L H Mason Building
As a follow-up from the last Nugget, in December, The Historical Society reached a final agreement with the City of Republic regarding the L.H. Mason property. Since this building is out of the scope of our ability to restore it, it has been transferred to the City of Republic in exchange for a 50-year lease at the present Whitaker-Fletcher Museum and eventually the present library building, for use as a permanent museum and visitor center. They will continue to offer rent- and utility-free occupancy as in the past and currently, and also continue to provide storage for much of our larger collection items.
It is the intent of the city to eventually remove the building to provide much-needed parking for that end of town. When this area is finished, there are plans to place several items of mining and farming equipment, from our collection, on the property for an outside display. This type of open, permanent display should be a real asset for visitors to our community.
The Ferry County Historical Society table in the Stonerose booth at the Spokane Outdoor Show Feb. 17-18.
The Ferry County Historical Society table in the Stonerose booth at the Spokane Outdoor Show Feb. 17-18.
Spokane Outdoor Show
The Ferry County Historical Society was represented at the Spokane Outdoor Show February 17th and 18th, sharing a booth with the Stonerose Fossils Interpretive Center under the Republic Regional Visitors and Convention Bureau’s “Ferry County” banner. The booth was located next to the Ferry County Rail Trail booth and those staffing the booths referred visitors to adjoining booths and shared information, resulting in over 1,000 people visiting the Stonerose/FCHS booth.
Annual Membership Meeting
Our Annual Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 26 at the Republic Brewing Company. A social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting at 6:30. We will bring you up to date on our past year and explain our plans for the future. We will also vote on members of the board, and as usual, we have an empty chair or two. If you would be interested in serving on the board and would like to help the historical society, consider putting your name in the hat. Light refreshments will be provided and of course, delicious beverages will be available from the brewery. Please put the date on your calendar, and we hope to see you this year.
Winterfest
The FCHS Museum was open for Winterfest from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on January 20th. It was also open, very briefly, the morning of January 13th before news of the event’s cancelation on account of sub-zero temperatures was widely distributed. There was one visitor the 13th and ten on the 20th. This is a contrast to last year’s Winterfest which was attended by 34 visitors who signed in and at least two who didn’t.
Conservation Fair
The FCHS has been invited to participate in this year’s Ferry County Conservation Month and the Ferry County Conservation Fair. The fair is scheduled for April 27th at the Ferry County Fairgrounds. The FCHS participation will consist of a booth featuring historic photographs, plus information on Ferry County’s history and museums. The FCHS museum across the street from the city park in Republic will be open to the public Sunday, April 28th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. This coincides with part of the Stonerose Fossil Center’s Membership weekend so a good crossover crowd is expected. Put the dates on your calendar and have a look at local history.
COVID Recovery Grant
FCHS was notified in early January that it was selected to receive a $5,000 award under the COVID Impacts Recovery Grant Program. FCHS was among 709 other organizations chosen to receive funds.
Volunteers Needed!
The FCHS museum across from Republic’s city park is staffed entirely by volunteers. In order to keep the FCHS museum open for the summer tourist season we need more volunteers!
For the past two years the museum has been staffed Friday through Monday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend Staffing is more efficient if volunteers commit to a particular day of the week or the month. We have one volunteer covering Mondays but everything else is wide open. Volunteers need not commit this much time, or weekly time. If several people would commit to a day or two a month our visitors would always find a welcome across from the park.
If you are interested in volunteering please contact Madilane Perry at (509) 775-2605.
Goodbyes
On a sad note, historical society member Carolyn Young Merritt passed away on August 22, 2023 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. Carolyn was raised on a cattle ranch on Fish Hatchery Road and graduated from Republic High School in 1964. She married fellow classmate Pat Merritt and they have made their home in Cle Elum for the past 55 years.
Additions to our Collection
Former resident Mary Ann Hesse-Hutton has donated three books written by Cherry Wilson to FCHS. Cherry Wilson was born in Philadelphia in 1893 and moved to Republic when she was 16. She became an American novelist, beginning her writing career by
writing “Cherry’s Corner” for The Journal Miner. She married a local rancher and used her experiences for her novels and stories. The books were gifted to Ann’s parents Bill and Louise Hesse by the author. Bill and Louise were both born and raised in Republic. Ann was also born and raised in Republic and her generous donation to our collection is greatly appreciated.
Membership Renewal Reminder
If you pay for your membership annually and haven’t yet this year, now is an excellent time to renew. Also, if you plan to attend the Annual Membership Meeting, your membership needs to be paid in order to vote.
