Ralls County Historical Society
Museum & Library
"Preserving, Honoring, & Celebrating"
Minutes from June 19, 2024 RCHS Meeting
Ralls County Historical Society Minutes
Wednesday, June 19, 2024
10:00 a.m.
Perry City Hall
Perry, MO
Ron Leake, Delores Woodhurst, Carolyn Trower, Sandie Storm, Bill Dexheimer, Bob Sergent, Mary Jackson, Brad Stinson, Ben Akers, and Patty Tiinsley attended the meeting of the Ralls County Historical Society on Wednesday, June 19, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall.
Project Updates:
Combining RCHS’s Library and Museum: Work continues to move as much of the library as possible to the museum. Volunteers are needed to move, organize, and clean the museum and library.
John Ralls Donation: No additional work has been completed on this project since the last meeting. Ben Akers and Bill Dexheimer volunteered to translate documents from this collection.
Fort Mason Project: Bill Dexheimer shared that the Fort Mason project has currently received $15,600 in funds for the monument. $6,000 is from a grant from the Reidel Foundation, $5,000 is from a grant from the Missouri Humanities Council, and the remainder is from private donations. He has also applied for additional grants. Soon, Bill will meet with Whitley Construction, who is volunteering their time ad talents to assist with the project. John Nemis created a Facebook page for the project, Fort Mason Historical Monument Project. The project is being funded with tax-deductible donations from those interested in preserving our past for future generations and those who are thankful for the sacrifice and service of the soldiers who endured hardships beyond our modern-day understanding to defend our then-young nation. Donations may be made to the County of Ralls, PO Box 400, New London, MO 63459. Please include “Fort Mason Monument Project” in the memo. Questions may be emailed to bdexhei@gmail.com.
Missouri Mule Museum: Progress continues to be made on this project.
Membership Drive: The membership drive will kick off on July 1st. Delores shared documents that may be included in the mailing for the campaign, including the membership form, a brochure for the Historical Society, and a letter. Those in attendance recommended emailing the membership packet first and then mailing it to individuals who did not respond to the email. Hopefully, this will reduce postage costs. Patty Tinsley made a motion to mail membership packets as needed at a cost of up to $1.20 per envelope. Sandie Storm seconded. Motion carried.
Volunteers: We continue to need volunteers for various projects. To learn more, please contact Ron at 573-248-6147. Delores shared that the Historical Society is approved as a host site for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP). SCSEP is a work-based training program for older Americans to build/enhance/update job skills to be able to look for and find a job. To be eligible, SCSEP applicants must be at least 55 years old, unemployed, meet the income requirements, have low employment prospects, and need job skills training. Visit the website below for more information and to apply: ttps://ser-national.org/.../scsep-application-for-services/ Those in attendance shared the possibility of exploring summer internships for college students and working with high schools to make counselors and students aware of volunteer opportunities that are available and look good on college and work applications.
Communication: We will use Remind to share information about the Historical Society, including meeting information. To sign up, text @chk3kad to 81010. If you’re having trouble with 81010, try texting @chk3kad to (415) 749-9891. Standard text message rates apply.
Taxes and Other Paperwork
Sales Tax as a Ballot Issue Follow-up: In 2022, the idea of proposing a county sales tax to help fund the Historial Society was discussed. After speaking with Brandy Flynn, the county clerk, it was determined that a 501c3 is not eligible to receive funds from a sales tax.
Sales Tax Exempt Application: Delores will file a sales tax exemption application on behalf of the Historical Society.
Missouri Non-Profit Corporation: Delores will look into the Historical Society’s state non-profit status.
Topics for the July Meeting:
Development of an impact statement
Discussion of fundraising event
Financial Information as of 5/31/2024: Current balance is $5,302.76.
Executive Committee (15 members): Blank spots below indicate vacancies in our executive committee that we need to fill. If you are interested in being a representative on the executive committee, please contact Delores Woodhurst at 573-248-7445 or dvwoodhurst@gmail.com.
