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Archiver > TXHARRISON > 2000-08 > 0966571636


From: "jcurtis" <>
Subject: Re: sad news about the courthouse museum
Date: Thu, 17 Aug 2000 22:07:16 -0600


It sounds like your town/area is falling apart? Why is this? Why do they
African Americans have an impact there?

30 years ago I corresponded with a lady in Stubenville, KY, regard. family
history....they were having a similar problem in Monticello, KY, at the
time...and they took all of the original court records (from 1800 to 1820
from Stubenville), packed them in boxes & put them in the basement. She
recovered them, and mailed them to me....I still have them.

I've been in the original courthouse...why are the records stored there,
different than the records stored in the museum? Were records transferred?

I'm a member of the DAR & Daughters of the Republic of Texas.

Jan Curtis

-----Original Message-----
From: Gail Brown <>
To: <>
Date: Thursday, August 17, 2000 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: sad news about the courthouse museum


>Dear Jan,
>
>In the mid-60s, a new county courthouse was built. There were those who
>wanted to tear down the 1901 courthouse at the time, but instead the space
>was given for a museum, maintenance to be provided by the county. Even
>though money was supposed to be spent on maintenance of the old courthouse,
>it was diverted by the county commissioners to other projects, i. e. an
>industrial park.
>
>The 1901 courthouse, which we call the Harrison County Historical Museum,
>belongs to the county, not the city, and many people in the outlying towns
>do not think of Marshall as "their" town - i. e., residents of Waskom tend
>to shop more in Shreveport, residents of Hallsville tend to shop in
>Longview. With the African-American community, there is also a strong
>feeling of dislike for the old courthouse because of racial issues of the
>past. Then there are those people who simply don't care about history or
>their ancestors. They turn a blind eye to the 18,000 visitors to the
>courthouse museum during the month long 1999 Wonderland of Lights. Others
>who voted against the bond issue may have had legitimate reasons for not
>wanting higher taxes.
>
>The "real" courthouse, adjacent to the downtown square, is in no danger, so
>those records are safe. There are safety issues with the 1901 courthouse
>museum, asbestos for one, so - despite the closeness of the vote - the
>county judge (a resident of Marshall, who is actually a supporter of the
>museum) believes that the building will have to be padlocked, until such
>time as money can be raised for its restoration. (If, for example, a
>visitor was injured inside the building, that person could sue the county.)
>With the current estimate at $5 million (and rising), it's a gloomy
outlook.
>
>The research library is currently housed in the old courthouse museum, and
>we have an incredible collection of books, pictures, family files, cemetery
>lists, etc. - and an incredible group of volunteers who try their best to
>answer researchers' questions about their ancestors, no matter what race or
>nationality. Genealogical materials used to be located in the public
>library, until we were asked to move a few years ago - by the librarian,
who
>happens to be the wife of one of the major opponents.
>
>The museum collections are also incredible - it's like Granma's Attic, but
>more so! Mrs. Inez Hughes, who was the volunteer curator for many years
>until her death several years ago, collected countless priceless items from
>numerous county residents, who were glad to find a home for their
treasures.
>Most of these items are boxed up in an off-site location, but there are
>still many, many things inside the museum.
>
>Our grace period for moving out is 30 days - it hardly seems possible that
>we can find a location, box up and move in that short a time, nor do we
want
>to. Not only am I a member of the Harrison County Genealogical Society,
>coordinator for the TXGenWeb site, and list administrator, but I am also
>collections chairman for the historical museum. I am not looking forward
to
>the next month.
>
>Both the mayor and the city council (most of them) are courthouse museum
>supporters - I don't know of e-mail addresses for them, or for the county
>commissioners.
>
>The saddest thing for me (soapbox time now) is what the locking up of the
>building will do to the community and the county, and this is what the
>proponents of the bond election were not able to get across to the county
>residents. When the building is locked up, it will become a rotting
shell -
>the structure is sound, so this shell will likely last for years to come.
>
>The county will not spend one dime on maintenance now, so when windows are
>broken, they will not be repaired, pigeons will move in, etc. Wonderland
of
>Lights, Fire Ant Festival, and Stagecoach Days - our 3 annual festivals,
all
>centered around the courthouse - will likely disappear, if not this year,
>then the next. Without the visitors that those events bring in to the
>county, there will be considerable loss in sales tax revenues, as well as
>jobs in the restaurant/motel industry. In all likelihood, city/county
taxes
>will have to be raised within a few years to cover the shortfall. So ...
>those who just didn't want their taxes raised - even 1 cent per $100
>property valuation - will likely see a rise in taxes anyway, over the next
>few years.
>
>Although many would like to see the old courthouse be leveled to the
>ground - and this might be the most humane thing to do - there is no money
>for that either.
>
>I'm trying to find a silver lining in this dark cloud, but it's a little
>difficult right now. I'll keep the list informed as things progress (or
>regress).
>
>Gail
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "jcurtis" <>
>To: <>
>Sent: Wednesday, August 16, 2000 9:46 PM
>Subject: Re: sad news about the courthouse museum
>
>
>> Pardon me? No one has the power to close the doors of a courthouse, or
>> access to public historical records....
>>
>> Harrison Co., Texas is historical !! Can you tell me more about the
>> problem? I've NEVER heard of such a thing !! Texas has always been big
>on
>> historical information......
>>
>> Does your mayor or town council have an email address???
>>
>> Jan Curtis
>
>
>
>
>

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