HCHT April 2024 Meeting Report

Henry County Heritage Trust (HCHT) held its monthly meeting on April 24, 2024, at the museum in Mt. Pleasant, with nearly all board members in attendance.

After the minutes and finance reports were approved, plans for the Friday, May 10, opening of the Iowa Wesleyan Archives Room were finalized. The Mount Pleasant Area Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. The public will then be invited to a tour. Refreshments and some giveaways will be offered. The IW Archives will be open for touring and research on Mondays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., through June. The board recognized Tony Brown, who has refurbished the stuffed “Croaker” band, now housed in the archives.

Thursday afternoon volunteers have created centerpieces for the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Breakfast. The ladies have also been busy tidying the museum and the Van Allen House in preparation of Saturday, May 4, the first day the museum will be open regularly for “touring season,” 1-4 p.m.

Donations from the past several months include city directories, Nau family memorabilia, minutes from the Howe’s Academy Alumni Association and history notes and articles collected by Duane Goff.

In June, the Van Allen House is being offered as a tour stop for Preserve Iowa Summit registered attendees. During the summit, the Van Allen House will be open to the general public on Thursday, June 6, 10:00-Noon. David Van Allen will present a program on 19th Century photography, June 29. A Tag Sale and Henry County History Book Sale will be held later in the summer.

The meeting adjourned for members to help hang the large and impressive 1895 map of Henry County. Beautifully framed by Christian Morey, the map now hangs in the museum’s entryway.

The next scheduled HCHT board meeting will be Wednesday, May 22, 10 a.m. at the Henry County Heritage Center Museum, 403 West Madison Street. The public is invited.