Antique Quilt Block Billboards for Sale

The Consumers Energy

Foundation has awarded

the Remus Area Histori-

cal Society $1,000 to-

ward a project named

Preserving Heritage.

The project is designed

to better monitor for and

protect against the main

causes of deterioration of

historical records and arti-

facts while conserving en-

ergy and cost.

While recognizing the

company’s 125th anniver-

sary, the project also fit

the Foundation’s com-

mitment to Michigan

Growth and Education,

Community and Civic

projects.

The new conservation

and preservation items

will help to preserve arti-

facts.

Museum displays edu-

cate residents and visi-

tors about lessons we

have learned from our

history while celebrating

the area’s significance.

Shown at left accepting

the award from Yolanda

Lewis of the Consumers

Energy Foundation is

Linda Howard, RAHS

Board President.

Quilt Block painting on wood, for outdoor deco-ration. Hang them on your barn, garage, porch or shed! There are six block designs used by area ancestors from which to choose. Each

one is made of heavy materi-als with multiple coats of paint to endure Michigan weather and the edges are trimmed. You can choose your own colors. We can create a trail like Osceola County did! (See page 4)

The Quilt Boards are available in a large size 4’ x 4’ for $150 or small size 2’x 2’ for $75.

For more information, contact Sherry Marks at (231) 250-2441, email tsmarks1967@gmail.com H, or Mary Simon (989) 561-2768, or send an email to HUmuseum@winntel.net U H.

Consumers Energy Foundation awards Preserving Heritage Grant

Collection News

Area Churches display

Old School Photos

2

Fall Fest Oct. 13, 2012

Sports & Recreation display

New Book about Remus

Spring Tea June 9, 2012

3

Quilt Trail

Ed Walch Jr Memorial

Work Day May 10, 2012

Veterans Display

4

Match Day Donors

2011 Donors

2012 Donors

5

Contact Info

Purpose Statement

Museum Hours

Communication Display Loan

6

Inside this

issue:

April 2012 - Spring Issue

Remus Area Historical Society (RAHS) a nonprofit tax exempt organization

324 S. Sheridan, P. O. Box 71, Remus, MI 49340

“Our Past, Your Future"

Ed Walch, Jr. started the Old School Photo project and after he became

ill, Gary Cox began working with the Wheatland Township Library,

and, Frank J Boles, CMU Clarke Historical Library historian/archivist,

to get the old graduating class composite photos from 1925 – 1967

scanned. As of March 31st, the last batch of 19 photos of the 43 origi-

nals had been delivered to CMU to be scanned. Once scanned RAHS

plans to print, mount and display them in the museum’s Old Schools

Display. Each photo, like the 1937 class shown at right, will cost $36

to print and mount. If your family or your graduating class would like

to adopt a year or contribute toward this project, please contact Gary at

Ph (989) 561-2848 or by email Garylizcox@aol.com.

Old School Photo Project Continues

funeral records, old Sunday school materi-als, an old family bible, communion certifi-cates, jubliees, a chalice, hand bells, etc. Larger items that might represent your church might include a choir robe, a stained glass window, an old pulpit, a pew, etc. Items can be donated or loaned.

To confirm your group’s participation please contact Ken Todd, Vice Presi-dent of Remus Area Historical Society (989) 967-8249, by email at ken-todd@cmsinter.net or stop by the museum on Wednesdays.

history of area churches.

Churches or faith based organiza-tions located in one of our ten township are invited to showcase your history. Artifacts that have dates, names of original donors, and, stories about the item’s histo-ry add to the intrigue of the item. Depending on the response, each display might need to be limited to 3’ by 3.’ It might include: the story of your origin, founding families, baptismal clothes, a hymnal, pho-tographs, birth, death, wedding, or

Churches and faith based or-ganizations were all important to the growth, develop-ment and

support of area families, and, contin-ue to be a mainstay of our area.

Under the leadership of Ken Todd, the Museum is developing a new display that will celebrate the

Area Churches Display Under Development

Collection News (Contributors since October)

Page 2 Remus Area Historical Society (RAHS)

Come see the International Harvester Potato Digger locat-

ed in south yard of the museum. The tractor shaft pow-

ered implement was used in the 1940’s by area farmers.

