US Historical Societies: Nonprofits fulfilling a legacy to promote and preserve history with a critical need to survive and safeguard all humanity

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US Historical Societies Nonprofits fulfilling a
legacy to promote and preserve history with a
critical need to survive and safeguard all
humanity

• Presented By Sherry T. Scott
• Dr. Jennifer Wood
• Final Project NPMN 600
• University of Maryland University College
• November 30, 2010

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Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Garland County Historical Society
• Brief Overview of Sources
• The Antebellum South
• South Carolina Historical Society
• Synopsis of and Proposal for US Historical
  Societies
• Conclusion
• References

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Introduction

• Historical Societies are nonprofits that make
  major cultural and historical contributions in
  the US. Without their dedication to collecting
  and preserving history, our civilization would
  not have a connection to our past or ancestors.
  They often contain valuable data including
• Birth records
• Census records
• Marriage records
• Death records
• funeral home records, cemetery records, cemetery
  headstone inscriptions, and obituaries from a
  variety of sources
• Military records
• Records and memorabilia from Confederate pension
  records to current-day military information
• Miscellaneous records
• including poll tax lists and probate
  records and access to some on-line databases

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Introduction (cont.)

• Historical Societies must learn to diversify
  their revenue stream if they are to survive in
  the future.
• With the dwindling financial resources and
  donations, they must
• become more technically savvy to compete
  with larger
• nonprofits such as museums and libraries.
• James Louis Petigrew, a noted scholar and
  attorney general of
• South Carolina, once stated, Time which is
  the destroyer of the works of men, gives them
  History in return for what it takes away
• These nonprofits are critical to our human
  existence and serve an important purpose as
  bellwethers from our past as well as to our
  future.

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Brief Overview of Sources
Garland County Historical Society Hot Springs,
Arkansas
South Carolina Historical Society
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Garland County Historical SocietyHot Springs,
Arkansas
Today Quapaw Baths and Spas resort is a National
Historic Landmark
Yesterday Legend has it that chiefs and
warriors would bathe in the hot springs before
going into a battle.
Famous Bath House Row
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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• Mission Statement -
• Shaping the future by preserving the past is
  the mission of The Garland
• County Historical Society (GCHS) in Hot Springs,
  Arkansas which was
• founded in 1960.
• GCHS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that
  contains
• over 20,000 photographs, printed material such as
  books, maps,
• manuscripts, and wide variety of different
  artifacts.

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Hot Springs, Arkansas The authors late father
was born in 1921 and raised in Hot Springs,
Arkansas.
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Garland County Historical SocietyHot Springs,
Arkansas
Many distinguished leaders have visited Hot
Springs and 42nd President of the United States
former President Clinton was born and raised in
Arkansas
President Teddy Roosevelt Hot Springs,
AR circa 1936
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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• Many other relatives lived and worked in Hot
  Springs including the authors
• grandfather who was employed at the famous Quapaw
  Baths and Spa
• formerly known as the Quapaw Bath House.

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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• The long journey west to Hot Springs for the
  Glover Family was long and arduous, but the
  slaves and servants were free. Many of them
  originated from Charleston, South Carolina after
  the Civil War in the late 1800s with only a few
  belongings and the clothes on their backs.

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The Antebellum South
Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in
the morningthat was unless you were a slave on a
plantation.
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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South Carolina Historical Society
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The Antebellum South
Bear in mind that history in and of itself is not
always pleasant nor kind, but the story must told
or it runs the danger of being repeated.
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The Myth of Plantation Life
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The Reality of Life on a Plantation
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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A Southern Belles Social Life
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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A Slave Family
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The South Carolina Historical Society
The South Carolina Historical Society (SCHS) was
founded in 1855. Today over 2 million articles
and artifacts are securely stored in the
Fireproof Building in Charleston, SC. The
structure is also a National Historic Landmark
and has the largest repository of Civil War
memorabilia and antebellum history both pre and
post in the entire world.
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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The South Carolina Historical Society (SCHS)

• During a recent visit to SCHS to do more
  research on local history and genealogy, the
  author discovered that her paternal ancestors
  vast plantation records, deeds, wills, family
  papers and correspondence are stored in the
  historical societys Fireproof Building located
  on 100 Meeting Street. (See Appendix A)

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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A Synopsis of and Proposal for US Historical
Societies

• Historical Societies need to do more to educate
  the public about their mission and purpose and
  the need for their existence.
• Increase fund raising dollars from multiple
  sources
• Increase staff support by hiring independent
  consultants, volunteers and college interns.
• US Historical Societies need to augment their
  archives and collections, annual budgets and
  donations to educational programs and events

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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A Synopsis of and Proposal for US Historical
Societies cont.

• Develop more collaborative partnerships and
  shares resources to maximize capacity

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Conclusion
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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• Historical Societies are no longer mere
  cabinets of curiosities, but contain a wide
  variety of documents and data which are
  fundamental to educating and informing
  individuals about their past.
• Historical Societies today are becoming vital
  conduits which connect people in the present to
  their distant past. These establishments further
  serve as family road maps and provide a GPS into
  our future.
• Our society must support these veritable
  establishments, as they strive to promote and
  preserve history for civilization and all
  humanity.

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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References

• 1) American Historical Association. Website-
• http//www.historians.org/
• 2) Buettner, M. (2010). Program pairs up
  nonprofits and college students.  McClatchy
• Tribune Business News.  Retrieved November, 2010,
  from ABI/INFORM
• Dateline. (Document ID 1711172761).
• 3) Garland County Historical Society (2010)
  Website-
• http//www.garlandcountyhistoricalsociety.com/html
  /index.php
• 4) Historic Charleston Foundation (2010) Website
  
• www.historiccharleston.org
• 5) Lawrence, S. (2003) History of Historical
  Societies in the US Article
• http//www.publichistory.org/features/HistoricalSo
  cietyHistory.html
• 6) National Archives and Records Administration
  (NARA). Website -
• http//www.archives.gov/nhprc/apply/program.ht
  ml

Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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References (cont.)

• 7) NOT-FOR-PROFIT OF NOTE Indiana Historical
  Society. (December,2008).
• Indianapolis Business Journal, 29(44), 25. 
  Retrieved November 2010, from
• ABI/INFORM Dateline. (Document ID 1627659341).
• 8) Perry. S. (2010) Chronicle of Philanthropy
  Liberal Deficit-Cutting Plan Proposes
• New Charitable Tax Credit. http//philanthropy.co
  m/blogs/government-and-politics/liberal-deficit-cu
  tting-plan-proposes-new-charitable-tax-credit/2767
  0?sidutm_sourceutm_mediumen
• 9) Scott, S.T. 2010. Authors Family Stories,
  Oral Histories, and Folk Lore from 1965-
• 2010. Unpublished research.
• 10) South Carolina Historical Society (2010)
  Website
• http//www.southcarolinahistoricalsociety.org/?ca
  tID17491
• 11) South Carolina Historical Society (2010).
  Carologue Fall 2010 Quarterly
• Publication ISSN 1544-5801.
• 12) South Carolina Historical Society (2010).
  Carologue Summer 2010
• Quarterly Publication ISSN 1544-5801.
• 13) Quapaw Bath House and Spa. (2010) Website
• http//www.quapawbaths.com/

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Appendix A
Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity
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Historical Societies Fulfilling a legacy to
promote and preserve history for all humanity