• Snowman Donations: Sandi Storm has received many snowman decorations, and funds raised from the sale of these snowmen will be donated to RCHS.  From time to time, you will see snowmen set-up in front of the historical society library.  When you see them, please stop in, make a donation, and take one of them home with you! All items will be $10 or less.

• John Ralls Donation: The donated gun is being evaluated by Jimmy Shoemate.  Documents from the donation continue to be transcribed.  Delores shared a copy of Nancy Ralls’s obituary.  Nancy was the 2nd wife of John Ralls.  As documents are transcribed, they are uploaded to the website at https://www.rallscohistoricalsociety.com/research-spotlight/john-ralls-documents.

• Fort Mason Project:  Progress continues to be made.  Donations may be made to the County of Ralls, PO Box 400, New London, MO 63459.  Please include “Fort Mason Monument Project” in the memo.  Questions may be emailed to bdexhei@gmail.com.

• Center Depot Request:  After last month’s meeting, Delores shared with the City of Center the consensus that we didn’t feel we should be determining who uses the depot, as we don’t pay the insurance, utilities, or upkeep on the facility.  The City asked us to attend the October meeting, and Delores, Ron, and Mary attended.  The City feels that since RCHS has a 99-year lease on the facility, we are responsible for ensuring that the depot is accessed and used appropriately.  They want to see student visits, train days, and open house events at the depot.  Tom Ingram and Christie Franke agreed to be board contacts for this partnership.  Once guidelines are established, Delores will share them with Branten Ingram, City Clerk.  The following draft proposal was developed and will be shared with the Center City Council for feedback.

  • Ralls County Historical Society, Center City Council, the City of Center, or Friends of the Shortline Railroad must sponsor all events held at the depot to preserve, honor, and celebrate our county’s history.  Requests to use the depot may be made to Ron Leake (rwleake@aol.com), Delores Woodhurst (dvwoodhurst@gmail.com), Sharon Lake (shabones@gmail.com), or Mary Jackson (auntb810@gmail.com).  A list of upcoming dates will be shared monthly with Branten Ingram who will share the information with the City Council.  Upcoming events will also be shared at monthly meetings of the RCHS.  Future goals for the depot include 1)) ensuring the facility and artifacts are preserved and protected, 2) with help of volunteers, establishing regular hours when the depot will be open for visitors, and 3) developing a curriculum to allow students to visit the depot and learn about Ralls County’s railroad history.  There will be a donation box and a guest book at the depot.  

• Missouri Mule Museum:  On Thursday, October 10, 2024, RCHS purchased the building formerly known as Western Auto from the Diffenderfer family.  All funds for the purchase of the building, as well as upgrades to the building and all future expenses associated with the building will be paid for by an endowment from Jim and Jeanie Gay.  No membership dues will be used to pay for expenses associated with the Missouri Mule Museum.  Dues will continue to fund the RCHS museum and library, along with other needs of the Society.  The partnership between RCHS and the Gays ensures that even when Jimmie and Jeanie Gay are gone, funds will be provided to RCHS for the mule museum’s upkeep, including insurance, utilities, and other incidentals.  This project will help the financial needs of RCHS, as after the museum is functioning, RCHS will have space to move some of our library and museum items to the building, freeing up the need to pay rent and utilities on the current library.  RCHS will continue to rent the current building from Anthony Elam until the process is complete and items are ready to move, which may be some time.  Now that the property has been purchased, Jeanie Gay will begin the upgrade process, which includes adding a bathroom to the building.  At this time, no estimated date for the Grand Opening has been established.

• Perry Bank Restoration:  Work continues on this project.

• Adult History Preservation:  When someone passes away, an entire library of memory and information is lost.  Delores shared guidelines that can be used when senior citizens are interviewed.  If you would like to do interviews of senior citizens, or if you would like to be interviewed, please contact Delores Woodhurst or Carolyn Trower.

• Preserving County Documents and other artifacts: 

  • Update from Brandy Flynn:  Brandy has been in communication with Ethan Starr and Andrew Dial from the State Historic Preservation Office/Missouri DNR, as well as Martin Meyer, an architectural lead at Hutchison Engineering, who has extensive experience with historical properties and grants.  Additionally, she has spoken with Mike Martin, co-owner of Martin General Contractors, who is well versed in the restoration of historical properties.  Currently, Martin and Mike are collaborating on a historical project in Pike County. Martin Meyer has expressed his willingness to assist with the grant process.  Brandy is considering applying for the Save America’s Treasures grant, which is aimed at the historic preservation of Ralls County Old Sheriff and Jail House, and the Courthouse.  Her understanding is that this is a cost-share program that could provide funding of up to $750,000.00.  Let’s hope we can successfully restore our jail to it former condition. 

