Our Old Bookcase
This postcard was sent from Mrs. Earl R. Smith, Dayton, on Jan. 5, 1914, to Mrs. Robert Wade, Celina. Postcards preceded emails. The postcards were welcome from friends, just as emails are welcome from friends today. There was a day when everyone dressed in their finest for New Year’s celebrations, to welcome in the New Year, just as the young girl was doing on this postcard cover.
Therefore, the members of the Mercer County Historical Society are sending you greetings for the New Year of 2021, as we say farewell to the year 2020. In December 2020, I asked you to believe in the magic of Christmas and share your ideas of how to make plans for 2021. We have hopes for a better year, after the “Year of the Virus” in 2020.
Thank you for all of the Christmas gifts whereby you sent your ideas for programs or projects in this New Year. Your overwhelming support of potential programs for the Mercer County Historical Society in 2021 has been well received. I will try to group some of these suggestions together, so that you will be able to share with the Historical Society which programs you might like, or if you have additional ideas.
Several suggestions included a sidewalk and front porch sale of pre- owned history books from the public. Some suggestions included history books from local communities, during their sesquicentennial celebrations. Others suggested history booklets from school class reunions, churches and service organizations. Many suggested book sales of pre- owned history books published by the Mercer County Historical Society in the past five decades. Military history books were suggested as a topic for a book sale, as well as United States or world history books.
An interesting idea was that the historical society hosted a Wednesday evening “sing-along” with musicians standing on the museum porch in the summertime. Similar suggestions were that local artists and/or photographers exhibit their work on the museum lawn in the summertime. Are you interested?
Another set of ideas were proposed that the historical society create maps of walking tours of towns highlighting historical sites with short histories to accompany the maps. Similar suggestions included summertime walking tours, identifying architect features of buildings. A driving tour was also suggested, that the historical society draw maps of townships, featuring unique barns and/or certain architectural styles of the big old barns in
Mercer County.
The New Idea Historic Preservation Committee hosted exhibits of New Idea Farm Equipment and antique tractors at the Coldwater Community Picnic. The historical society’s popular exhibits of prehistoric Native American artifacts, military exhibits, old postcards and signatures of famous citizens will be held if the virus does not prevent these events. I also have a list of history books, which members identified as books which I should write. I do have two history books in progress.
The magic of Christmas is still alive and well for our society members. I invite you to become a member of the Mercer County Historical Society and join in the fun. The historical society members easily become friends because everyone is interested in preserving local history. You are most welcome to invite others to become members. Dues are your choice, you know you are welcome. I look forward to hearing from you. Please believe in the magic of Christmas and help the historical society preserve your heritage. If you wish to become a member of the Mercer County Historical Society, please send your donation to: Mercer County Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 512, Celina, OH 45822. Thank you for helping to preserve your heritage. Happy New Year.