Greater Dover Historical Society

June 21, 2007

The regular meeting of the Greater Dover Historical Society was called to order by President Madelyn Shermeyer at 7:04 p.m. Members in attendance were Lori Koch, Madelyn Shermeyer, Kay Stitley, Ron Botterbusch, Norma Botterbusch, Jeffrey Koch, Evan Koch, Lucia Hrinyak, Phyllis Wolgamuth, Carol Leathery, Lois Slothower, Karen Holtzapple, Barb Holtzapple, Mel Miller, Ted Ziegler, Larry Law, Joyce Law, Constance Miller, Zita Smith, Grace Trimmer and Jo Ott. The meeting was held in the basement at the Dover UCC due to a continuing construction project underway at Calvary Lutheran Church.

President Shermeyer stated she saw some new faces and said welcome. She also reported that June Kinsey had a bad fall in her home a couple of weeks ago and is home recovering under her doctor’s direction. June asked President Shermeyer to share an email with the members that President Shermeyer read aloud and it will be attached to the minutes for the record.

President Shermeyer also reported on a letter sent by Dr. Charles Drawbaugh to Kay and herself. She read a few excerpts from the letter and instructed the secretary to print it as part of the June minutes. It will then go to Cindy Snyder, our society historian, to be put into the historical records. President Shermeyer felt it should be shared with everyone who worked so hard on the dedication event. President Shermeyer asked if Kay had anything to add to this and Kay expressed her appreciation to Dr. Drawbaugh.

President Shermeyer asked for any changes or corrections to the April minutes. A motion to accept the minutes as presented was made by Lois Slothower, seconded by Mel Miller. All in favor and motion passed. President Shermeyer asked for any changes or corrections to the May minutes. A motion to accept the minutes as presented was made by Mel Miller, seconded by Norma Botterbusch. All in favor and motion passed.

Treasurer’s Report

The treasurer’s report for May prepared by Joyce Law was presented for approval. A motion to approve the treasurer’s report as presented was made by Jeff Koch and seconded by Kay Stitley. All were in favor and motion passed.

April 30 balance $6,720.90

May deposits 5,816.95 (includes grant $)

May expenses 5,028.74

May 31 balance $7,509.11

Joyce has set up a separate account in her records for the grant money. The bank statement balance as of May 31 is $8,065.89, but there are outstanding checks totaling $556.78 leaving a balance of $7,509.11. The open house expenses totaled $485.38, less the $300 donation by the Ufflemans and leaves a total expense of $162.65. Her report shows a $550 cash expense for the dedication ($430 for change, $100 for school band and $20 for the girls to sing). Joyce stated that there is still an outstanding bill for the blacksmith shop dedication event so she does not have an accurate total. To date there are total expenses of $1,416.90 paid from the budgeted amount of $1,692 (includes $396.90, less $500 from Borough, $510 for tee-shirts and $10 for ink cartridge = $1,416.90). Joyce will have a report on dedication expenses at our next meeting.

Board of Directors report – No report was made since Marty Green was absent.

Archivist Report – Neither Dr. Charles Drawbaugh nor Assistant Archivist Gayle Heagy were present; no report was presented.

Website report – Brett Pfleiger was not present. President Shermeyer reported that he has a large backlog of work. She had given Brett a list of items to be changed that were discussed by the BOD. Brett sent an email to Joyce and President Shermeyer stating he is very busy with the Double Creek run but in the next couple of weeks he will be making the requested changes. Once these changes are completed, under “projects” everything for the blacksmith shop will be removed and put into a link of its own in chronological order. This was discussed with BOD.

Historian report -- Cindy Snyder was not in attendance.

Joyce Law stated she was contacted by the secretary at the Dover Township office who was referred to her by President Shermeyer. Joyce said a couple from Illinois stopped by the Township office looking for a cemetery where a relative is buried. After searching her records, Joyce found the couple was looking for the Leiberknecht cemetery (Dover Union cemetery) located behind the school bus parking lot. The couple was searching for John L. Landis who died in 1904. President Shermeyer said she was pleased that all the hard work Joyce did on the cemetery research was helpful to someone.

Committee reports:

Blacksmith shop/Ketterman Park dedication – Kay Stitley reported that it was a great day and everyone’s help was unbelievable. She thanked everyone. She received an additional thank you note from Bob and Becky Snelbecker telling her what a great job they thought we did. People told her it brought back a lot of memories, they were glad they came, it was wonderful and we were blessed with great weather. Jo Ott brought Kay a booklet of photos she took of the event. We had a nice crowd and a wonderful day for the history of the blacksmith shop and a big happening in Dover. Joyce reported we took in $1,400 in sales of items (replicas, tee-shirts, items made by Ted). Kay said she has the tee-shirts in her car if anyone is interested in one tonight and the replicas are here for purchase. Kay stated that we can pat ourselves on the back, we did a lot of work but it was also a lot of fun. President Shermeyer said it does not seem like it has been two years since we started the project. It was timber-framed in 2005 and we completed it in 2006. President Shermeyer stated whenever someone says anything to her about the blacksmith shop, she tells them that a lot of organizations have too many chiefs, but our organization has Indians. Our members are willing to work and we have more Indians than chiefs. Our organization had a project manager, but we were very fortunate to have good people and we should proud of that fact.

