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TAHS Newsletter/Website Updates

Mar 31, 2010

Happy Spring everyone.
DUES: Your annual dues are due for the 2010/2011 season. Membership run from May 1, 2010 to April 30, 2011. Please remit ASAP to TAHS, P. O. Box 154, Tampico, IL 61283 (Attention: Joan Johnson).

TAHS President, Joan Johnson, was named to the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission. The Commission will organize events to celebrate the 100th birthday of President Ronald Reagan, who was born in Tampico, IL on February 6, 1911. This will be a very BIG event for Tampico and your help is needed. Festivities will begin on Feb. 4, 2011. Please consider helping in this historic event and if you can help in any way, or have any ideas to share, please contact Joan Johnson ASAP:
815-438-7581, (c) 815-622-8705 or email garyjoan@thewisp.net

Duane Thompson has done a wonderful job repairing and painting the exterior window areas of the library building. Duane is our "glue" to keep the TAHS in good physical condition. YOUR donations and memberships are the glue that allows us to continue to preserve & archive the wonderful history of this area and her people. Please consider becoming a member.

REPORTS: THPAC - At the January, 2010 meeting of THPAC, the members decided they would all resign from the organization and carry on with their goals via the Tampico Area Historical Society. Updated: The group met in April and will talk with another Historic Preservation Committe in Morrison before resigning.

HISTORICAL MARKER IN TAMPICO: The Historical Society has been contacted by the Illinois State Historical Society to place a “State Marker” in Tampico. Cost of the marker for 150 words is $3,000. The state group has offered to pay up to 2/3rds of the cost. Joan has approached the Village Board and they have given permission to put the marker in Reagan Park and will see to getting the post and putting it into the ground according to specifications. A Dedication Ceremony is scheduled for October 9th to post an offical "historical marker" in Reagan Park. Details to follow. Donations are also needed for this project. Please contact Joan Johnson for more details or to contribute to this fund. 815-438-7581, garyjoan@thewisp.net

The TAHS will offer the "Adopt-a-Grave" program for the annual Tampico Memorial Day Cemetery Walk. The program is designed to help make the cemeteries look nice and gives folks a chance to adopt a gravesite that may no longer have family to help dress them up. Small - $5.00, Med. $10, Lg. $15 or Saddle - $25. TO ORDER: 815-438-7581 (photo of arrangements): http://picasaweb.google.com/TampicoHistoricalSociety/TampicoMemorialDayCemeteryWalk2010?feat=directlink

TAMPICO MEMORIAL CEMETERY WALK: The Walk will be held Monday, May 31, 2010, beginning in the St. Mary's Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. and finishing in the Memorial Cemetery. The Renner families will be represented in the TMC by James & Rhonda (Renner) Reece. The Darby families will be represented by Gene Wright and the Michael Egan families will be represented by Sharon Callaghan in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. The Tampico American Legion will display their Avenue of Flags in both cemeteries and start each Cemetery Walk with a prayer and Gun Salute. In case of inclement weather, we will meet at the Community Bldg. on Market Street in Tampico.

REAGAN 100TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Plans for the 100th Birthday Celebration, Feb, 2011, of Ronald Reagan are underway. Your input and help is wanted and needed for this extravaganza! If you can help in any way, please contact Joan Johnson, 815-438-7581, (c) 815-622-8705 or garyjoan@thewisp.net

RONALD REAGAN STATUE: We now have a separate website dedicated to the Ronald Reagan Statue Fund. Please take a moment to check it out at the following URL: http://www.reaganstatue.org/index.html This project has been a dream of many, particularly Lloyd & Amy McElhiney. Please help us achieve this goal in Amy's lifetime. You will also find a link to it from the Ronald Reagan page on our website. The site is very well done and gives a great overview of the what the statue will look like, where it will be located, etc. Please check it out: http://www.reaganstatue.org/index.html

RONALD REAGAN BIRTHPLACE & MUESEUM: The Birthplace is now open seven days/week for tours. The hours of operation are Mon - Saturday, 10:00 to 4:00 p.m. and Sunday, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. If you would like a tour during other hours, please contact Volunteer Coordinator Joan Johnson to make arrangements - 815-438-7581, (c) 815-622-8705 or garyjoan@thewisp.net.

THE TAMPICO AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY (TAHS) - Open only by appointment or by chance. If you would like to volunteer a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday from 1:00-4:00 p.m., please contact President Joan Johnson @ 815-438-7581 or volunteer Family History Coodinator, Denise McLoughlin @ 815-590=2143 or tampicohistoricalsociety@gmail.com.

MESSAGE BOARDS: http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com/Message_Board.html
Ron Rosenow is looking for a 1954 THS year book. You can respond on the message board or contact the historical society. http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com/board/board_topic/23882/585375.htm

THERE’S STILL TIME…..

