MHS Donor Card

 Pratt Hall Repairs Feb 2011

March 2011

Dear Friend,                            

     The snow is still on the ground and it’s still cold at night, but the sun is getting stronger and our minds are spinning forward to warmer times. It is also the time of year the MHS holds its annual membership drive in anticipation of the upcoming spring and summer programs and activities.  The response to our annual drive in the past few years has been outstanding and we hope to keep the momentum going – our organization would not exist without your support!

     This past year has been a challenge for the MHS with the start of a major restoration project that is still ongoing. You may have noticed, driving through the Village, that the front steps and most of the bottom of the front wall of Pratt Hall were removed in order to rebuild and restore the structural timber frame of the bell tower. While doing the work, unanticipated rot and damage was discovered increasing the scope and expense. This project has been financed in part by a combination of grants from the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, the Eastman Charitable Foundation, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, TD Bank, and the Preservation Trust of Vermont, but over a third of the estimated $26,000 will come directly from membership contributions.  

     In spite of the demolition and restoration the MHS carried out, and plans to continue, most of our regular programming and activities.   For example:

♦    We’ve added to our collection of artifacts, added historical materials to our web site, supported school programs, and developed exhibits.

♦    Our 17^th annual Memorial Day Commemoration will be Saturday, May 28^th.

♦    We will host a meeting of regional Historical Societies in May and participate in the first Regional Historical Societies Expo – July 9^th at the Franklin Town Hall.

♦    The 2010 Summer Concert Series was a success and will be reprised this year, our 33rd.

♦    The Art Show and Sale will resume this summer at the end of August.

♦    Last December we held a “Carols & Candles” weekend – a membership appreciation evening, an Open House, and a rousing Carols & Candles with the “Montgomery Symphony Orchestra” under leadership of Andrew Massey – a definite yes for a repeat this year. 

     Besides the satisfaction of contributing to a great cause, your membership includes our quarterly newsletter to keep you informed of all the goings-on, as well as discounts on concert tickets and MHS items for sale.  Additionally, all Business Members are recognized on a plaque in the vestibule of Pratt Hall.  All donations are tax deductible.

     If you’ve been a member in the past thank you.  If not, what better time to join?  Just click on the Donor Card link below.   We hope we can count on you to help us continue our work and to keep us moving forward, making history everyday.

In great appreciation,

The Montgomery Historical Society Board

Scott Perry, Bill McGroarty, Marijke Dollois, Sue Wilson, Parma Jewett, Tim Chapin, Ken Secor,
Elsie Sabarowski, John Beaty, Jo Anne Bennett, Bill Branthoover, and Pat Farmer.

MHS Donor Card