by Judy Nichols
The Cedar County Historical Society met at the museum in Stockton for the first time since February due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Only President Judy Nichols, Vice President Judith Cain, Board Member Bob Phillips and Chris Barber were able to attend. However, a quorum of three board members was met so the meeting continued.

Since the treasurer and secretary were not able to attend, President Judy Nichols acted as a substitute for the secretary and also read the treasurer’s report. Since there was no quarterly report submitted due to the pandemic, newly elected treasurer, Anna Hopkins, recalculated the reports from February through July, 2020. Judy Nichols filed the annual non-profit registration report with the Secretary of State and Anna Hopkins filed the 990-N with the Internal Revenue Service.

Members made a final decision to hold a garage sale in the museum during the Black Walnut Festival and not rent booth space in the park this year. The museum will be open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 and 26. It was also decided that masking would be encouraged, but optional and social distancing would be monitored with hand sanitizer available at the guest sign-in table.

Judy Nichols talked with the Sertoma Club which organizes the Black Walnut Festival. They noted that they had over 100 registrations for booths so far this year and that the festival would go on as planned unless it is restricted at a later date. The theme for the parade on Saturday will be, “Rockin Our Groovy 60th Festival.”

The Society would like to remind members and friends of the society to save Best Choice and Clearly Organic brand labels. The funds that the society receives from the Save-A-Label program helps us meet our obligations. Please try to save and submit them. For your convenience, they may be mailed to our post office box address.

CCHS submitted two photos of the Caplinger Mill to the Mo Lottery for their 2021 retailer and players calendar. If they print one of the photos on the calendar the Society will receive a few copies. No date has been set to announce the 12 winners.

Judy Nichols has been updating and repairing some of the old notebooks and folders in the research archives. She is still scanning and copying the 1902-1924 register of the Nafus Funeral Home, located in Stockton. It is a very slow process due to the fragile condition of the book. The funeral home was established in Stockton and later moved to El Dorado Springs when George merged his business with his daughter’s funeral home on Main Street.

Sometime during the past week, a photo fell from the wall in the museum and landed on the old 1800’s hammered dulcimer. The photo was not damaged, but the dulcimer had three broken strings, four tuning pegs and pins were displaced and a large gash was scored in the soundboard. It has been repaired except for the strings that were too rusty to reconnect.

Donations since February: Judy Hembree and Deborah Hanson donated photos and memorabilia from the Hembree Family. Claud Hoffman donated a small assortment of coins that he collected over the years to be sold or retained by the society. It was decided to place them in the safe deposit box at the bank until a decision could be made. Claud also donated copies of his books for the research library and to sell and many items for the garage sale. The Stockton School donated 10 notebooks of old newspaper articles pertaining to historical events at the school. The books had been donated to the school in years past, but they did not know the name of the donor. Gene Walden donated three books, The Wonder City and two Progressive El Dorado Springs and Cedar County that were by the same author and title, but the contents were different. Bob Phillips donated a book by Thomas Hart Benton, An Artist in America, several pairs of baby shoes, a baby bracelet, a very old doll, a vintage wool cap, two vintage ladies silk purses, a woven tablecloth and a vintage Superior Super-Lectric electric heater. Chris Barber donated a cookbook, Expansion With Cooking, published by the Cedar County Memorial Hospital staff, circa 1980’s.

Our best wishes go to our members, families and friends as the Covid-19 pandemic continues. We look forward to healthier a more prosperous future. We thank you all for your support and donations to our Society that helps keep our museum open and our local history available for future generations.

The next monthly meeting will begin at 1 p.m. Sept. 28, at the museum. The museum is open during monthly meetings and will resume bi-monthly open hours on Oct. 10 and 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission to the museum is free, however the Historical Society and museum are not tax funded and operate on donations from the public. Meetings are open to the public and free coffee is provided. The museum is wheel chair accessible. For information, appointments or to purchase publications, call 417-276-1142. Contact the Society by email at cedarcomohistsoc@gmail.com, visit our Facebook page at “Cedar County Mo Historical Society” or by mail at P.O. Box 111, Stockton, MO 65785.