'j -~ ., ~; 2003/4 ANNiJAL REPORT KERR +CtJUNTY HISTfJRI~C~AL COMMISSION TO KERR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT March 14, 2005 2003/4 Annual Report Kerr County Historical Commission By charter the Historical Commission is to report annually to the Court on the following: Alernhership Letulersla ~~ .~t rtii~ities This report is being presented for the records of Kerr County on March 14, 2005. In that no reports were provided by 2003 chairman Joe Herring, Jr. and 2004 chairman Raye Haney, this report will cover both the 2003 & 2004. In addition to the required part of this report, a 2005 status report will update the Court on the current needs of the Commission and expected activities. Membership stands at 21. 15 of those are active members and 6 members in name only. The Commission meets the third Monday of each month at the Union Church Building at 11:45 AM. At the Annual General Membership meeting head in December 2004 the following individuals were elected directors for 2005: Ann Bethel Brenda Craig Haskell Fine Kathryn Mitchell William Rector, MD Rene Sherman Mindy Wendele Lea Bell Janey Crum Ray Haney Julius Neunhoffer Bryant Saner, Jr. Clarabelle Snodgrass Lew Williams Mike Bowlin Sue Dyke Wanda Henderson Paul Parks Walter Schellhase Lloyd Strange Gerald Witt From the newly elected directors the following officers were elected for the 2005-2006 term: Walter Schellhase Haskell Fine Ray Haney Lew Williams Committee assignments for 2003-2004 are as follows: Archives Markers Membership Oral History Publicity Union Church Building - Chairman - First Vice Chairman - Second Vice Chairman - Treasurer - Secretary Rene Sherman Clarabelle Snodgrass Paul parks Ann Bethel Lew Williams Julius Neunhoffer 2003/4 ACTIVITIES Markets During this reporting period (2003/4) the following Texas Historical Markers have been approved, were dedicated or were erected: Schumacher Crossing -Dedication was held in December 2003 on a bright sun shinning day. In attendance were five oi~cers of the Texas Historical Commission from Austin. State Representative Harvey Hilderbran and Kerr County Commissioner were also present. Dan Wtley, coordinator of the Marker Program of the Texas Historical Commission, was present. Mr. Wtley afterwards wrote a letter complimenting the KCHC on the program and expressing the appreciation of the THC officials in attendance. Fast United Methodist Church -Dedication was held in November 2004 with at least 20 individuals in attendance that were early members or whose parents were earlier members. An interesting feature was that Curg Starkey unveiled the marker in honor of his great grandmother Mrs. J.M. Starkey. Mrs. Starkey helped raise funds to build the Union Church Building in 1885 Hunt, Texas -The Hunt Marker is in place and plans are being made for a public dedication on April 6, 2005. The following Texas Historical Marker applications are being processed: Divide School in Mountain Home is waiting the approval of the final inscription. Lions Camp in Kerrville has received final inscription and dedication will most likely will be in Aug 2005. La Hacienda in Hunt Texas, waiting return of application. Guthrie Building in Kerrville, waiting return of application. Kerrville Times in Kerrville, waiting return of application. Page House in Kerrville, waiting return of application. Kerr County now has 60 sites and structures that have been designated as historical and have markers an them.. There are many other buildings and sites that should be so designated. However, to have a Texas Historical Marker placed on a site or structure rewires an enormous amount of time to do the research, collect photos, and document the application. In addition, the owner must pay the cost of the marker, which runs about $1,200 to $1,500. Union Church Building Restorations The restoration and preservation of the Union Church Building has been completed. The dedication took place on December 24, 2002 at around 3:00 PM - 118 years from the date of the original dedication, which took place on Christmas Eave in the year 1884. The keys were turned over to the County Judge Fred Henneke during the dedication. The four churches that originally occupied the building were represented by the current pastors of those churches and took part in the dedication. This is a project that had been in the works for over five years. Hundreds of people participated in this endeavor. A little over $200,000 was raised for this restoration project. Numerous fund raising projects were undertaken during these 5 years. Projects included: letter writing campaigns, grant applications, historical calendars, collectors plate, yard sales and individual solicitations. The I~istorical Commission thanks the Court for all the assistance provided over the past five years. Taking ownership in the building, negotiating the land lease with Schreiner University, and the financial assistance has all been a major part of this project. In addition, the Commission thanks the City of Kerrville for the assistance provided from the funding of the HoteUMotel tax, the permitting department, building inspection department and for all the cooperation they have provided. This building will be a great asset to the community. The cooperation of Schreiner University made it possible for the project to move forward. With an auditorium type seating of 110 and a workshop seating of 40-60, this structure is being used for meetings, weddings, and other community celebrations. Management of the Union Church Building A management agreement was proposed to the Count for the care of the Union Church Building. Under this agreement, management was turned over to the same entity that manages the Kerr County Youth Exhibition Center. This oiFice is handling all reservations for use of the building. The Ken County Historical Commission and the Friends of the KCHC meet in the building on the third and second Monday of each month respectively. Sesquicentennial Celebration The 150a' anniversary of the founding of Kerr County