Saving History

The fourth of July came and went here in Greensboro. An uneventful day,all told. No parade and no fireworks. The fireworks were held Friday night. I worked half a day at the store. Not much one can say about it all.
I did join the Greensboro chapter of the Caroline County Historical Society. I attended my first meeting last night. Attendance,as you might expect,was minimal. The society maintains a log cabin for public viewing and I was named Docent of the cabin. This cabin is almost directly across the street from my home. I am more than happy to have it open every Sunday afternoon for visitors.
The society has a few projects underway. I will involve myself in them to the extent possible. After all,I am from away and it will take time to fit in. I have a lot of history to learn about this town I now call home. As in most small towns there are a few " core " families that have been here many generations. Most of them own businesses or large farms in the area. And of course,there are the iconic families,that you had best not say anything untoward about. I will learn these nuances with time.
At last nights meeting I did a lot of listening. I don't recall the sage who said it but, " I never learned anything while talking " and that is certainly true. I listened carefully. I am hoping sometime in the future I can shed new light upon some of their old problems. A different view can sometimes help.
From the meeting I did learn their biggest complaint was a lack of interest from the community at large. I can understand that, as when I was younger I didn't appreciate history as I do now. Community involvement is key. Somehow I think the society needs to make their presence known. I found them on the internet quite by accident. It was there that they had asked for volunteers to keep the cabin open. Some years ago the town celebrated " Founders Day " every fall with historic artifacts on display,people wearing period clothing and a parade. A couple years ago that was changed to, Fall Fest. Now it is still a parade but no history stuff involved. The only involvement will be having the museum and cabin open. There will be vendors galore at the carnival grounds and a DJ.
It is a shame but the young people want a " festival " not an old fogeys day. That is just the way it is. At any rate I'm excited to be the newest member of the society. I'm looking forward to helping out and preserving some history !

The Cabin ( circa 1850)