2010 is underway

Hello OHC fans! 2010 got underway in a rush - here I am with my first blog post of the new year and its almost March already. We've been busy around here. Let me catch you up.

January saw the return of Heritage Highlights - our quarterly OHC newsletter for members. The newsletter features briefs on what's happening around the OHC - progress on special projects, a wish list, listing of new members, and notices about what's new in the museum and gift shop. Response to the newsletter was fantastic - I was glad to see that many of you appreciate regular updates about what's going on here and how you can be a part of that. The next issue will be out at the end of March.

Also, the OHC is proud to be one of the first buildings in Oconee County to be a part of the new Oconee Heritage Quilt Trail. If you aren't familiar with this project yet I encourage you to check out the group's web site www.oconeeheritagequilttrail.com. The purpose of the project is to celebrate an area's heritage through the display of local quilt patterns on a large scale on the sides of barns and other buildings.

The Oconee Heritage Center's quilt pattern is that of a quilt that is on display in our museum. The pattern is called Rocky Mountain Road and the original quilt was done by Lena Mae Talley of Mtn. Rest when she was a teenager in 1930. The difficult pattern took her several years to complete. The quilt was handed down to her niece who then graciously donated it to us for display in the museum. We are proud to celebrate this piece of history by participating in the quilt trail. The pattern was painted on wooden panels and installed on the side of our facility in Walhalla - see the photo below. The Ladies of Wynward Pointe were kind enough to sponsor the cost of creating this quilt trail piece for the OHC - thank you to those ladies!


Other quilt patterns currently appear on the Fine Arts Conservatory in Walhalla, as well as Keowee Elementary School. Blue Ridge Electric Co-op was kind enough to donate the manpower to install the pieces on the buildings and they did a wonderful job! Anyone can purchase and/or sponsor a quilt trail piece. Ultimately, it will be something that they will map and people can drive all around Oconee County following the heritage quilt trail.

I also want to say a special thank you to my mom and to Square D - thanks to my mom's volunteer hours here at the OHC she qualified to apply for a grant through her employer Square D for $500 that we put toward the purchase of a new, more ink and paper efficient printer/copier/scanner/fax machine!!!


Also, come check out our newest donated artifcat - a 1958 Bally Carnival Queen bingo pin ball machine! Nick liked to save historic pianos, but I have a penchant for pin ball machines. This one is really great and is still operational.


WE HAVE BROKEN GROUND ON THE JAKE SLUDER HERITAGE PARK!!!
Within the past week or so now we have officially broken ground on the Heritage Park, which is located adjacent to the OHC in Walhalla in the L-shaped space surrounding the jail wagon and the steam engine. This will be the final destination for the memorial bricks we have been selling for several years and will also be a very nice native plant park and heirloom garden. We will hold an unveiling of the bricks later in the spring once we get everything looking good out there. The park will also be featuring 2 historic posts that were originally part of the historic home called Innisfallen of Mr. Courtenay who started Newry Mill in Seneca (this home later became known as the Abney House when Abney Mills took over operations) - the home is no longer there, but these posts (one of which bears the letter "C" for Courtenay) were saved. They have been installed in the park and will flank the side entrance points of the memorial brick walkway. Thank you very much to Mr. Jon Fritz who has generously donated his time and landscaping expertise and has gotten this project off the ground!




On the Westminster front - the Barrett-Jones building will be getting a new roof in March. We are looking forward to that. Once the roof is leak free we will be installing sprinklers and shelving and then the construction of the exhibit can begin. If all goes as planned we will have the satellite museum open by the end of this year! Thank you so much to the Westminster Area Historic Preservation Society who have worked so hard to help us make progress on this important project - you all do a wonderful job! I wish every town in Oconee County had a historic preservation group that works as hard as WAHPS.

Also, thank you to the folks of Oakway for coming out and supporting the OHC in its newest proejct - Center Methodist Church. In November, the OHC acquired title to this historic church and cemetery in the Oakway area. We hope to preserve and restore the church and property and use it for various programs and possibly as a wedding venue. Also, thank you to the Mason twins for taking care of this important property for so many years! The church has had no congregation since the 1950s and was built in the 1870s. However, it is in excellent condition and is a priceless part of Oconee County history. Several Confederate veterans and 1 WW1 veteran are buried there. If you are interested in this project please contact me. Also, thank you to Peggy Moore for bringing the church's need for a new owner to the OHC's attention and to Jim Leathrum for helping facilitate the property transfer between the OHC and the Methodist Convention in Columbia. We are really proud to help save this part of Oconee's religious history. I am also proud to be working with the people of Oakway who have eagerly volunteered their efforts on this project.

Well, I think that about covers it for now. Thank you to the many groups we have had tour the museum recently - Seneca Presbyterian Church, College Street Baptist Church, and West-Oak High School 9th Graders.