Lyme Historians
Lyme Center Academy Building
Minutes of July 20, 2008
Present: Bill Murphy, Adair Mulligan, Jane Fant, Sallie Ramsden, Carola Lea, Laurie Wadsworth, Marcia Armstrong.
Minutes approved.
Treasurer’s Report approved.
Jane mentioned that we’d received $150 in memory of Jasper and Jeanette Day, perhaps to be used for a new swing set.
Tour of the Common
Date: Sat. Oct 4, rain date Oct. 5, 1:00-3:00pm
Guide: Simon is approaching the Lyme Foundation for $1,200 for the Walking Tour Guide. Adair says the Guide will include an architectural description of each house. It will be about 42 pages and will have pictures and a map.
Details: There will also be a guide at each house. He/she will be in period dress
Details: Tour will be self-directed. It will be of the exterior of several houses on the common, as well as (we hope) the interior of the Hamilton House, the Church and horsesheds, and the first floor of the Wadsworths’ house. The houses being considered with potential guides are Dowds’ Inn (guide Tami Dowd), Country Store (Tony Pippin), Church and Horsesheds (Bill Murphy), Stella’s/Nichols (Scott Nichols), Chaffee/Alanson/Grant (Shannon Munger); Claflin/Greenwood (Tracy Flickinger), Hamilton/Converse/ Greenleaf (Tony or Catherine Greenleaf--friends of Steve and Carol Alden), Alden/Lyme Inn (Adair Mulligan), Conant/ Melvin House (?), Perkins/Wadsworth (Laurie Wadsworth).
The guides’ “presentations” shouldn’t be over 10 min and should include the roles the house’s various owners family played in Lyme
Tickets: $10, price includes guide
Children under 12 free
Guide alone is $5
Guide will be given to people whose houses featured.
Tickets will be sold at either end of common
We hope to have refreshments sold next to one of the ticket tables
Action to be taken
•Jane will talk to Steve Alden about contacting the Greenleafs about including their house and she will contact other owners of the houses to be included.
•Jane will put this on the Town Calendar.
•Jane will talk to Jeff Valence about a refreshment group
•Adair will work on the Guide and would like to have Chris Schonenberger and Greg Dimick fact-check it.
•Publicity: Carola and Judy
Publications
Fall newsletter--possible subjects: culverts, streets named after families.
Adair is working on a new Town History for the 250 anniversary of Lyme
Cellar Hole project
Adair said that Lyme should have an inventory of historic stone culverts (there are 3) and cellar holes.
Jane pointed out that, in the interest of speed, we should make a list of these historic features
Adair pointed out the importance of creating an historic district, which could give us access to some state funding.
Action
We will discuss this at our next meeting when more members are present as this may concern our mission: Are we/ does the ZBA have a right to expect us to be, responsible for all historic features in Lyme?
President’s report
Various thanks--for the Annual Meeting, etc.
Potential fundraising effort to document and perhaps hire experts as needed for preservation efforts, including perhaps a thorough inventory of Lyme’s historic houses and other structures.
Action
We’ll discuss the above at out next meeting
Membership report--tabled until Steve Alden is at the meeting
Education Report
Bill is still thinking of holding a recitation contest--perhaps at next year’s Old Home Day. The topic will be American History.
Museum Report
Sallie reported on 2 gifts
•a poster for the 1861 sale of Rich’s Store
•Margot Maddock’s gift of a Whittemore quilt
Adair reported on conservation options for the Day property
We simply can’t accept any more large items: various barns and the horse sheds were discussed as possible additions to house these items.
It would cost $500 per door to put doors on the horsesheds for storage.
Action
This will be discussed at our next meeting
Jane will ask Lee Larson about the time frame for the Day property options
Carola will talk to Phil Pocoda or Mary Kelly about using their barn, on a temporary basis--a couple of years.
Next meeting Aug 24
Respectfully submitted,
Carola Lea, Acting Secretary ;
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