OMHC Annual Secretary’s Report (2024)

Welcome to the 57th Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon of the Old Mystic History Center.

Operating Hours:

This year, we maintained weekly operating hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and opened by appointment for research and oral history interviews. In 2024, we welcomed more than 100 visitors, including those from England, British Columbia, and various states including Georgia, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Minnesota, and Rhode Island. Visitors hailed from across Connecticut, including Stonington, Mystic, Old Mystic, Essex, Fairfield, Lebanon, Rocky Hill, Groton, New London, Westerly, Dayville, Noank, Hamden, Ledyard, Preston, Ridgefield, and Glastonbury. While we have rebranded as the Old Mystic History Center, we retain the name Indian and Colonial Research Center as an authorized member of the Connecticut Genealogical Society.

Online Presence:

The OMHC maintains a website and a Facebook page with 1,100 friends and 1,200 followers. Most of our Facebook friends are from the United States, but we also connect with individuals from the U.K., Netherlands, Canada, Germany, Poland, Puerto Rico, and Nigeria.

Membership Support:

Membership remains our primary source of income, our paid memberships  contribute to our growth.

Memory Bank/Old Mystic Oral History Project:

Board member Paul Grant-Costa launched a new page on our website titled “Old Mystic Oral History/Memory Bank” complete with a new logo for the project. Along with current interviews,  he and volunteer transcript assistants have been transcribing older recordings, completing 35 oral histories, including those of Eva Butler and Princess Red Wing.

This year, we interviewed the Sebastian family, Ruth Crocker and Robert Welt. The Sebastian siblings—Don, Vera, and Winfred—shared childhood memories, while Ruth’s interview was featured in an article in the New London Day on April 27th. Our August interview with Robert Welt, a Vietnam-era navy veteran and retired U.S. History teacher, highlighted his extensive local history involvement.

We plan to create vignettes from the transcriptions for our website and utilize an interactive map, focusing on people, places, and events.

Collections:

Among recent additions to our collections include:

A menu from “The Mayfair” restaurant, donated by Joanne Fontanella.

Historical items from Kip Effman, including photos of the Old Mystic Young Men’s Association and documents related to the Old Mystic Fire Department.

A pamphlet on the 1938 Hurricane and Tidal Wave, donated by Edward and Sally Knoxbulls.

Memorabilia from the Hinckley family, including diaries from the 18th and 19th centuries and keys belonging to the Old Mystic post office.

Board member Cora Grunwald has been entering newly donated books into our library database, while John Goodrich facilitated a collaboration meeting with the Mystic River Historical Society. This partnership aims to enhance our oral history initiatives and membership growth.

An ongoing challenge for our growing collections is the need for more space. For now, we’ve focused on better utilizing existing file cabinets.

Newsletter Production:

Under Board member Deb Keehn’s direction, our quarterly newsletter is now produced with help from student volunteers. A new template has streamlined submissions, and we’ve expanded our distribution list to include other historical organizations.

Community Engagement:

We donated materials to several Connecticut historical societies this year, including the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut, the Thompson Historical Society, and the Mansfield Historical Society, and we continue supporting the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed.

Grants:

This year, we received grants from the Mystic Woman’s Club and Chelsea Groton Bank, each for $500. The David Butler and Ruby Smale Charitable Foundation continues their support, reflecting their commitment to organizations founded by their family members.

Outreach Initiatives:

In May, Board members Richard Guidebeck and John Goodrich set up an exhibit at the Otis Library, which featured artifacts from John’s historic home. The exhibit ran through June 1st, and we are poised for future collaborations with the library.

Our Connecticut Open House on June 11th welcomed several visitors, providing tours and opportunities to connect with Board members.

In July, Board member Sharon Maynard presented to residents at Stone Ridge Senior Living, demonstrating our website and inviting participation in the Oral History Project. She also attended the Alliance for the Mystic River Watershed’s “Water Fest.”

Volunteer Contributions:

Our dedicated volunteers logged over 1000 hours, contributing to research, data entry, exhibits, and facility maintenance. Long-time volunteer Marcus Maronn has continued to assist members and visitors with their research inquiries and has significantly contributed to the creation of various exhibits. Marcus has recently updated and revitalized an exhibit showcasing Charles Q. Eldredge, which is now on display in the front room of the Center.

This year, we have recruited volunteers from local colleges. Notably, student volunteer Alexis Coughlin, a student at Conn. College completed our library inventory and organization, enhancing both her experience and our operations, while our newest volunteer, Nora Rodriguez, also from Conn. College, has been busy scanning and entering our glass slide collection into the database.  Patrick Strout, a student from ECSU, has dedicated many hours this year to entering articles from our scrapbooks into our database, as well as Pablo Armijo who has also been assigned to this task. Steve Chapman has been working on his interactive map project and can be counted on to help with resolving computer issues and covering staff shortages when they arise.

Our volunteer staff for the Old Mystic Oral History Project/ Memory Bank edits transcripts under the direction of Board member Paul Grant-Costa. They are Adrianna Penn, Lili Kane, Paul Chum, and Brenda Geer.

Our volunteer Newsletter staff includes William Forester and Emma Boyce. They have been working with Board member Deb Keehn in producing our quarterly publication.

Maintenance:

This year the doors of the OMHC building were sanded and painted, and mulch and bulbs were added to the beds out front. The Board has been discussing updating the gutters in the near future.

OMHC Goals for 2025:

·       Create new exhibits

·       Increase fundraising efforts for organizational sustainability

·       Continue cataloging our scrapbook and glass slide collections in the Past Perfect database

·       Enhance outreach opportunities within the community

·       Upgrade our website to better promote the OMHC and its research capabilities

·       Advance the Memory Bank Oral History Project

·       Continue to recruit volunteer interns from local colleges

·       Expand our membership base

·       These initiatives will help us fulfill the OMHC mission and reach a wider audience.

Board of Directors:

Paul Grant-Costa

George Crouse

Cora Grunwald

Richard Guidebeck

Sharon Maynard

Bob Mohr

Deb Keehn

John Goodrich

Volunteers:

Marcus Maronn

Patrick Strout

Steven Chapman

Alexis Coughlin

Nora Rodriguez

Adrianna Penn

William Forester

Emma Boyce

Lili Kane

Paul Chum

Brenda Geer

Pablo Armijo

Respectfully submitted,

Sharon I. Maynard

Secretary and Acting President , Board of Directors OMHC