Granville Historical Society hiring first part-time director

The Granville Historical Society this fall is hiring, for the first time, a part-time director.

It’s one of several new initiatives for the society as it repositions itself as a community partner in the 21st century.

A society committee is currently interviewing candidates for the director position in hopes of filling the new post in time for the organization’s annual meeting on Nov. 15.

The society, founded in 1885, has been led by a Board of Managers currently composed of a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer in addition to nine at-large board members.

Heidi Drake, current Board of Managers president, said this about the move:

"It’s going to provide us with continuity, a face in the community and stability for the organization," she said.

The director position is made possible as the result of a successful annual fund drive last year that generated enough contributions to support it.

"Every not-for-profit needs a leader with a steady hand to guide the organization going forward and in concert with its mission," said Society board member Evelyn Frolking, who leads the campaign. "Last year's annual fund set hiring a part-time director as its primary goal. Thanks to our membership and one member in particular, we raised funds to make this happen. We are delighted and the search is on."

In addition to the successful campaign, Frolking, Board of Managers Emeritus member Tom Martin and Raymond "Chip" Moats, attorney with Rosenberg & Ball Co. have established another first for the society: a Development Fund encouraging estate planning to include bequests to the Historical Society.

"The development committee is charged with raising both operating funds through the annual fund and endowment funds through the Charles Webster Bryant Legacy Society that will protect and preserve the Historical Society for generations to come," Frolking said. Charles Webster Bryant was one of the society’s founders.

Meanwhile, the Society is planning a special event starting with a reception from 5 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. It will be an exhibit of paintings by Granville artist Michael Kennedy, to be held in the Old Academy Building, at the corner of South Main and West Elm streets. Entitled "New Era," it will feature new paintings by Kennedy, and will continue Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 1. Kennedy has been using the Old Academy Building as a studio since spring.

Having re-established its lecture program series last winter, including a presentation by former Ohio First Lady Hope Taft and Denison University graduate/author Buck Niehoff on "Walking Ancient Ohio," the society is starting its fall schedule with another special event to be held at the Granville Inn at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. Titled "Protecting Granville's Character: A History of the Open Space Levy," It will feature the presentation of a new 19-minute video that tells the story of the open space levy program that began in 1998. A panel discussion will follow the video.

Also, scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 18, will be the fourth program in the society’s "Growing Up in Granville" series, entitled "Growing Up in Granville in the '80s." It will follow up three previous, highly successful programs for the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, and invites those who grew up in the community during that time to share their recollections.

"Those decade programs were very current and very interactive," Drake said.

"We do a wide range of programing for people’s interests," said Nannette Maciejunes, one of the newest members on the Board of Managers. "We’re more than just a place to drop in and visit."

The Board of Managers, in addition to its two Emeritus members including Collections Manager Cynthia Cort, has also added a new position entitled Youth Board Member, with Granville High School junior Ethan White as the first student to fill the seat. White became involved with the society after he found late 19th century artifacts in a wooded area on his family’s property in the Welsh Hills of northeastern Granville Township. The findings are part of an exhibit currently in the society’s museum at 115 East Broadway, downtown.

"It was his exhibit that led him to being a board member," Drake said. "He speaks up at every meeting. His ideas are infused into every meeting and he’s brought a perspective we did not have previously."

Also at the Historical Society this year:

• Seventeen interviews were conducted collecting memories of the Spring Valley Pool, which operated in the community from 1933 to 2004. The cost of recording the interviews was funded by the Granville Community Foundation.

• A new "Temperance" exhibit in the museum’s front room outlines the history of the movement to ban the sale of alcohol in the village during the 19th century, which continued until 1976. Drake noted that for the first time, visitors may use audio devices to hear Granville’s Temperance story. Also, on display in the back of the museum is a collection of dresses from the 20th century, all obtained from the former Granville Life-Style Museum after it closed in 2010.

• The Society’s Archives department, under the direction of Theresa Overholser, assists those conducting research on local history including any homeowner interested in the history of their house. And the Collections department, under Cynthia Cort’s direction, has catalogued hundreds of artifacts and examines items submitted by area residents.

• Expected in September will be the ninth book in Society’s Pocket History series — short easy-to-read takes on aspects of Granville history. Entitled "Memorial Day in Granville: 1873 to 1936," this new edition will describe the early history of Granville’s proud Memorial Day ceremonial tradition and how it evolved.

The museum is open from noon to 4 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 3 p.m. Sundays, in addition to Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Granville Historical Society hiring first part-time director