Officers (5)
President: Ron Leake
Vice-President: Delores Woodhurst
Secretary: Carolyn Trower
Treasurer: Sharon Lake
Historian:
Directors (10)
Center Township:
Spencer Township:
Salt River Township: Cindy Lynn Drainer
Jasper Township:
Saline Township:
Clay Township:
Saverton Township: Bill Dexheimer
Perry: Jeanie Gay
Center: Mary Jackson
New London: Brad Stinson
President’s Update:
Ron Leake again shared that he is in need of help to organize and move the library to the museum. He shared ideas for the move, and Bill Dexheimer made a motion to form a space/organization committee to meet independently and make recommendations. Patty Tinsley seconded. Motion passed. The committee will include Ron Leake, Delores Woodhurst, Patty Tinsley, and Sandi Storm. The need for keycode locks on the doors was discussed. Ron is passionate about bringing commerce to Ralls County through the continued development of the Historical Society and its resources.
Next Meeting: The next meeting of the RCHS will be Wednesday, July 24, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall. The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.
Lasagna Supper 2023 a Success
Thanks to the support of the entire county, the Ralls County Historical Society’s lasagna supper fundraiser was a success. This was an opportunity for those in attendance to renew or begin their membership to the Historical Society.
After supper, Ron Leake, president of the Historical Society, shared an overview of projects that the Historical Society is currently working on. After thanking the many volunteers and donors that worked to make the event a success, Ron handed the program over to John Wallace to begin the auction.
These amazing ladies were some of the individuals that baked the donated food and served it at the 2023 Lasagna Supper.
Thank you to the following individuals for their contributions to the auction:
Bill and Judy Heim, East Edge Express
Debbie Hodges
Tara Comer, Ralls County Collector
Ralls County Groovy Gardeners Master Gardener Group
Richard and Janet Berry
Linda Hodges
Michelle Keil, Gateway Realty
Luke Mitchell, High Point Land Company
Bailey Beef Company
Shirley Leveings, Arlington Antiques
Corey and Alex Fry, The Junction
Delores Woodhurst
Marie Lawrence and Judy Heim
Sharon Wright, The Flower Shoppe
John Lake, Brian Hodges, Junior Meuhring, Ralls County Commissioners
Brandy Flynn, Ralls County Clerk
Gina Jameson, Ralls County Circuit Clerk & Recorder
The feature item of the evening was a painting of the Ralls County Courthouse. The painting will be on display at the museum, and the owners’ names will be shown alongside the painting. Below is the list of this year’s proud co-owners of the painting.
Ernest Nelson Harlow Family
Raleigh Roy Diffenderfer Family
John and Sharon Lake
Brian & Linda Hodges
Scott & Ashley Hodges
Brian & Delores Woodhurst
Beinhoff Funeral Home
Bill & Judy Heim
John & Mary Wallace
Charlie & Mary Sue Mitchell
Shawn & Michele Keil
If you want to be involved with the Historical Society, please send an email (rwleake@aol.com) or get in touch with Ron Leake (573-248-6147), Linda Hodges, Sharon Lake, Carolyn Trower, or Delores Woodhurst. We are hoping that volunteers will continue to spend time organizing the museum and keeping it in good condition. We are always in need of volunteers to be at the museum during the summer hours when it is open. Also, it’s not too late to become a member of the Ralls County Historical Society. Individual, family, and business memberships are available. A membership form is available on our website (rallscohistoricalsociety.com).
Ralls County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, and all donations and memberships are tax deductible. Ralls County Historical Society is a 100% volunteer-run organization that relies on fundraisers, membership dues, and donations to provide ongoing services to the entire county. All money raised by the Ralls County Historical Society is used to continue to preserve and share local artifacts and our county’s history.
We appreciate your support!
One way to support the Ralls County Historical Society is to become a member. Click here to print out a membership form, or if you prefer, click here to complete the form online. Payments and paperwork can be mailed to the following address:
Ralls County Historical Society
PO Box 463
Perry, MO 63462
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to Ron, Sharon, or Delores.
Physical Address:
Ralls County Historical Museum
105 East Main Street
Perry, MO 63462
Ralls County Historical Library
124 East Main Street
Perry, MO 63462
Mailing Address:
Ralls County, Missouri Historical Society
PO Box 463
Perry, MO 63462