Donated by Don Hatfield and installed by Tom Marks, the

equipment reflects the area’s agricultural heritage.

Dave Abel—Civil Defense Box that hung in school

Kathryn Bennett—Child’s desk

Mary & Terry Batchelder -Porcelain enamel Hershel’s Milk Chocolate Cow

sign, Remus Heritage Barns poster, 4 barn postcards from Lakeview, 3 poster size barn info, 2 large framed quilt block pictures, 1 large framed

Barn Picture, Notebook of Barn Memorabilia

Tom Diehm—numerous old newspapers

Karen DeLong—Christmas String Lights that hung in Remus for years

Linda Howard -Race Horse Poster of Hal Red Cloud, grandson of Elec-

tioneer, Book 30 Years in Pictures 1960-1990, Mecosta County 4H Plat Books 2003, 2007, 1996, 1972

Dale Karcher -carpenter’s hand saw, corn planter, kerosene can, Stanley

circular skil saw, paste brush, wooden pulley

Julie & Denny Nelson -2 old polaroids

Dorothy Lipar -photos and news clippings of the area and of Remus Herit-

age Days

Karen Rhode—German Bible and Songbook

Sandy May Roberts -1933 Girl Scout Manual that belonged to Alice May

Wheatland Twp -Bundy Mountain Jubilee book from the old theatre, 1868

& 1908 Wheatland Union Cemetery receipts log and record of meetings

The first ever Fall Fest was held in

October 2011. Despite the weath-

er, the event was a success. There

were hands-on demonstrations

like the cider press, weaving and

spinning and petting zoo. Amish

baked goods and candied popcorn

and free locally made cheese!

Many arts and craft vendors as

well as a group of old time musi-

cians entertained folks in the

Township Hall. The scare crows

all over town were a big draw!

There were even horse-drawn car-

riage rides and locally produced

garden items for sale. A former

Remus resident, Mary Batchelder,

gave an interesting presentation

about the use, designs and purpos-

es of barns to a standing room on-

ly crowd. A quilt block sign was

presented to Remus Lumber in

appreciation of their long support.

So we are doing it again on

October 13th!

SECOND FALL FEST IS SCHEDULED—OCTOBER 13, 2012

son Zack Hatfield, and, Deb Bruener,

both teachers at Chippewa Hills, are also

helping. Don and John are conducting

and filming oral history interviews with

area elders. The goal is to have the book

ready for sale by Remus Heritage Days.

For more information contact Don at

(989) 560-3224 or John at (989) 967

3416 or email museum@winntel.net.

Don Hatfield, John Oswald and Gary

Cox have been working on a new book

about the Remus area and early families.

John’s granddaughter Lily, a sophomore

at St. John University in Queens, New

York, is compiling the information as part

of a writing and publishing project. They

also enlisted the help of Char Lenon for

copies of photos and documents the mu-

seum had already collected. Don’s grand-

New Book About Remus Area Compiled

When Ken’s father, Keith was growing up on the

farm he would see deer tracks but rarely see deer.

Keith didn’t see a deer there until he was eight

years old. Now deer are plentiful and the Remus

area has some of the best deer hunting in the state

drawing outdoor sportsmen and women from

across the nation.

The mount, provided on loan, coincides with the

museum’s efforts to create a new Sports and

Recreation display. If you have items that de-

pict the area’s Sports and Recreation history—

such as trophies, team photos, old fishing lures,

or baseball bats, please contact Dawn Snyder at

(989) 561-5469.

A whitetail deer mount was hung in the

museum lobby. The deer was taken by

Ken Lobert on the Lobert Family Farm in

Wheatland Township. The farm has

been owned by the Lobert family since

1908 when the homestead was first pur-

chased by Joseph and Julia Lobert.

Although Ken Lobert has resided outside

the state since 1988, he makes sure to

make it back to Remus several times a

year; including opening days for both

deer and duck season as well as Remus

Heritage Days. Ken is shown at right

with son Max Lobert, age five, represent-

ing generation number five.

