On November 25th, the Historical Society of Perry County held its annual members meeting to celebrate the achievements of 2024 and discuss future projects and initiatives planned for 2025.
As part of the evening’s highlights, the Society proudly presented its Heritage Award to the Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society in recognition of their generous contributions toward enhancing Red Bridge.
In addition, the Society honored the late former state Representative Fred Noye and his wife, Deb, with the Silas Wright Award for their unwavering dedication to historic preservation. Fred’s passing earlier this year has left a significant void in the Perry County historical community. He and Deb were steadfast advocates for preserving our shared heritage. While Deb was unable to attend the meeting, she provided a prepared statement, which was read on her behalf:
“Preserving Perry County’s history has been a lifelong endeavor and labor of love for Fred and myself. I would only hope that those young collectors and history enthusiasts be welcomed with open minds into the historical entities in the county and be encouraged to not only preserve but share their finds/knowledge with other Perry Countians! This is vital and not something to be tabled or “put on the back burner” for numerous years! Otherwise, Perry County’s memorabilia will end up in landfills because no one identifies or feels an attachment to it! In addition, if Perry County’s history is not integrated into our schools now, Perry County’s history will simply fade away and be buried forever.”
The Society also outlined its many accomplishments for the past year. Here are a few:
-Revitalization of the annual Valentine’s fundraiser dinner at the Cochran-Anspach House
-Cochran-Anspach House repairs (stone repair, wood repair, painting)
-Stone repair at Fairview Church
-Bat remediation at Fairview Church
-Designed a new website
-Book sales at Dromgold Farm
-Tours to Greenwood High School at the Cochran-Anspach House
-Tours to Greenwood 2nd Grade at the Blue Ball Tavern
-Blue Ball Tavern open days and special tour groups
-$500 scholarship award presented to a Perry County high school student
-Repairs at Red Bridge (rotten wood replacement, enhanced security, graffiti removal, new signage, brush removal, new bench from Theodore Burr Covered Bridge Society)
-Ludolph Church work day and cemetery stone resetting
-Fetter House work day (weed removal, mulching, planting, brush removal)
-Hired a new part time employee, Michelle Smith-Lentz
-Installed two new board members: Jill Seamen and Dan Rice
-Conducted a scholarship raffle fundraiser
-Setup a booth at the Perry County Fair
-Mulched at Green Park School
-Open house at the Blue Ball Tavern for the Apple Festival
Interested in becoming a member of the Society?
Click Here: https://perrycountyhistory.org/membership/