•   May 20, 2010, 12:30 - Tampico Area Long Range Planning Committee (TALRPC) to be held in the back room of the Good Times tap on Main Street. This is an umbrella group for area businesses, organizations & private individuals to express ideas, inform community of up-coming events, & to coordinate efforts of the community and its citizens. Open to all. Meeting starts at 12:30 p.m. If you want to eat lunch, arrive earlier. Contact: Terry Gaskill, president 815-535-3665
•   May 25, 2010, 7 p.m. - Tampico Area Historical Society regular meeting. Your Membership dues are due for the 2010-2011 year. Please remit to the TAHS, P.O.Box 154, Tampico, IL 61283 - Attn: Joan Johnson. $10/individual, $15/family, $50/one-time for 50+ and $50/business (includes dedicated web page for your business). We will be inspecting the Farm Museum to assess what is needed and how to achieve it. Please dress accordingly.
•   May 31, 2010, 10:00 a.m. - The annual Tampico Memorial Day Cemetery Walk, in conjunction with the Tampico American Legion, Post 574. The Legion will display the AVENUE OF FLAGS in each cemetery. Program begins in the St. Mary's Catholic Cemetery. Families to be honored will be:
Charles DARBY & sons – Local merchants which included a tailor shop & a barber shop. “Hub” was the Post Master. All of the sons were veterans of WWI. Presented by Prof. Gene Wright
Descendants of Michael EGAN (1848-1913) - presented by Dr. Sharon Callaghan.
The Walk will end in the Memorial Cemetery. Honored families will be
John R. RENNER (1842-1925) – son of Wm. Renner who was the founder of Deer Grove, IL. He was a Civil War veteran and a prisoner at Andersonville Confederate Prison. He was a Commissioner & landowner in Hahnaman Township. Presented by James Reese
Ellen (nee: Cronin) WELCH (1845-1916) – Born in Ireland and moved to Tampico in 1872, being the first family to travel over the newly built railroad into Tampico. Presented by gggranddaughter, Rhonda Renner Reese. Contact: Denise McLoughlin, 815-590-2143, tampicohistoricalsociety@gmail.com, or Joan Johnson, president @ 815-438-7581 or garyjoan@thewisp.net
HEADS UP for future events:
•   June 24, 2010 - Kick off Tampico Days with Game Night - Details TBA
•   June 25, 26, 27 - TAMPICO DAYS! Details to follow later
•   June 27, 1:00 p.m. - PARADE Entry forms for Parade can be picked up at Ronald Reagan Birthplace in Tampico - parade form: http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com/calendar/calendar_day/22558/2010-6-27.htm
•   October 9, 2010 - Dedication of an Historic Marker to be placed in the Reagan Park. Donations & questions can be directed to Joan Johnson, coordinator of the Reagan Birthplace & Museum. 815-438-7581, 815-622-8705.
OBITUARIES (Many THANKS to Melva Taylor for her contributions! – I have many, many more to upload) http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com/Obit_Index.html
Alma ANDERSON; Emma BRANDAU; Charles DARBY, Jr.; Charles DARBY, Sr.; Hubert DARBY; Walter B. FOY; Wilbur HANSEN or HANSON; Barbara Ann HARMS; John J. KERBER; Earl M. LUTYENS; Marie NIELSEN; L. J. PETERSON; Minerva SKARRITT; Yvonne A. TUCKER;
KUDOS to:
•   Our friend, Janet Goodell of Prophetstown. She has been sending photos of the grave stones from the Riverside & Leon cemeteries. I will upload them to our Picasa web albums as time allows. Important note: The search engine on our website does NOT index the names listed in the Picasa web albums. From our TABLE OF CONTENTS, scroll down to “Picasa Web Albums” and click the link to all of the albums (I have not finished linking to individual albums yet!) http://picasaweb.google.com/TampicoHistoricalSociety Select the album of choice to open. You can then use the “control F” to find the name you are seeking. If you have any problems, feel free to contact me at the tampicohistoricalsociety@gmail.com or ddm1050@hotmail.com You can also contact me by cell phone: 815-590-2143.
•   Melva Taylor. Melva has been transcribing obits & marriages from the Sterling Gazette and sending them to us for the website for several years. She lives out of state, orders the microfilm through her library and transcribes them for us. That’s a lot of “volunteer” work and we so appreciate her efforts. Our Tampico Tornado newspaper stopped publishing in 1966, so Melva concentrates on the years after the Tornado ended. I cannot keep up with all of the obits she sends at one time, but I promise they will get uploaded eventually.
In an effort to get the above information out to everyone, I am going to end this newsletter. I will do an update after our Memorial Day Cemetery Walk.
Don’t forget to submit your annual dues if you have not done so. If you are not sure, contact Joan Johnson, garyjoan@thewisp.net or call: 815-438-7581. Your prompt attention to this is greatly appreciated and allows us to continue to safely archive Tampico’s history. Thank you!

(updates to follow soon - thanks for your patience & understanding)

Denise McLoughin
Volunteer Family History Coordinator
Tampico Area Historical Society
www.tampicohistoricalsociety.com
tampicohistoricalsociety@gmail.com

TAMPICO AREA HISTORICAL SOCIETY - MUSEUM - FAMILY HISTORY LIBRARY/RESEARCH CENTER  119 Main St., P. O. Box 154,  Tampico, IL  61283   www.tampicohistoricalsociety.com   tampicoareahistory@gmail.com  We are an all-volunteer organization so your donations are always appreciated!  Sign up to receive our e-newsletter. Thank you!  Visit us on FACEBOOK.