2004 News

Abbeville in 1894

December 11, 2004—Ken Dupuy's article, "Abbeville, Louisiana:  As It Was In 1894," has now been added to the website.  People who love the history of Abbeville will enjoy reading it.

Miniature Palms Hospital Buildings Have Arrived

December 10, 2004—The miniature Palms Hospital (Fenwick Sanitarium) buildings have finally arrived.  Hopefully, not everyone has given up on using them as Christmas gifts.  They will be offered for sale beginning Monday, December 13, 2004, at the Alliance Center, 108 S. State Street, and at the office of Theall Law Firm, 120 Peace Street, Abbeville, for $50.00 each.  Only 500 were ordered and they are expected to sell fast, so act quickly.  If you want to order by mail, go to the order form, print it out, and send it in with your payment.

This is the third building in the Vermilion Historical Society's Model Village Project.  So far, the models have been very well done, and the response from the public has been very favorable.  The first two buildings in the series, St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church and Bank of Abbeville, are also in stock and can be purchased for $50.00 each.

The Vermilion Parish Courthouse was very much in contention to be the third building in the series, but the prototype we received was not acceptable.  Due to the method of casting the models in molds, the large columns on the east and west porches of the courthouse could not be accommodated.  We have not yet given up on trying to find a method of miniaturizing the courthouse.

Warren Perrin Receives 2004 Pioneer Award

December 4, 2004—The 2004 recipient of the Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance Pioneer Award was Warren Perrin, attorney and president of CODOFIL.  Warren has worked tirelessly to advance the cause of people of Acadian descent.  A few years ago, he petitioned the Queen of England for an apology to the Acadian people for the Grand Derangement (the expulsion of French people from Nova Scotia preceding the Seven Years War, known in America as the French and Indian War).  To everyone's amazement, Queen Elizabeth in December of 2003 issued a proclamation of apology!

Obtaining the apology was just one of Perrin's many accomplishments.  He has just published a book, Acadian Redemption:  From Beausoleil Broussard to the Queen's Royal Proclamation, a definitive and scholarly account of the life of the main resistance fighter involved in the Cajun saga.  He has won numerous other awards from the U.S.A., Canada, and France, including the French National Order of Merit conferred by President Jacques Chirac.  You can read his entire biography by clicking here.

Among the speakers roasting and toasting Perrin at the award banquet at Magdalen Place were Mike Thompson, Kermit Bouillion, and Perrin's wife Mary Leonise Broussard.  Gary Theall led the final toast to the honoree with the following words:  "Warren, on behalf of all people of Acadian descent, we thank you for everything you have done for us.  May you live long and continue to reap the honors and awards that you so richly deserve!"

Perrin then delivered an eloquent acceptance speech, giving credit to many others who inspired and encouraged him along the way, not the least of which was his recently deceased cousin, Una Broussard Evans, who was also instrumental in the founding and development of the Vermilion Historical Society.

Death of Una Broussard Evans

October 11, 2004—I regret to announce the death of Una Broussard Evans, one of the founding members of the Vermilion Historical Society, and one of its pillars of strength throughout its existence. She died Sunday, October 10, 2004, after an extended period of failing health. Those who knew her will remember her determination, her perseverance, her dedication, and her unflagging energy.

She served many terms as president of the Society, and was the chairperson of the book committee for Volume 1 of the History of Vermilion Parish. It is primarily due to her guidance that the book saw the light of day and became a great success. It was also on her insistence that Volume 2 was undertaken and completed.

The list of her accomplishments is too extensive to be detailed here, but can be seen on page 554 of Volume 2. That page represents the only tribute page ever dedicated by the Vermilion Historical Society to one of its living board members. In 2003, as the publication date of Volume 2 loomed closer, the board unanimously voted to honor Una with that tribute page at a meeting that Una could not attend on account of her failing health. She knew nothing of it until the book was published.

The board of directors will carry on with Una always in mind, and will strive to live up to the high standards that she set for collecting, preserving, and disseminating the history of Vermilion Parish.

As written in 1878 by E. I. Addison, editor of the Meridional, upon the death of his sister-in-law, Ursule Blanchet Guegnon, "Her soul is freed from the troubles and cares of this world, and now rests with her God in Heaven."

Gary Theall.

The Old Library Building

September 1, 2004—The Vermilion Parish Library has recently moved into its new building on St. Victor Street in Abbeville, on the former site of the Palms Hospital (Fenwick Sanitarium). The old building facing Magdalen Square is now vacant. The City of Abbeville through Mayor Mark Piazza, the Main Street Project through Charlene Beckett, and the Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance, through President Elray Schexnaider, and others, have been lobbying the Police Jury not to sell the building, but to lease it to the City so that it could be converted to a welcome center, art gallery, and museum. Although the Police Jury owns the building, they want the Library Board to make the final decision as to what to do with the building. The Library Board recently spent a large portion of its capital improvement fund, and was leaning toward selling the building to replace those funds.

The mayor, Beckett, Schexnaider, a large group of citizens, and several police jurors attended the meeting of the Library Board on September 1, 2004. The police jurors present expressed their preference that the building be used to provide the most good to the most people. New Library Board member Betty Fuller made the motion that the Board negotiate with the City for a lease, sale to the City, or lease purchase agreement, and the motion carried. If an agreement can be reached, the City will be able to secure a large grant to renovate the building, provide handicapped access, and provide outside-accessible rest rooms, which would be very beneficial for all of the events held on Magdalen Square. The Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance, of which the Vermilion Historical Society is a member, would move its art gallery-museum to the building. This would be very good for the Society, as there are people who have collections of historical photographs, documents, and artifacts that they are willing to donate provided that we have a safe and permanent location to store and display them.

