Preserving Williamson County History – A 501(C)3 Organization
We received a MacArthur Award medal today that was given to people who raised their own vegetables during WWII. They were called Victory Gardens. The medal says National Victory Garden Institute on the front and the back says For Outstanding Achievement In Victory Gardening.
Its items like this that continue to enrich our history.
The Benton paranormal group, Midnight Paranormal, made another visit to the Williamson County Historical Society Museum on Saturday evening, May 27th, 2017. Five members of the group spent the evening investigating things that go bump in the old building. With over 100 years of activity in the building, heaven only knows it has every reason to be active. The group has made regular trips to the museum in the last year.
The indexes to the two books Events in Egypt 1918 and Events in Egpyt 1910-12 have been added to the Library Resource Index. The 1918 index was typed up by volunteer Judith Mente who worked on this from her home. Thanks a bunch Judith.
Fifth Grade classes from the Jefferson School here in Marion came to tour the Williamson County Museum on Wednesday, May 24th. The teachers for the classes were Goodwin and Williams.
The index to the book Events in Egypt for the year 1913 has been added to the Library Resource Index, located under the Records Tab from the Menu at the top of each page. The book contains extracts from 1913 newspapers from Marion, Herrin & Carterville and adds 3,392 entries to the master index.
WHCS president, Sam Lattuca, gave a 1.5 hour program on the early history and formation of Williamson County and Marion Thursday evening, May 18, 2017 at the Marion Carnegie Library. Lattuca’s program covered early native American cultures, French and British occupation as well as the process that the county buyinglevitrahere went through in getting formed. A few of the topics discussed were crime in Williamson County, the growth of coal mining and its role and how alcohol and the temperance movement shaped the county in its early years.
Also discussed were the types of birds and animals that used to be found here in pioneer times that we no longer see today.
Monday through Thursday, fifth grade students from the Washington School toured the county museum becoming aware of the ways of early pioneers and county citizens. On Friday a class of third graders from Dawn Jackson’s Washington School class visited.
The Williamson County Historical Society held its spring membership meeting on May 7th at the museum. Society projects both current and future were discussed. A show and tell was held during the meeting to allow members to talk about artifacts or items of historical relevance that they own and are knowledgeable of.
The guest speaker was Robert Swenson, a heritage preservation consultant and associate professor emeritus of SIU. Swenson gave an engaging program on Lewis and Clark in southernmost Illinois that was well received by the membership.
A meeting of the Southern Illinois Association of Museums was held on Saturday, May 6th, 2017 at the WCHS museum in Marion. SIAM board members first held a board meeting and then a membership meeting. The program consisted of a presentation of museum preservation techniques by Susannah Munson, Curator of Anthropology at SIU Museum followed by a program by WCHS President Sam Lattuca who explained the evolution of the Public Land Survey System and how to read property descriptions. Eighteen members were in attendance.