  • On a separate note, Brandy has contacted Daniel Britt, EDF Renewables site manager, regarding the Huck Finn Solar project that is finishing up in the Ralls and Audrain area. They discussed a potential donation to the Ralls County Historical Society and Fort Mason Monument Project.  Mr. Britt asked Brandy to send him an email with information on the Ralls County Historical Society and Fort Mason Monument project.  She provided the information, and Mr. Britt sent a follow up email on October 2nd saying, “I have shared this with the right people that oversee donations and community involvement. I have seen email traffic on it and will keep you up to date as I learn more. Thank you!”.

  • Update from Tara Comer:  222 World War I records are scanned and saved on a thumb drive for the Historical Society.  Delores will be posting these document on the Historical Society’s website.  Tara saved the files by last name, first name and place of birth. If a soldier had a relation in another war, she made a note of which war.  She also shared an Excel sheet with questions on some names.  She is hoping someone will recognize the names and provide corrections.  (UPDATE:  These items have been posted at https://www.rallscohistoricalsociety.com/courthouse-artifacts/wwi-service-records)

• RCHS Treasurer Position:  Sharon Lake has resigned her position as the Treasurer of our organization.  If you are interested in this position, please contact Delores Woodhurst.

• Richard S. Brownlee Missouri Local History Grant:  Recently, RCHS was notified that its application for this grant was funded.  The State Historical Society of Missouri honors a long-time former SHSMO Executive Director, Dr. Richard S. Brownlee, by making grants available in his name to help Missouri cultural heritage institutions preserve and provide access to local history. The $500 grant for the preservation of historical records will provide a laptop, scanner, cables, surge protector, and thumb drives to establish a technology station at the museum or library.  The technology will be used by volunteers to scan and preserve documents and other artifacts.  It may also be used by patrons as they complete research.   In accepting this award we are agreeing to the following conditions:

  •  The project must start after November 1, 2024, and be completed by October 31, 2024.

  • All events or publicity associated with your project must include the statement, “Funding made available through the State Historical Society of Missouri Richard S. Brownlee Missouri Local History Grant.”

  • A final report must be submitted through the online grant report form or by emailing shsmocenter@shsmo.org by October 31, 2025.  The report should be no more than one page describing how the award has been spent and how it has benefited your organization.  Before and after photographs of the project are appreciated.

• Committees:  At the September meeting, Bill Dexheimer suggested the creation of various committees.  The following list of committees was shared at today’s meeting.  A name behind the committee indicates that an individual is willing to fill the position.  If you would like to fill a position, please contact Delores Woodhurst.

• Publicity

• Adult History

• Cemetery (Sandi Storm & Mary Jackson)

• Schools (Carolyn Trower)

• Student Internship (Delores Woodhurst)

• Gratitude:  Thank you notes (Sandi Storm)

• Mail Newsletters and other items to people who prefer mail

• Quincy Community Foundation Grant Opportunity

• Billboard Space

• Someone to attend city council and county commissioner meetings as a representative of RCHS

• Fundraiser Options:  

  • Mom Prom:  Brandy Flynn, Chairperson

  • Chili Cookoff: Possibly Brad Stinson

  • Calendar Sales: This will be a discussion in January, looking toward the publication of a 2026 calendar.  Ideas for the calendar included listing city council meetings, county commissioner’s meetings, events held throughout the county.  A tabletop book will be considered after the first calendar comes to fruition.

  • American Flag Sales:  Perry VFW sells American made flags, so this will not be a project for RCHS.  If you need a flag, please contact Tommy Trower.

  • Development of a Ralls County Flag:  Guidelines for a contest to design and sell a Ralls County flag will be discussed in November.

• SCSEP  RCHS is approved as a host site for the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).  SCSEP is a work-based training program for older Americans to build/enhance/update job skills to be able to look for and find a job. To be eligible, SCSEP applicants must be at least 55 years old, unemployed, meet the income requirements, have low employment prospects, and need job skills training.  Visit the website below for more information and to apply: ttps://ser-national.org/.../scsep-application-for-services/  

• Communication: We will use Remind to share information about the Historical Society, including meeting information. To sign up, text @chk3kad to 81010. If you’re having trouble with 81010, try texting @chk3kad to (415) 749-9891. Standard text message rates apply.  

• Taxes and Other Paperwork:The sales tax exemption application was emailed, and we have been asked to re-submit the application because page one was missing.  We must also amend our bylaws to add a dissolution clause.  The clause is currently in our constitution, but the state requires it be in our bylaws.

Article VI:  DISSOLUTION

Upon the dissolution of this organization, assets shall be distributed for one or more exempt purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or corresponding section of any future federal tax code, or shall be distributed to the federal government, or to the state or local government, for a public purpose.