will be in Apri12006. At the request of the Court, the Commission prepared a draft celebration program and a budget to support the program. Also, a sequence of events that could take place during the four day celebration along with some general philosophy that was discussed during the preparation of this program. A list of all living individuals that participated in the 100'f' celebration was prepared along with a list of spouses of those individuals that are still living. It was recommended that these individuals serve as Honorary Committee members and advisory group. Commissioner Williams and Walter Schellhase to determine the interest in their participation in this celebration held one meeting with the director of Kerr Arts and Craft Fair. Collectors Plate As part of the fund raising for the Union Church Building, the Commission is had 150 numbered commemorative collectors plates designed and manufactured. Each plate has a picture of the Union Church Building, as restored, surrounded by a picture of the original four churches that occupied the building. On the back of the plate is a short description of the history of the Building. These plates were offered for sale at the dedication ceremony on Christmas Eve 2002. The plate's sell for $35.00 each. GPS Location of Markers The GPS location of all markers in the county has been an on going project of the Texas I~istorical Commission. This project was started in 2003 with the help of John & Rosa Lavender. To date approximately 60% of the markers have been established with GPS location. GPS Location of County Cemeteries The Texas Historical Commission has a new program to locate all cemeteries in the county with GPS location and a map showing same. Several years ago Gerald Witt, a member of the Commission, prepared a county map showing all the wmmentaries in the county. John & Rosa Lavender have volunteered to establish the GPS location of these cemeteries at the same time they do the marker location. This is an on going project. Calendar 2003/4 Asa major fund raising effort for the work on the Union Church Building, the Friends of the KCHC produced the 2003 and 2004 Historical calendar. The calendars were distributed throughout the community fora $10.00 donation. As you know, the Friends area 501 (c) 3 corporation. Therefore, all funds go through the Friends account and are applied to the restoration of the Union Church Building. Oral History As of the end of 2004 there are 37 oral histories completed and 10 remaining to be completed. Interviews on these 10 have been done but family documents and pictures are still being gathered and scanned. Many needing to be interviewed during 2003/2004 have passed away without their important part of Kerr County History being recorded. Once the histories already taken have been completed, a decision will be made whether to continue this time-consuming project. After conducting the interviews and recording on cassette tape, it was decided to transfer all these to CD format in order to keep up with current technology. At this point, all the histories were, standardized in format and burned into a CD, 4 copies each (total 148). The Library has requested 2 CD copies as well as a printed copy of each history in notebook form (for those patrons who do not have computers). They will also receive a copy of the original audiocassette, which will be available for library patrons who wish to listen to the interviews. Two CDs, as well as the original audio and videocassettes will be retained by KCHC. One CD copy will be stored in the KCHC office in the basement at the Courthouse and the other backup copy will be retained with the Oral History Committee. A great deal of thanks is owed to Ann Bethel for all of the time consuming work required to support this program. Discussions are taking place with the library as to where the Historical Commission fits into the restored History Library. At present the Oral History Committee occupies most of the small building behind the Kerr Regional History Center. The building provides space for conducting and taping oral interviews, small meetings, office space and our computer setup. However, the building does need heat and air conditioning and since last year when water damaged the downstairs, all the sheetrock has been removed from the walls and ceiling interview room, so it's not the ideal interview situation for future interviews -too hot in the summer except for early morning and too cold all winter Historical Marker Location Brochure The Marker Brochure was updated with the location of all markers in the county in 2002. During this reporting period there have been several new markers approved and erected. The Commission will continue to update this brochure. When the current supply is expended another update wilt be printed. The majority of the 5,000 plus copies printed were given to CVB for distribution. Additional copies were placed around town in visitor locations. Archives The Commission Archives Room is still located in a small room in the basement of the Courthouse. To date there are thousands of pieces of Kerr County history located in this small room. However, they are not available to the public due to the location and size of the room. Many improvements and additional space is needed in this area. During the 2005 time frame, it is hoped that some of this work can be accomplished. Courthouse Display Cabinet Rene Sherman and her Archives Committee maintain the display cabinets in the Courthouse. Should there be any particular subject for displays the court would like to see in the cabinets, let the Commission know. These cabinets are for your use as well as the Commissions. Budget The 2002-2003 budget from the Commissioners' Court was $ 2,500.00. These funds were spent as follows Union Church $ 1,565.00 Oral History 280.00 Archives 70.00 Establish Web Site 265.00 Plaques & Awards 300.00 The 2003-2004 budget from the Commissioners' Court was $ 2,500.00. These funds were spent as follows: Archives $ 100.00 Oral History 280.00 