Blood Root: President Shermeyer reported she received some of the information from Joe Marks. She asked Ron Botterbusch to help her with this project so we can get it underway. There is only text and no pictures. They will look at it over the next couple of weeks. It will not be completed in time to sell at the Dover Fair.

Adopt-A-Highway: Lucia reported the second adopt-a-highway pickup will be held on Saturday, June 23 @ 8am. She sent out email reminders to those who signed up. The weather appears that it will cooperate with us. She plans to make this pickup shorter by narrowing the corridor on each side of Route 74, avoiding most of the vegetation and steep banks, and have the job completed in two hours. She had a total of 9 people signed up to help. We are down 2 very loyal helpers due to injury so she will pass around the sign-up sheet if anyone is interested in helping us.

Old Business

Blacksmith shop replicas -- President Shermeyer reported that 44 replicas have been sold to date; 26 were sold at the dedication and 1 donated. Kay said she planned to purchase 2 replicas tonight. President Shermeyer said we have 57 tee-shirts left for sale and Joyce reported that the count is off by 6 shirts. Joyce and Kay will try to figure out why there is a discrepancy.

Jailhouse monument – Kay reported that the original monument has been removed as it wasn’t there when we had our historical walk on June 19. President Shermeyer said she will talk to Don Baughman before he installs the new one so we can get some plastic put down to control the moisture. Kay asked about having the stone raised above the ground a little higher than the original stone. President Shermeyer stated she will be using some decorative brick or stones around it and Ted made a small fence to put around the stone. We want to try to keep it maintenance free for Mrs. Albreght and she has agreed to our plans for the monument.

Historical Walk – Kay Stitley reported that even though the skies became darker and more people came, Ted had fired up and we started with his presentation. The rain came but by the time we started, it was only a drizzle. At one point we had 25 people walking. At the bottom of the hill at the laundromat, John Herrold stopped by. Kay asked him to describe what it was like to live in Dover. He explained how you could walk up and down the street and you knew everybody. As we were heading around to the rear of 54 S. Main Street, the resident (Guy Pusey) came out to greet the group. He said we are more than welcome to look at the tombstone in his backyard. Kay explained to Guy that Barb Deardorff has done some research on this tombstone. The child, who was 3 months old, was buried at Leiberknecht cemetery. The last name is Berkheimer. We believe the stone may have been damaged at the cemetery. Barb Deardorff was going to do a deed search to see if the Berkheimers had ever lived in this house and perhaps they brought the tombstone to this property from the cemetery. Guy Pusey said the stone is cracked at the bottom and a piece is missing. It is a mystery how the tombstone came to rest on this property. It became too dark so the only thing we did not get to see is the Otterbein cemetery off Canal Street.

New Business

Dover Firemen’s Fair – President Shermeyer stated we need a new chairperson for the fair committee. According to Mr. Botterbusch, it is the president’s duty to appoint a chairperson but President Shermeyer said we do not do it that way, we ask. President Shermeyer looked at Kay Stitley because she supplied the backdrop set-up and worked closely with Norma every year to set everything up. Norma has been chair for many years and felt it was time for someone else to volunteer to chair the committee. Kay said she is willing to supply the backdrop set-up but they will be very busy at the shop. President Shermeyer asked if we could appoint co-chairs for the committee. President Shermeyer asked Lois Slothower and Carol Leathery if they would be interested. She asked Norma to write down a list of how set-up is handled. Norma has the table covers in her garage we can use. We will be selling the replicas, tee-shirts and trash bags. We will have a sign-up sheet at our next meeting for volunteers to work the booth at the carnival. It runs September 1- 8 (not open Sunday), and we set up our display from 5pm to 10pm each night. We would set up the tables on Friday, August 31. Ron Botterbusch had a suggestion that we should have one person committed to be in charge of the money box for the entire week of the fair, keeping it in order and making sure it is in a safe place each night. He and Norma always took care of it in previous years. Joyce asked if they send a bill for renting the space and Norma said they usually came around at some point to collect the check. We rent a double space and the fee was $100. President Shermeyer asked Carol, Lois and Kay if they would consider being co-chairs. The ladies agreed.

Benches – President Shermeyer was approached about benches for the blacksmith shop. Since we always have to borrow benches from Kay, Zita and Doris for any event we hold at the shop, President Shermeyer mentioned this to Harry. Since they have more hemlock at their cabin which is same wood we used at the blacksmith shop, Harry is going to make 4 benches for the society to use in the blacksmith shop. Larry Law will surface them after they are stained. We can store them in the shop.