Deer Mount for new Sports and Recreation Display

Remus Area Historical Society (RAHS) Spring 2012

If you or your organization

would like space to sell area

made products, educate the

public about your business,

demonstrate an old time

craft, play music, or want to

help plan or participate, we

would like to hear from you!

Email: museum@winntel.net

Tea, Cookies, Fancy Hats, Tribute to Ed Walch, Silent Auction, Music, and

more—at the museum,

324 S. Sheridan , Remus.

Because the cost this year is on a

“donation only” basis we need to

know how many will be attending,

so please reserve your seats by con-

tacting Sue Sheehan (989) 967-

3443, or , Mary Batchelder by email

at mbatchelder69@yahoo.com .

7th Annual Spring Tea

Saturday, June 9, 2012, 2 p.m.

Elsie Vredenburg gave a presen-tation on the Osceola County

Quilt Trail at our November 9th, 2011 annual meeting. That Quilt

Trail is part of a volunteer public art movement that extends

across the United States. The trail not only celebrates rural

heritage but draws tourists that enjoy following the trail to locate

the over 79 quilt blocks. They are mounted on barns, homes,

businesses, township halls, fire barns and post offices all across

Osceola County. Shown with Elsie is Sherry Marks holding one

of the many quilt blocks pro-duced by Remus Area Historical

Society.

A SPECIAL THANK YOU to those that contributed to the “Honor Our Veterans” display:

American Legion Post 240 in

Blanchard for making a gift of $100.

Veterans of Foreign Wars

Albert Schiffer Post 2335 for making a gift of $500.

If you have Veteran items for the display, please contact Mary Simon at (989) 561-2768 or Gary Cox at (989) 561-2768.

THANK YOU TO “HONOR OUR VETERANS” DONORS

We bid a sad farewell to our board member, tech advisor and good friend Ed Walch, who passed away on December 14, 2011. He was a sweet man, always ready to help. He maintained the museum computers, initiated the Remus website, led the Post Office section of the Communications project, began the Old School Photos pro-ject and more. He is greatly missed. You are invited to join us in a memorial tribute to Ed on June 9, 2012 at 2:00 o’clock at the annual Spring Tea. See page 3.

Ed Walch, Jr.

You can order your own quilt block in your own colors or design in either the large or small size. For more information, contact Sherry Marks at (231) 250-2441,

email tsmarks1967@gmail.comH, or Mary Simon (989) 561-2768, simon4ma@yahoo.com.

Building a local trail...

Page 4 Remus Area Historical Society (RAHS)

WORK DAY PLANNED !

Please join Erna Lobert and other

volunteers on Thursday, May 10, 2012

during a Museum Yard Clean-up Day.

The day starts at 8:30 a.m. and contin-

ues until about 1:00 p.m. You do not

need to work all day. Come for an

hour or for the morning. We welcome

any amount of time you can spare…

Please mark your rakes and shovels

and bring them along.

PHOTO OF ED WALCH

On November 3, 2011, the Mecosta

County Community Founda-

tion received donations des-

ignated to Remus Area His-

torical Society. These gifts

were matched by the Foun-

dation up to fifty cents on the

dollar. For more infor-

mation, see

www.mecostagives.com.

MATCH DAY 2011 was the

single largest one-day fund-

raiser in Mecosta County his-

tory.

Thank you Match Day donors and Mecosta County Community Foundation!

2012 CONTRIBUTORS

Doyle & Dorothy Esch

John & Nancy (May) Doyle

Mike Gingrich

Don & Edna Hatfield

Harriet Marks

Craig & Dianne Nasson

Ken & DeLoris Todd

Mecosta County Community Foundation Community Needs grant toward a new Sports

and Recreation display

OTHER 2011 CONTRIBUTORS

Thanks to your support, Remus Area Historical Society received $ 4037.74 (your gifts and MATCH DAY funds.)

