Ron Leake, Delores Woodhurst, Sharon Lake, Carolyn Trower, Jeanne Gay, Sandie Storm, Madonna Petitjean, Benny Akers, Dan Peters, and Patti Tinsley attended the meeting of the Ralls County Historical Society on Wednesday, April 17, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall

Center Depot Project:  Sharon Lake provided an update regarding the Center Depot renovation project, which has been completed.  In addition to donations and money provided by the City of Center, Sharon applied for and received a Cole McDonald Impact grant to fund the purchase of a mini-split unit so that the building is climate controlled.  The depot is owned by the City of Center, and RCHS partnered with them to provide information about the depot, along with providing historical artifacts that will be on display at the depot.  The City anticipates holding a Farmer’s Market at the renovated depot each Sunday from noon to 3:00 p.m.  (NOTE: After the meeting, it was determined that the Farmer’s Market will be held on Friday, after the initial Farmer’s Market on Sunday at the Grand Opening.)  A grand opening will be held for the depot at noon on Sunday, April 28th.  RCHS president Ron Leake will be in attendance, along with CIty of Center officials.  Radio and TV stations and other news outlets will be contacted to attend the event, too.  Hot dogs and some type of drink will be offered at the grand opening, and there will also be door prizes.  The public is encouraged to attend.  Patti Tinsley agreed to post flyers throughout the community.

Combining RCHS’s Library and Museum:  Currently, items from the library on the south side of Main Street in Perry are being moved to the museum, which is located on the north side of Main Street.  The goal is to combine the two buildings into one location at the museum.  Volunteers are needed to move, organize, and clean the museum and library.

John Ralls Donation:  Ron Leake was notified by the family of John Ralls that the family wishes to donate an 1860s gun and a box of Ralls’s documents.  John Ralls is the son of Daniel Ralls, the individual for which the county is named.  Currently, the box of documents is being scanned and deciphered. When complete, the items will be on display at the museum and on RCHS’s website.  Recently, Ron was notified that a second shipment of documents and/or artifacts may also be received by RCHS.

Fort Mason:  Located near Saverton in Ralls County, Fort Mason was a historical outpost during the Civil War. In recent months, Bill Dexheimer has been working with community members on what has become known as the Fort Mason Monument Project, which is in the funding phase. Many of the foundations and organizations being considered allow applications from governmental bodies; however, some require the

applicant to be a charitable organization. In some cases, the charitable organization can be a sponsor for

the application made by the county, and in other cases, the application must be made directly by the

charitable organization. In all cases, as a part of the application, there needs to be documentation that

the charitable organization voted to support or apply for funding for the Fort Mason monument project.

One of the foundations, The Riedel Foundation, requires that their name be specified in the minutes of

the meeting during which the vote was taken. The Fort Mason Monument Project Committee is requesting that Ralls County Historical Society consider partnering with the committee to recognize the contributions that Fort Mason had, and continues to have, on the county’s history.  This partnership will allow the committee to apply for grants to further the project, using RCHS’s 501c3 status to be eligible for consideration for various funding opportunities.  Some of the grant applications made directly by RCHS will result in the funds, if awarded, coming directly to RCHS. These funds will then need to be sent to the County of Ralls, P.O. Box 400, New London, MO 63459. A memo needs to reflect it is for the Fort Mason Monument Project Fund. The donor needs to be identified on each grant or contribution so a receipt can be mailed back to them from the county. Most of the grant applications require a copy of the W9 form to be included. A copy of this form was provided.  RCHS needs to fill one out and have it available to include with grant requests. Sharon Lake made a motion that Ralls County Historical Society support, as a sponsor, all applications for grants for the Fort Mason Monument Project made by the County of Ralls, if required, including The Riedel Foundation, and to make applications directly for this project if necessary.  Madonna Petitjean seconded.  Motion carried.  

Missouri Mule Museum:  Jeanne Gay shared information about Missouri Mule Museum and her plans for the project.  She requested that RCHS partner with the Missouri Mule Museum. Sharon Lake made a motion, seconded by Carolyn Trower, to explore this partnership in more depth, including securing property for the museum and working in cooperation with the museum..  Motion carried.  A meeting will be held Monday, April 22, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall to discuss this topic in more detail.

Membership Drive:  Delores Woodhurst shared that health issues delayed the annual membership drive and fundraiser for RCHS.  Various fundraising ideas will be explored.  Individual memberships are $40, family memberships are $50, and business memberships are $100. All work completed by RCHS is volunteer work, and membership fees are used to pay rent, utilities, and insurance on the museum and library, along with other incidental costs.  Patti Tinsley made a motion to begin this year’s membership drive.  Sandie Storm seconded.  Motion passed.

Volunteers:  Volunteers are needed for a wide variety of projects within RCHS.  Several Mark Twain FFA students have been secured for work.  Patti Tinsley will contact the FFA teacher to see when these students can work at RCHS’s museum and library.   

Communication:  An ongoing concern is how to communicate the work of RCHS so that everyone who wants to be in the know and be involved can do so.  Dan Peters shared that the Remind works well for him, and he recommended its use by RCHS.  Delores Woodhurst will establish an account and begin sharing information with this platform.  The only technology requirement to use Remind is a phone that receives text messages. Anyone who would like to receive text updates about RCHS should text the message @chk3kad to the number 81010. If you’re having trouble with 81010, try texting @chk3kad to (415) 749-9891. Standard text message rates apply.

Financial Information:  The following balance statement for 2023 was shared.  As of today, the balance of RCHS’s checking account is $6,443.49.

Next Meeting:  The next meeting of the RCHS will be Wednesday, May 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall.  The public is invited and encouraged to attend. The meeting adjourned at 11:05 p.m.