Tables – President Shermeyer brought up the issue of tables. She said we usually borrow tables from Kay and others. There are tables available at Wal-Mart for approximately $40. Kay mentioned about the office supply store and she stated any table we purchase needs to be wide with a hard surface. We are hoping to store the tables in the storage shed so they cannot be too long. Norma said the tables we use at Calvary are a nice size, but she feels we should also have a small table. Norma said she will check prices on tables and let President Shermeyer know what she finds. Zita has a folding table which was a nice size for inside the blacksmith shop for the historic walk refreshments. Jeff Koch said BJ’s Club had several sizes available. Joyce Law said our budget includes $700 for maintenance at the blacksmith shop and we can use these funds to purchase tables. President Shermeyer also said we have funds left from the blacksmith shop dedication which can be used to purchase tables if necessary.

Date/Name Stone – President Shermeyer stated that Vince Rice, who owns Aaron Enterprises and donated labor and materials for the blacksmith shop, contacted her about the May farm on Davidsburg Road which he purchased. There had been a stone wall around the barnyard which deteriorated and Vince said people starting taking stones off the property. There was a date stone with name on it, which we are unsure of the exact name (Kinsley, Konsley, Knisley) and it has a late 1700’s date on it. Vince indicated it is a large stone and he felt it should stay in Dover Township. President Shermeyer suggested to Vince it should go to the GDHS and he agreed. Vince built a frame for the stone since it is very heavy. Vince said if the society decides we want the stone, he will be happy to haul it and place it wherever we want it. President Shermeyer said we could decide to place it permanently at the blacksmith shop and have a plaque made to recognize Vince for his donation. President Shermeyer said perhaps she can get someone to research the deed on the property but recalls that Mrs. Rice said something about a deed. She will call her for more information. The members agreed the stone should be acquired by the Society. President Shermeyer asked the members to give some thought as to where it should be placed.

President Shermeyer reported that Vince Rice also has a metal hay fork from the May farm but she has not seen it to know how big it is. He wanted to know if the GDHS would like to have it. Phyllis Wolgamuth said when she was a kid on the farm, they had a large hay fork in their barn and she explained how it operated. Depending on how large the hay fork is, we could hang it in the blacksmith shop or store in the archive building. President Shermeyer will advise Vince that the society will accept the hay fork.

Norma Botterbusch brought up the subject of the July membership picnic at Lehr Park. She asked if President Shermeyer remembered the discussion about having the officers and board of directors run the picnic. She did not. President Shermeyer asked about the food and Norma said we are still going to have the broasted chicken and potatoes, she will provide the baked beans and lemonade, and members will be asked to bring a covered dish or dessert. A sign-up sheet will be passed around tonight for members to write down what they plan to bring. Norma stated that the newsletter will probably be out soon and a phone number to call will be listed. The secretary said yes and will list an email address and Norma’s phone number to call by July 14 if the member plans to attend the picnic. Also Norma suggested inviting members of Borough Council and Township Supervisors to attend our picnic. President Shermeyer will verify the pavilion reservation for July 19 with the township’s new rec director.

Old Business Updates

President Shermeyer stated she did not see any changes in old business updates from our last meeting. She said the last item (craft show at the blacksmith shop) is a good reason for the society to purchase tables. The craft show will be discussed at a later date.

President Shermeyer spoke to Gayle Heagy this afternoon concerning the Stouch diaries agreement. Atty. Hershner had the agreement done and Gayle sent a copy to the Board members and President Shermeyer for review. President Shermeyer was concerned about one provision of the agreement which she felt may need to be removed. Jay Stouch has stated he will not give the diaries to the GDHS; he said they are going to the York Heritage Trust. President Shermeyer said she is concerned that the agreement gives the GDHS full authority to transcribe the diaries but a sentence from the May minutes “We don’t want to spend our volunteer hours deciphering and typing up the diaries if Jay does not plan to donate them to us”. President Shermeyer said actually at one time Jay made the suggestion he was going to give the transcriptions to the York Heritage Trust and the BOD said then Joyce is not transcribing them. So Jay decided he would not do that and the way the agreement is written, the GDHS will have full authority of the transcripts. The diaries will be going to the York Heritage Trust because it states such in Jay’s personal will, even though Jay offered the diaries to the YHT and they turned him down. President Shermeyer plans to talk to Jay and Joyce stated he will probably be here for the picnic. President Shermeyer wants to speak with Jay because sometimes when the York Heritage Trust gets items they do not want in the first place, they sell them. Her only concern is we will have a signed agreement with full control over the diaries’ transcripts and if the YHT sells the diaries to another person who decides to transcribe them and publish them, the GDHS will have to sue. President Shermeyer wants to explain this to Jay and see how he feels about it. Joyce explained that Jay’s concern about this is he figures that York Heritage Trust will be there forever and he does not know if our society will still be here in 20 years. Ron Botterbusch stated that when the GDHS was set up, it states that if the society ever dissolves all items we have goes to the York Heritage Trust and this should be pointed out to Jay Stouch.

There were no questions from the membership.

There was a motion to adjourn by Norma Botterbusch and seconded by Joyce Law. Meeting was adjourned at 8:10pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Lori Koch

GDHS Secretary