Mary Jackson made a motion to add the dissolution statement to our bylaws.  Helen Bunn seconded. Motion passed.

• Clothing:  Delores has asked South Lake Design to propose polos and t-shirts featuring the Ralls County Historical Society. As soon as she receives the information, she will share it at a monthly meeting.

• Student Internship Program: Program information has been shared to our Facebook page, and the information will be in this week’s newspaper. Delores sent a copy of the program guidelines to Adria Palmer and Jill McCann, school counselors at Mark Twain, and Samantha Krankka and Deacon Windsor, principals at Mark Twain.  We have already received one inquiry from a high school student.  Adults who wish to supervise students must have a DHSS background check completed before meeting independently with students. If you are interested in supervising students, please let Delores know so we can complete the background check.  RCHS will pay for the background check, which currently costs $15. We will also continue to seek donors to support at least one scholarship application each year.

• Area Historical Society Conference:  For several years, we have tried to organize a meeting of individuals from area historical societies, and the group decided to try once again.  Brandy Flynn said that the conference room at the courthouse will hold approximately 50 people, and she is also willing to find someone to cater the event.  Using a list generated from the State Historical Society of Missouri, Delores emailed contacts from Northeast Missouri.  Most of these emails were returned as undeliverable.  Delores will work with Brandy Flynn to find a date for this meeting.

• Establishing an online money collection system: To make it easier for people to pay membership dues and make donations, RCHS may need to look at setting up an online transfer service, such as Paypal and/or Venmo.  While both of these services charge fees, this may be an option to capture a new audience.  No decision was made to proceed with this.  At this time, we will continue to accept payments via cash or checks.

• Payment of Bills with Receipts: None were presented.  

• Public Outreach Opportunities

  • Our 50th year anniversary will be in 2026 or 2027, and we need to start planning soon.  Other upcoming events include:

    • When the city does its Trunk or Treat event, Ron will have the museum open.  We’ll buy one bag of candy to give out.

    • Perry Holiday Market, Nov. 23

    • Perry Small Town Christmas, December 7 

    • Perry Trivia Night (March 2025)

    • Perry All Town Garage Sales (May 23-24, 2025)

    • Perry Easter Egg Hunt (April 19, 2025)

    • Center Easter Egg Hunt (April 19, 2025

    • New London Park Days (June 6-7, 2025)

    • Perry Parking Lot Party (June 2025)

    • Perry Fourth of July (July 4, 2025)

    • Center Park Day (August 1-2, 2025)

    • Perry All Town Garage Sales (August 29-30, 2025)

• President’s Update:  We are in dire need of volunteers.  If you would like to volunteer, please contact Ron Leake at rwleake@aol.com or 573-248-6147.  Ron will try to attend as many city council meetings and commissioners meetings throughout the county.  Anyone that wishes to join him, or attend on behalf of RCHS, please do so.

Financial Information as of 9/30/2024:  Ending balance $77,877.00

Account Balances:  9/30/2024

Missouri Mule Museum 

Beginning Balance:  $           0.00

    Debits:                  $           0.00

    Credits:                 $  70,000.00

Ending Balance:       $  70,000.00

General Account

Beginning Balance:  $   5,529.60

     Debits:                 $      293.23

     Credits:                $   2,640.63

Ending Balance:       $   7,877.00

Executive Committee (15 members): Blank spots below indicate vacancies in our executive committee that we need to fill.  If you are interested in being a representative on the executive committee, please contact Delores Woodhurst at 573-248-7445 or dvwoodhurst@gmail.com.

• Officers (5)

  • President: Ron Leake

  • Vice-President:  Delores Woodhurst

  • Secretary:  Carolyn Trower

  • Treasurer: 

  • Historian: 

• Directors (10)

  • Center Township: 

  • Spencer Township: Gina Jameson

  • Salt River Township:  Cindy Lynn

  • Jasper Township: Lola McDonald

  • Saline Township: 

  • Clay Township: 

  • Saverton Township: Bill Dexheimer 

  • Perry:  Jeanie Gay 

  • Center: Mary Jackson

  • New London: Brad Stinson

Next Meeting: RCHS's next meeting will be Wednesday, November 20, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Perry City Hall. The public is invited and encouraged to attend.  The January meeting will be broadcast via Facebook Live or similar media.  The meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m.

February 2023 Newsletter:  Click here!

Click here to see all photos and videos from the 2023 lasagna supper!

Physical Address:

Ralls County Historical Museum 

105 East Main Street

Perry, MO 63462

Ralls County Historical Library

124 East Main Street

Perry, MO 63462

Mailing Address:

Ralls County, Missouri Historical Society

PO Box 463

Perry, MO 63462