Award Plaques, Flags 335.00 Union Church Bldg 1,615.00 The 2004-2005 budget from the Commissioners' Court is $ 3,500.00. These funds have been allocated to the following activities: Archives $ 200.00 Oral History 700.00 Computer Upgrade 1,500.00 Photo Project 300.00 Union Church Building Project 550.00 Supplies 150.00 Postage 100.00 Web Site A web site has been activated for the Kerr County Historical Commission - www.kerrcohistory.org. This site was developed by volunteers and headed up by Lloyd Strange. Most of the Commissions' projects are listed. The site has links to the CVB, Library, County and City. Publicity There have been numerous articles printed in the Daily Times over the past two years on activities of the Commission and its members. The activities dealing with the Union Church Building drawing most of the attention from the steeple raising to the official opening. Other coverage included the marker program, the commerative plate project, historical calendars and the historical marker brochure. 2005 PROJECTS Union Church Building There are several projects at the Union Church Building that need to be addressed. These are: 1. The sound system needs to be added to so it will meet today's needs for the playing of DVDs, CDs, and VCRs. 2. The sign over the front entrance "UNION CHURCH BUILDING" needs to be installed. 3. Now that the work on Memorial Blvd., Travis and Water Street are completed, the Commission is working with the Master Gardner's Club to develop a drive, parking, fencing design and landscaping plan for the front of the building. This plan will come before the Court and Schreiner University for approval. Once an approved plan has been developed, Friends of the KCHC will start a fund raising campaign to support the project. GPS Location of County Markers & Cemeteries This is an on going project and will continue during the 2005 calendar year. John and Rosa Lavender are still handling the project. Sesquicentennial Celebration Planning The Commission will do the planning and preparation for the projects to be executed by the KCHC as outlined in the draft document provided to the Court for the Sesquicernennial Celebration. These projects are alt directly related to the Kerr County history. Photo Project The Commission has been working with the local Camera Club to take a series of picture of current structures within the City to document what Kerr County 2005 was tike. The plan to use this photo collection is to show current and historical pictures of the same sites and to establish a historical collection. Oral History The oral history projects will continue with the transfer of the completed oral histories to CDs. The Commission will continue working with the library to house and displays the valuable historical items of Kerr County. This project required the upgrading of our computer system and the purchase of additional supplies. Historical Marker Location Brochure Oversight or the existing brochure will be closely monitored to assure there is enough quantity in the community to support the demand. When additional brochures are needed the Commission will update the data on the brochure and reorder. Web Site The web site will continue to be maintained and updated as required. Calendar 2005 Due to the lack of sales of the pervious years calendars and the fact that several local business are now providing historical pictured calendars free, the Commission will not sponsor a calendar in 2005. Membership The Commission still has a continuing need for individual members in the Commission. There are numerous projects that can be undertaken with members that are willing to actively participate. Over the past several years the Commission has had a number of individuals indicate a wiliness to be on the Commission but did not want to do any work. An active Commission needs willing workers. The Commission recommends that the Commissioners' appoint individuals from their precinct to serve on the Commission. Kerr County History Update There are two significant places where Ken County I-Iistory is recorded. The Kerr County Photo Album, published by the Kerr County Historical Commission, and the two books on Kerr County History, Kerr County Texas 1856-1956 by Bob Bennett and Kerr County Texas 1856-1976 by Clara Watkins. Both of these sources need to be updated. Initial discussions have taken place by the Commission to determine how this should be done. Friends Board of Directors is also working on this project. Kerr County Historical Video and Slide Presentation Plans have been initiated to develop a 20-30 minute video of Ken Coucrty t-Tistory. Rosa Lavender, former reporter for the Daily Times, the local TV station and the High School visual aids department, has offered assistance in this project. This is along-standing project for the Commission and will be part of the 2005 program. Historical Markers The KCHC will continue to process applications for THC Markers and seek out building and subjects that should be so designated. Archive's Future The Commission will explores, with library staff, the possibility of using the second floor of the Kerr Regional History Center. Although this area is unfinished, it is heated and air- conditioned. At present, all of the Kerr County Historical archives are still stored in the small room in the basement of the courthouse. The second floor of the KRHC would be ideal for the archives now stored in the courthouse basement. Working in the basement is very undesirable at its best and the public has no access to any of these valuable documents and items. The Commission has real concern for the safety of the Oral History cassette tapes and videos that are now stored in the back building along with of the computer equipment. Having all of the Oral History, computers, and archives in the History Center would be a real opportunity to make this history available to the public and be safe. Publicity There will be a continue effort to bring to the public's attention the activities of the Commission and it's members.