Mary Potter, West Kentucky Journal
Thursday, April 24, 2014 9:26 am
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(Clinton, KY) - On Saturday, April 24, 2014, the Hickman County Historical & Genealogical Society will officially re-open its doors to the community. The Society will provide brunch foods and tours of its new facilities between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and noon.
The new facilities, located next door to the Hickman County Courthouse Annex, is larger, drier and stabler than the former Society headquarters. Members loved the old building and were devastated when it suddenly collapsed in February 2013. See story at Jackson Purchase Buried in Collapse
The Society was fortunate to save 90% of the collection. Saved, but not safe. Artifacts were covered in plaster dust, concrete and glass. The City of Clinton offered storage at a warehouse near the collapsed building. Members cleaned and restored books, maps and displays in anticipation of moving into its new home. Homeless, but not hopeless
In the past year, the former Farm Bureau headquarters has been rehabbed to suit its new role. Walls came down and walls went up. The new facility has a large meeting room with kitchen. There are offices, another meeting room and an entrance to display the Society’s many publications.
Since it began thirty years ago, the Society has been a research center. Old marriage bonds, newspapers, legal documents, funeral and cemetery records hold information for those interested in the past of the Jackson Purchase and of their family roots in the region.
Clinton Bank donated a conference table and chairs to the Society soon after the new green awning went up on the building. The table and chairs were put to use for member meetings. The members are excited to be able to get back together. Future plans include greater internet use, more public events and creating a public garden behind the building.
Founding member Norma Jean Humphreys will be front and center on Saturday morning. Brochures detailing the Hickman County Historical & Genealogical Society’s activities and mission with membership applications will be prominently displayed.
Society President Ivan Potter wants the building to be a center for research for historians and genealogists as it was before early 2013.
"We want to become even more a part of this community than we were before. This facility will allow us to grow."