Where do we go from here?

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1 Newsletter RCHS, July 2013 Page 1 Rankin County Historical Society Post Office Box 841 Brandon, Mississippi RCHSInc@aol.com news@rankinhistory.org Where do we go from here? A visit to the Oktibbeha Heritage Museum in Starkville was made in May by all members of the RCHS board. Cindy Gardner with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History suggested that our board visit the Heritage Museum to see what they have accomplished with their museum; their collection and purpose is very similar to our holdings. Members of their board during the time of improving (or revitalizing) their museum greeted us, discussed the way their organization is set up, and answered countless questions. The RCHS board returned home inspired and ready to make a new beginning. A special planning meeting was held in June (June 7, 2013 minutes on website). Planning Meeting of Board Visiting the Oktibbeha Heritage Museum was -- to use a trite expression -- a real eye- Combined meeting set Stories from the Great Depression is the topic chosen by James Gould, speaker for the next combined meeting of the Rankin County Historical Society and the Brandon Genealogical and Historical Society. The two groups will meet Tuesday, July 23, at 7:00 P.M. at the Brandon Public Library. James is a member-at-large on the board of directors of RCHS. Born in Attala County, James spent his early years during the Depression on a farm in Scott County. After moving to Kosciusko the family continued to work the farm on weekends. After graduating from Kosciusko High School he attended Mississippi State University earning a degree in Electrical Engineering. After 38 years of service with Mississippi Power (Continued on page 2) JULY 2013 opener. As you enter their museum you see their Miss America display -- we have a Miss America; they have Confederate uniforms and relics -- we have that; they have farm equipment -- we have farm tools; you get the idea. Their museum, a former railroad station, once served another pur- (Continued on page 2) Special Invitation The board of directors has a special invitation for you. While plans for the next few years are being made, the board is meeting each month. The next meeting is July 19th. If anyone would like to express their interest in our plans, please contact Anne Vanderleest at The input of the membership is very important to us, and everyone can always use fresh ideas.

2 Where do we go... RCHS and BGHS meetings (Continued from page 1) pose as did the home and local store that comprise our museum. During this June 7 meeting, many topics concerning the museum facilities were discussed. An agreement was reached on five items we hope to accomplish for our society and its museum before the end of the present term of office for this board of directors. 1. Complete an accurate inventory. 2. Update the displays. 3. Paint the exterior and repair the ramps. 4. Make the city, county and community more aware of our mission and make known that the organization needs participation as well as financial support. 5. Grow our membership and extend its involvement and support. Goals Set in 2011 The board of RCHS in office during 2011 held a special planning meeting on June 3 (minutes on website). During that meeting the mission and goals of our organization were discussed and set to guide the board in fulfilling the mission of the society. At that time there were three very important goals we wanted to be able to achieve: digitalization, new roofs for the museum buildings, and more community involvement. The board hopes that you will agree that the society has made giant steps toward these goals. With the help of friends and volunteers we have digitized many of our records and it is an on-going project; we will continue to build and maintain an attractive and informative website. New roofs have been installed on both museum buildings. The community has become more aware of our organization through the Heritage Day programs sponsored by RCHS and the Brandon Public Library and the Munch on History series; both well attended and enjoyed by all from the comments we have received. (Continued from page 1) and Light Company and 12 years as an electrical consultant James has now fully retired to enjoy hunting, fishing, and traveling to visit his children and grandchildren. James and his wife Katherine Cain of Vicksburg are the parents of three children, one deceased, If you have missed the meetings held with the RCHS and the Brandon Genealogical and Historical Society combining our groups, you have really missed some great meetings. In January Bill Gatlin, architectural historian with the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, discussed the various divisions of MDAH and the focus of each group. In March John McNeal, an attorney with a special interest in the Civil War in Mississippi, led a lively discussion of Brandon's role in the war. Our scheduled speaker for May was forced to cancel at the last minute; Dan Fairly, BGHS president, stepped in with stories of his family and shared family treasures with the membership. Delightful. Join us. And bring a friend! Combined meeting... and they have three grandchildren. James is a member of the First Baptist Church of Fannin where he teaches Sunday School and Bible classes. He is also a member of the Exchange Club of North Jackson, the Pelahatchie Bay coffee club and Rankin County Historical Society. RCHS, July 2013, Page 2

