The Newtown bee., 1907-02-15
TOWN TOPICS
PURPOSES OF A HISTORICAL
 SOCIETY,
INTER EsTINa ADDRESS BY REV SAM
 UEL HART, D. D.

Despite the attractions Of the theatre party, Friday night, about 60 people assembled at the Beach Memorial Lii brary building, at the meeting called to consider the advisability of forming a local historical society. Principal Ross Jewell of the High school, and goodly number of the High school pu- pills were among those present. Rev J. Fl. George called the meeting to order and made a few time ly remarks. Ezra l.. Johnson was chosen chairman, and in accepting the place he expressed his pleasure at seeing so many of the school children present. Rev Samuel Hart, D. D., of Middletown was intro duced as the speaker of the evening. He said in part: It is we'll to bear in mind that if there is anything in the history of the town to remember 1t is necessary for some one to take steps for the preservation of old documents from which history is to be drawn. The Connecticut Historical society and the New Haven Colonial Histori- cal society are doing 8 work which is being repeated by the smaller soci- cities of the state. 1t may not be gen. orally known that our society in Hart ford has the best collection of genealOg
 ical records in the state. There is large amount of material there which is constantly being consulted by peo- pie from different sections of the state. Our local societies should first of all devote themselves to the preservation l,S- 1a6r Tn f1a early days people knew about each o tn CT. As the time goes on the people become more scattered and land Is divided. It would be fine thing if some of these boys and girls made practice of writing down things the older people are telling them. It would be worth something hundred years hence if there was an accurate record of the people living on the diff ferent streets, and of the division of the land They said while ago that the individual who knew the most about the city of Hartford was a man who lived on Woodland street, for he had been all over Hartford on his hands and knees in his work as 8 surveyor. Then I would put with a knowledge of
  ing something about history. Learn something about the history of the county and the state. If there are any books that have to do with the history | of the state preserve them. Don't | burn up almanacs unless you must. l feel that a vast amount can be done by saving old documents. Don't de- stroy them. If you have no place to keep them put them into the custody of the historical society as soon as you can. Don't destroy old pamphlets. Ot course there are vast number of things that belong to the work of a historical society. There is the col
 lection of old pictures, ancient posters, old furniture, etc. If you can't ge, people to give them to your society, get them to loan them for time
 Then you can gather articles which
 show the development and progress ir local mechanical arts. It will be the same as to articles and pieces of an. cient furniture. The time will come
 when people will be glad to loan then
 permanently. A historical society
 should have meeting at least once z
 month. The membership fee should
 be small, simply to meet necessary ex
 penses. The changes that take plac,
 in a country town are not very great
 but the changes that occur in the life
 time of 50 years are considerable. Set , to it that everything that is given to historical society is kept. A local so ciety can assume the care of article ! entrusted to it. Let not a society ig nore anything that is given to it.
 Rev Otis o. Wright, next called on spoke briefly: There are two things ! have to suggest. Something should b done as soon..as possible for the preserv