Henry County Historic Preservation Commission holds meeting

The Henry County Historic Preservation Commission met Wednesday Sept. 17 at the courthouse. Attending were Commissioners Johanna Crawford, Joel Garretson, Caroline Lehman, Jeff McPheron, Judy Rawson, and Pat White. Jeff McPheron of Mt. Pleasant has been recently nominated and accepted as a new member of the Commission. The agenda included discussions regarding the maintenance of the Camp Harlan memorial, three new historic brown sign markers for the Tri-T Oakland Mills Clubhouse, the CB&Q depot in Winfield, and the abandoned village of Finis, and a historic site review for a new tower south of Swedesburg. BNSF Railroad has submitted a 63 page draft report on the history of railroads in Henry County for the Commission's review. The Commission's latest project, a guidebook for the county's historic sites, is in progress and photographs and maps are being collected for inclusion in the book. Several members of the Commission have indicated their desire to retire in the near future after many years of service therefore the search is on for new members. If anyone is interested in joining this prestigious group in promoting and safeguarding the county's historic and cultural heritage, contact any of the current members for details or attend any of the monthly meetings.

There are several historic minded events coming up the remainder of this month. The Winfield Historical Society is presenting a Scott Township pioneer cemetery walk on Sunday Sept. 28 at 1:30 p.m. At the Dover Museum in New London there will be a scale models exhibit by Seth Eberhardt on Sept. 21 at 1:30 p.m. The Henry County Pioneer Cemetery Commission is hosting a Pioneer Cemetery Day featuring Baltimore, Scott, and Wayne Township cemeteries at the Henry County Heritage Center on Sept. 20 at 2 p.m.