3 A tribute... "Cherokee Roots, Volume 1, Eastern Cherokee Rolls", by Catherine Bible Hill Catherine Bible Hill was a founding member of the Rankin County Historical Society and her support of the organization was untiring. She assisted in the writing of the society's two volumes of Rankin County History and was one of the writers of a weekly newspaper column entitled "The Searchlight". "The Searchlight" recalled many stories of Rankin County history, plus interesting bits about our pioneer families. Mrs. Hill was a force in the building and staffing of our museum and was also active in starting the Brandon Public Library. Mrs. Hill died in April of 2012 at the age of 101. As a very small thank you, the Rankin County Historical Society is placing books in the Genealogy Room of the Brandon Library as a memorial to Catherine Hill. These books will be excellent resources in future years as researchers visit and use our collection. Books being given in memory of Catherine Bible Hill are: "Ina Greenwood: Or, Life Mysteries and Other Poems" by Virginia Frantz; "Dawes Roll 'Plus' of Cherokee Nation 1898", by Bob Blankenship; RCHS, July 2013 Page 3 Bob Blankenship; "Cherokee Roots, Volume 2, Western Cherokee Rolls", by Bob Blankenship. Members pay it forward with service Mary Lou Ayers, who has inventoried and photographed so many Rankin County cemeteries has been making posts to the "Find A Grave" website. If you are not familiar with this website, it lists over 400,000 cemeteries in 200 different countries. It is fast becoming the go-to site to look for dates of birth and death. Dedicated people go out to visit these graves and record the information on the stones with a picture. Mary Lou who serves as a member at large on the RCHS board of directors is adding the phrase "on behalf of the Rankin County Historical Society" to her "Find A Grave" postings. Ron Thornton, treasurer, also posts to this site as does Paul Marsh who is a member of the genealogy club at Brandon Library. If there are others who help with this service, please let us know. Field trip is planned Arrangements have been made for a visit to two Rankin County places of interest -- Mississippi State Hospital Museum and the Florence Heritage House. This trip will be open to members of the society and their friends who want to join us on Thursday, September 19. We will car pool from the Brandon Library at 9:30, going first to the State Hospital. This tour will be about two hours in length as it includes a tour of the grounds, allowing us to see what was and what is, according to Donna Brown, curator. Lunch in their cafeteria will be available if we choose. The hospital furnishes transportation around the facility so we will need an approximate number of those planning to attend and to eat in the cafeteria. If you plan to visit the hospital and have lunch, please call Paul Davis at , or send an to him at polywog1@comcast.net by Tuesday, Sept. 17. Officers of Rankin County Historical Society Anne Vanderleest, President, jetplex@bellsouth.net Paul Davis, Vice President, polywog1@comcast.net Joan Singletary, Secretary and Editor of Newsletter, news@rankinhistory.org James Gould, Member at Large, Post I, powereng36@hotmail.com Mary Lou Ayers, Member at Large, Post II, marylou_ayers@yahoo.com Mel Corley, Past President, corley650@aol.com RCHSInc@aol.com

4 Preserving our past Continuing with the Rankin County Historical Society mission to preserve the history of Rankin County, two volunteers from the RCHS have completed the photographing of ledgers of the Shiloh United Methodist Church Museum. The 12 ledgers photographed date up to 1942 and contain information on members, pastors, births, deaths, and marriages. Books of sermon notes, deacons' meetings as well as purchases for the church and donations made to other Methodist churches in the area are included in the material copied. Harry Black and Ron Thornton, with the help of Gay and Fay Nobles, curators of the Museum, were able to complete the scanning of the materials begun by RCHS in Tell us what you think The materials held at the Shiloh United Methodist Church Museum date back to the early days of the church and campgrounds. A copy of these digitized materials will be given to the church and museum for their archives. Brandon Store Records Special thanks are going out to Martha Wallace, a member of Rankin County Historical Society, who lives in Sunnyvale, California. Martha is working on a ledger from a Brandon store dated from The owner of the store has not yet been identified, but the ledger is full of names of Brandon's early settlers. Martha was very pleased to find her great-greatgreat grandfather, Wiley Brown, making purchases at the store. As a book or ledger is photographed the computer automatically names each image; once Harry completes the digitalization, the images must be renamed by page number. This is the work that Martha is doing for the society via the web. If you can use a computer and would like to join the fun, call Joan Singletary at There is plenty of work to share and you will be helping preserve the history of Rankin County and your ancestors. This just in: Anne Stratton, will return to Brandon this fall, and once again will be presenting her very popular Antiques Showcase Want to visit RCHS museum? If you have visited our website lately, rankinhistory.org, you will notice something new on our home page. In order to better serve the needs of our site visitors, a short survey has been added to determine their needs and their comments on the site. We are asking that RCHS members not take the survey more than once. Until further work is completed on the RCHS Museum, we will continue to open it by appointment only. If you wish to tour the museum or know someone who wants to visit, please call one of these board members and set a time: Anne, ; Joan, ; Paul, ; or James, Dates to Remember July 23: RCHS/BGHS meeting 7:00 P.M. at Brandon Library. September 19: Field Trip September 24: RCHS/BGHS meeting 7:00 P.M. Courthouse Annex April 26, 2014: Heritage Day October 26 Tentative time for Antique Showcase with Anne Stratton RCHS, July 2013, Page 4

5 Heritage Day 2013 Enjoy these shots from Heritage Day. This year was a great success with over 1,000 people attending. This year s program was bigger and better than last year with more craftsmen and more participants. RCHS, July 2013 Page 5

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