Newsletter – October 4, 2011
Hilda Hoffmann Memorial Archive Inc.
Dear Member, You are now the proud owner of a piece of the building at 301 Williams Ave. On September 23rd the title transfer was filed in the Chancery Court of Pearl River County from Helen Clunie to the Archive. Helen has not only given us wonderful financial support but she and Bob have dedicated much of their time driving from Hattiesburg to Picayune to help preserve Hilda’s collection and in making the building ready for visitors. We owe her a large debt of gratitude for all that she’s done.
Now that you own part of the building, we would also like you to own part of its content. You can do this by sharing your own family histories with us. We will soon be in a position digitize and store these in our archive. This also goes for the museum. If you have any items that reflect our history, please bring them in to share with the community. Each item will be recognized with the donor or lender’s name.
We are in the process of adding each member’s historical interests to our membership list so that we can help each other with family research projects and ask that you respond by sharing that information with us. Please reply with family names and histories that reflect your interest. Also indicate whatever contact information you would like to restrict from distribution. Our plan is to send each member a copy of the list containing that information.
To date we have 103 members, but need at least 200 to pay our monthly bills. Please help us by letting family, friends, and associates know about us. A copy of our membership application is attached. Hancock County Historical Society has over 1,000 members. They were able to do this by passing the word and encouraging people to join. Let’s each of us demonstrate the importance of preserving our histories by recruiting members.
We will have a general membership meeting on Saturday, October 22, 2pm at 301 Williams Ave. Please try to attend and view our progress. If you have any artifacts, family histories or important documents and pictures representing our past to loan or donate, then would be a good time to drop them off.
The November Street Fair is approaching (Nov. 5 & 6) and we will have a Hilda Hoffmann booth. If you make the Fair, please stop by and visit us. Our home at 301 Williams will be open for visitors and if you’re at the Fair please stop by. It will be a good place to use the bathroom and hang out. Snacks will be provided.
We will soon be opening our doors to the public and are looking for volunteers to spend one day a week (10am to 3pm) to greet and aid visitors. We have a wealth of historical and genealogical information that deserves sharing. For those of you who have the time, Please call me at 601-799-1287 (home) or 601-799-9360 (cell).
We have come a long way since our founding in 2010, but there’s still a tremendous amount of work to do. We are a family. Our historical and preservation interest bind us. Each of us has something to give, even if it’s just a wish or a prayer. Our heritage is too important to neglect and our path is clear. God willing, we will persevere.