Page 5 Spring 2012

MATCH DAY DONORS Bandit Industries Nancy Baldwin Pamela Burke Jane/Bruce Carlson Marjorie Chandler in honor of

Ray & Ann Simon Robert/Christine Cook Gary/Carrol Cox Art Diehm

Cynthia Diehm Karen/Ed DeLong Nancy Doyle Audrey DuBois Pamela S. /Michael J. Forbes

Edwin Gingrich GFWC Heart of the Lakes-Mecosta Neil/Linda Hopp Isabella Bank

Hometown Health Foods Darlene Howard Linda Howard Hosking and Killian Dentistry Arnold & Isabella Kempton

Patrick Kowaleski Chris/Fred Kuebler Char Lenon M.E. Lobert

Patricia Loers Wayne/Jean May Tom/Sherry Marks Steve/Karen Moore Maureen Nelson

Michael/Diane Ockert Elsie Packard Sue Parker in memory of Carl & Ardyth Wernette

Jann/Dowayne Parks Mary Jane Post Beatrice Ransom Remus Bowling Center Remus Heritage Days

Remus Lumber Company Remus Tavern Robert/Bonnie Ruetz Sackett Potatoes

William/Beverly Sheehan Ron/Paula Smith Larry/Elizabeth Snider Sweeney-Holbeck-Schuberg Insurance

Beverly Visser Charles/Sharon Wernette Jack Wernette

Terry and Mary Batchelder

Linda Berry

Because Remus Area Historical Society, Inc. is an incorporated tax exempt

nonprofit, all gifts are tax deductible as allowed by law.

The purpose of the Remus Area Historical Society, Inc., an educational and

charitable organization, is to celebrate the heritage, and preserve the cul-tural and historical resources, of the Townships of Wheatland, Broomfield,

Rolland, Millbrook, Colfax, Morton, Martiny, Austin, Hinton, Sheridan, and surrounding area.

Remus Area Historical

Society (RAHS)

324 S. Sheridan, P. O. Box 71

Remus, MI 49340

For more information, call

Linda Howard (989) 967-3468,

Char Lenon (989) 967-8153, or

Sherry Marks (231) 250-2441 or

Email: Hmuseum@winntel.netH.

and a new Genealogy computer station! The

genealogy computer sta-tion has internet access

and a scanner and printer. It is free and available to

the public whenever the museum is open. Online

and printed Genealogy re-sources are also available.

COME TO A MEETING!

Regular meetings are held the 2nd Wednesday of

each month at 5 p.m. at the museum. Come find

your niche. Propose a pro-ject or topic that you

would find of interest.

The Museum is open to residents and visitors every Wednesday

and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 2 through October 31.

Volunteers are welcome to help staff the museum, Memorial Day

through Labor Day this summer on Saturdays 11-3. If you are

interested, contact Ken Todd (989) 967-8249, email

Hkentodd@cmsinter.netH, or, Char Lenon (989) 967 8153 email

cklenon@frontier.com.

Check out the handicapped ramp entrance made possible

by your gifts and grants!

Come see the brightened up-

stairs with its new coat of paint

MUSEUM HOURS:

WE’RE ON THE WEB! WWW.REMUS.ORG

If you wish to be deleted from this list or if this email should have been directed to a different email address please let us know.

COMMUNICATION DISPLAY for LOAN

The Communications display is now available for loan to area Schools, Museums, Libraries or other public sites. The display kit comes with an EARLY COMMUNICATIONS 66” sign and two large tubs of materials. One tub contains tin can phones, an old crank phone, old rotary dial and push button phones, an early car phone, educational cards, photos of Barryton switchboard work-ers, a notebook, and information boards. The second tub in-cludes examples of insulators on posts, old phone wire, modern cable, area phone company histories, and a lineman’s belt, gear and spurs for climbing poles.

The display was made possible by gifts from the Blanchard Tele-phone Association, Inc., The Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) affiliated with the Organization for the Pro-motion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Compa-nies (OPASTCO), Mecosta County Community Foundation, Remus Heritage Days, and, supporters of Remus Area Historical Society.

Your site may reserve the kit for one, three, six or twelve months for a donation to the Remus Area Historical Society.

To make loan arrangements, contact Pamela Burke at (989) 967-8808 or email museum@winntel.net.