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.