Easton Historical Society

Yes, "e" is the most common letter in the English language, but it didn't belong in the title of yesterday's blog-I meant "The Tim Thomas Flap."

The old cliche is that a camel is a horse put together by a committee, but if you were at the continued roll out of the new Easton Historical Society yesterday, you discovered that a committee of disparate voices can put together a very good project. Last year the Board of Directors finally undertook to fix some damage to the South Room at the historic Richardson Railroad Station. It was damage to the ceiling caused by a burst heating pipe during the Blizzard of 1978. I'd like to say that years of thought went into the repair, but most directors had simply stopped looking up when they went into the room! However, past President Debbie McPhee was determined that things would finally be fixed during her term. The good news was the Society decided to revamp the layout of the building while the repairs were going on.

Many people contributed ideas and somehow a coherent design emerged. A small library was added so that researchers wouldn't have to climb to the second floor. Computer services were upgraded with an eye to creating a catalog of materials, adding digitized versions of old photos, and improving our web page. Many large items that had cluttered the floor in the South Room were put in storage and exhibit cases were moved to the North Room creating a meeting area in the South Room and a gallery for art and maps. Finally, a big screen TV was purchased to replace old fashioned screens and projectors. The TV and computer are hooked up to a wireless system that will allow visitors to connect while at the station.

All this came together yesterday with the arrival of 8th grade students from Easton's Middle School who were winners at the school's National History Day competition. History Day is best described as a science fair for history students and Easton has entries in table top exhibits, websites, and documentaries. Members of the Society and the public checked out these projects and offered suggestions for the next level of competition on March 3rd. The technology worked flawlessly, the crowd flowed through the small building effortlessly, and the cookies and punch were very good.

Much of the organizational work and supervision of the renovation was done by the Society's curator Frank Meninno who spends many hours at the Railroad Station each week. Kudos should also go to the Board who managed to mesh their ideas into a cohesive vision, Very soon the Historical Society will be announcing even more new uses for its technology and improved exhibit space. Stay tuned!