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Open House Invitation.....
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The public is invited to an Open House to showcase the Almond
Historical Society’s new office and archives building at 7 Main Street on Sunday afternoon, May 6, from 1:30 to 5 p.m. At 3 p.m., Andy Phelan, of Norman, OK, will preview his new book, Becoming the Village Potter, which chronicles the life of his father,
Linn L. Phelan. An individual with many interests, Andy is a writer, curator and painter as well as an educator. He was educated at the Pratt Institute [BS, MFA] and at New York University (PhD), and is now retired from the University of Oklahoma, where he
was professor of art and Emeritus Director of the School of Art. Andy’s parents, Linn and Helene Phelan, were both leaders in the original group which founded the Almond Historical Society in 1965. Both were Alfred-Almond Central School teachers, and
together they served actively for decades as AHS archivist and author. Ever since the Hagadorn House was bequeathed to the Almond Historical Society in the early 1970s, a small upstairs bedroom had served as office/archives room. A pressing need for
more space and a gift from the Estate of Frances Burke Nash provided the impetus to move forward with plans for a new office building. Designed to resemble a one-room schoolhouse, the 28 x 42 building was recently completed, and is connected to the AHS
Hagadorn House meeting room by a walkway. A spacious work area, complete with computers, copier, file cabinets, storage cupboards and work tables enable Archivist Doris Montgomery and her volunteers to research historical facts and family information in
answer to many inquiries received through the website, email, and regular mail. More than a dozen file drawers contain hundreds of individual family folders of Almond residents, providing irreplaceable papers such as birth and death certificates,
newspaper clippings, photos, family tree data and charts, transcribed conversations, diaries and other pertinent information. These documents, rescued and donated by family members and clipped from newspapers by volunteers over the past 45 years, provide
invaluable assistance to those doing genealogy and historical research. A reading area is provided in the front, and features a collection of local authors’ books, including several by Helene Phelan, The Almond Story by John Reynolds and several of Arch
Merrill’s New York State history books. Scrapbooks spanning sixty years of Alfred-Almond alumni news, as well as Almond Lions Club, Sunday School basketball, and Almond Senior Citizens activities are also accessible for review. Also available for
perusal is an extensive collection Alfred-Almond Central School yearbooks, many family genealogies and local, County and New York State history books. A large work table presents an area for visitors to examine the contents of family files and work on
research projects. A collection of vintage framed marriage certificates and local pictures adorn the walls. Memorabilia documenting Almond’s past are displayed, including the Stillman Defiance Washer, ca. 1870, invented, manufactured and marketed by
Almond resident Ira Stillman, and a Protection Dry Powder Fire Extinguisher, manufactured in Almond by George Young at his Almond Chemical Company. Other local items include boxes from the White Bleach Company and the Helmer Cheese Company, and a
collection of tin ware. Items of highly collectible Linnwood pottery, handcrafted by the late Linn L. Phelan, will be on exhibit in the Hagadorn House. Refreshments will be served in the Hagadorn House fireplace room. Hosts for the event will be the AHS
board: President Lee A. Ryan, Vice president Helen Spencer, Treasurer Teresa Johnson, Secretary Donna B. Ryan, and directors Kim Costello, Mike Baker, Wayne Kellogg, Cindy Banker, Diane Davis, and Brad Hager. Archivist Doris Montgomery is assisted by
volunteers Kitty Baker, Barbara Bernstein, Sheryl House and Lillian Hanks. The Office building will be closed during Andy Phelan’s presentation, from 3 to 4 p.m.
