Reports

The town historian just returned from the Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge TN where he officiated at the annual Titanic Remembrance Service- a service of remembrance for all aboard Titanic, staff, crew and passengers’ all of who are gone now.

Acquisition:
From the Leighton’s various articles on Dr. Mary and two letters of Charles Gray of Oswego Town who went in the Civil War and never returned home. Also the letter from the chaplain to Mr. Gray telling of his son’s death.

The annual cemetery walk is this Sat. at 6″30 pm. 
Three of the graves visited will be of three Oswego Town boys in the Civil War who never returned alive. Brief excerpts of their letter home will be read at the grave sites. The walk will conclude in candle

The Town Historian visited Gettysburg on the 150th anniversary of the battle and laid wreaths at the 147th NYV Oswego monument on behalf of the County and the Walker-Spencer Tent Daughters of Union Veterans July 1.

The annual Town Ice Cream Social sponsored by the Town Historical Society will be held this Wed. July 10 at 6:30. Ice Cream is given by Rudy’s.
The Shortslef brothers of Sterling will provide the entertainment.

Memorial Day service was held on the national Memorial Day The Rev. Richard Sivers was the main speaker. He spoke of a local town resident serving in the Civil War, a great uncle George Bradway. George was killed in a battle in Hartsville, Mo in 1863 and his body returned to Oswego Town where he rests. Sivers’s remarks were based on letters that George wrote home. 

A long overdue thanks to the Highway Dept. esp. Jeremy Wilcox for the painting of the historical marker at the site of Dr. Mary’s house on Bunker Hill.

Acquisitions:
Bible from dr. Mary’s estate ( a gift from Tom and Shirley Worden of Wash. state) that the Dr. obtained from the Lacy mansion after the battle of Fredericksburg in 1862. The mansion was converted into a hospital for Union soldiers where she worked. Mary wrote in the Bible how she obtained it. 

An item from the Place estate–Minutes of the California Lyceum a debate club consisting of residents of the California Rd. now Co. Rt. 20. James Lee, a Medal of Honor recipient, was the secretary of this group 1866.

The June meeting of the Historical Society will be at the home of George DeMass, 199 DeMass Rd. 6 pm. It will be a picnic meeting and the discussion will center on the past residents of the road. 

Monday, July 1 at Gettysburg, Pa. in connection with the 150th. anniversary of the battle, the Town Historian will conduct a wreath laying ceremony at the Oswego County monument of the 147th. NYV. the ceremony will be at 11 am and the public is invited. 

The Historical Society. has purchased a digital frame in which the pictures of the town’s living veterans will be placed and on display in the entrance of the Town Hall.

The Town Historian spoke at the Sunrise Rotary on Dr. Mary Walker.

ARCADIA Publishing accepted the Town Historian’s proposal for a book on the town of Oswego and Dr. Mary. It will include 180-220 pictures and descriptive texts. The book should be ready by Christmas 2013.

The next Hist. Society meeting will be Wed. May 15th 6:30 pm. The topic will be the 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The annual Memorial Day serivce at Oswego town Rural will be Monday May 27th. 10 am with the Rev. Rick Siviers as guest speaker.

Plans are being formed for a ceremony Mon. July 1 at the Oswego Co. monument at Gettysburg to comemmorate the 150th anniversary of the battle. 

The plans are being done by our Town Historian one of the few surviving members of the centennial committee fifty years ago.

As Town Historian I will represent the Town at the ceremony for Dr. Mary Walker sponsored by the Medal of Honor Grove this Thurs. March 14, 2013 near Valley Forge, PA.

I will speak at the N. Y . State Library in April for a book review A MEDAL FOR MARY by Polly Craig

Justin White, Co. Historian and I will do a presentation on Dr. Mary at the N Y State Conference for Historians in Syracuse in April

The first meeting 2013 of the Oswego Town Hist. Soc. will be Wed. March 20 6:30 pm It will be an Open House to view the newly compiled volumes on local history and to discover what the Society offers. The 2013 program brochure will be available.

Seven inquiries have come to the Town Historian’s desk in the last month—inquires that include Dr. Mary, the amusement park across from Rudy’s, burials at Rural Cemetery and info. on Mentro and Russell Streets near the college–roads no longer in existence.

One large acquisition: a chair from Dr. Mary’s Bunker Hill home from the auction in the 1920’s purchased by Harger Woodworth Sr. and given to the Hist. Society by Harger Woodworth Jr.

A Historical Society program brochure is being produced with topics for the 2013 season.

The first meeting will be Wed. March 20 6:30 pm. It will be an open house to”show off” the compiled archival material for research. Some items of Dr. Jerome Coe a prominent Syracuse physician and Oswego Town Civil War vet will also be on display

Two new books featuring Dr. Mary Walker are now added to our library of books. 

A Medal For Dr. Mary donated and written by Polly Craig of Georgia. 

Medal of Honor 150 Years of the Courage and Sacrifice; an article on Dr. Mary Walker is featured in this magazine. 

Our next historical society event will be a candlelight cemetery walk at Rural Cemetery on Saturday September 8, 2012 at 6 PM, this will be honoring War of 1812 Veterans.

The Memorial Day was very rainy, but 35 attended including 2 World War II Veterans. We had positive comments regarding how nice the cemetery and garage were.

Some personal items of Dr. Mary Walker are on display at Richardson-Bates House.

Tim DeSacia has designed a safety protection guard for in front of the Walker Statue.

I am taking our boxed archived records and putting them in 3 ring binders for ease if anyone is doing research.

Our next historical meeting is June 20th at 6pm, town hall and the topic will be dairy, much and fruit farming in the town.

The Walker statue in front of town hall is geo-cached as well as her grave at Rural Cemetery. 

Plans for the dedication are proceeding. 

Posters are being made for publicity. 

A reception for dignitaries will be held at the Richardson-Bates House Friday evening 7 pm. Some of Dr. Walker’s personal effects including the Medal of Honor will be on display. 

342 A Bus Shuttle service courtesy of Allen Chase of Chase Enterprises has been acquired gratis for the event. 

The March meeting of the Historical . Society is this Sat. March 17, 10 am. The topic is TITANIC–100 YEARS LATER.

A new display ‘Houses of Rt. 104 West’ is being prepared for the bulletin board. Some of the pictures show 104 when it was dirt.

Plans for the statue dedication are proceeding on schedule. 

Sharon BuMann, the sculptor, has informed us of “patina” problems. She will remedy that. It is a foundry issue. 

The first meeting of the Historical Society will be Sat. February 18th , 10 am at the Town Hall. Topic of discussion is Nathaniel Laird, the oldest person to have lived in Oswego Town. He died in 1894 at age 111. His great-grandson is Norman Simmons of Fruit Valley. 

A brochure listing the 2012 events for the Society will be distributed. 

Dr. Walker’s second book, UNMASKED, is very rare. Just recently, three copies have appeared on a book site. I did secure one for my collection and eventually give that to our Archives here. 

I have been invited by the 150th. Anniversary committee of St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church in Oswego to share at the three Masses sometime in May about Dr. Walker and the Civil War.