On behalf of the Society, I have sent our thanks to Betty Fuller.

Gary.

Death of a Vermilion Parish Prodigy

July 23, 2004—It is with a heavy heart that I write this obituary of my good friend, James E. Fontenot, who died this morning from a liver problem that had menaced him off and on since childhood.  James was in my opinion the most talented person ever to emerge from Vermilion Parish.  He was my friend since high school, and my wife's friend since college.

His greatest love was music.  He could play most instruments, from oboe to organ, from harpsichord to bagpipes, and many in between.  He never stopped looking for new areas of music to explore.  Music was one of his three majors in college.  The other two were history and literature.

He was probably the most well-known and well-respected French-speaking Cajun in the world.  He could speak and write true French beautifully, and for several years he conducted a television program on public television for CODOFIL (En Francais) during which only French was spoken.  Sometimes he interviewed people who spoke real French, and sometimes he interviewed Cajuns.  He was the ultimate authority in this region on difficult questions of French translation.  He also knew Spanish, Latin, German, and Russian. Like musical instruments, he was always looking for new languages to learn.

He earned his living as a lawyer.  Although the legal profession is not held in high esteem today, James was always and forever a completely honest, extremely competent attorney.  He knew more about the history of Louisiana law than almost any other attorney.  He did all of his legal work himself, not relying on associates, paralegals, or secretaries.

As if all this were not enough, he was also deeply involved in the performing arts.  He was the primary force behind the Abbey Players.  The fact that the Abbey Players group has succeeded for so many years while little theater groups in larger cities have withered and died must be credited largely to James's force and vision.

Although he was deeply interested in history, he did not initially join our Vermilion Historical Society. In fact, in our early years he jokingly referred to us as the "hysterical society."  After the publication of Volume 1 of our history book, he began to take us more seriously, and after the publication of Volume 2 he had developed so much respect for us that he became a lifetime member—a membership that has proved all too short. His lifetime membership was the best indicator I can think of that we must be doing something right.  Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to benefit from his vast knowledge of Cajun history, U.S. history, European history, and Mexican history.

Considering its small population, Vermilion Parish has produced more than its share of intelligent, interesting, talented people.  Maybe that's why we are so interested in its history.

Au revoir, James.  We shall miss you. Thank you for showing us what human beings are capable of achieving.

Gary Theall.

Biography of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards

May 11, 2004—Ken Dupuy's biography of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards is now on the website.  For those who were at the annual meeting, it is the one that he handed out there, but now enhanced with pictures from the Clarence J. Edwards Collection made available by Sheila and Wakeman Edwards Linscomb, as well as pictures from other sources.

Dr. Clarence J. Edwards was a son of Wakeman W. Edwards and was a man of exceptional talent.  He was proprietor/editor/manager of the Abbeville Meridional for many years before his death in 1920.  Ken Dupuy is Abbeville's premier historian, and this biography is one of his finest.  Anyone interested in the history of Abbeville should enjoy reading this biography and seeing the pictures.

Click here to go directly to the biography.

Miniature churches and banks have arrived

April 20, 2004—The miniature St. Mary Magdalen Churches and the miniature Banks of Abbeville were delivered late this afternoon.  They may be purchased for $50 each either at the Cultural Center, 108 S. State Street, Abbeville (M-F 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.), at the office of Theall Law Firm, 120 Peace Street, Abbeville (M-F 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.), or by going to the order form, printing it, filling it out, and mailing it with your check.

Miniature churches and banks due to arrive

April 15, 2004—The third order of miniature St. Mary Magdalen Churches and the second order of miniature Banks of Abbeville are due to be delivered late Monday afternoon, April 19.  They can be purchased for $50 each either at the Cultural Center, 108 S. State Street, Abbeville, or by going to the order form, printing it, filling it out, and mailing it with your check.

Date of general membership meeting changed

April 10, 2004—The date of the general meeting of the membership has been changed from April 28 to April 29.  The meeting will be held at the new Vermilion Parish Library in Abbeville at 6:00 p.m.  A Board of Directors and a slate of officers will be elected.  We are in need of a board member from the Kaplan area.  If you or someone you know is interested, please let us know.

Reports will be made on the projects of the Society.  After the business portion of the meeting, Ken Dupuy and Gary Theall will display and comment upon the "Clarence J. Edwards Collection" recently received as a combination gift/loan from Sheila and Wakeman Edwards Linscomb.  Mr. Linscomb is a great-grandson of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards.  See the news item immediately below for the contents of this outstanding collection.

Dues notices have been mailed to all current members.  If you are not a current member and would like to join, go to the membership form, print it out, fill it out, and mail it with your dues.

Mark your calendars and plan to attend.  The meeting is open to the public but only members may vote.

The Dr. Clarence J. Edwards Collection

March 26, 2004—Today we received a package from Sheila and Wakeman Edwards Linscomb of the Shreveport area.  Mr. Linscomb is a great-grandson of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards, who was a son of Judge W. W. Edwards.  In addition to being a doctor, Dr. Edwards contributed articles to the Abbeville Meridional and later became its owner.

The Vermilion Historical Society is greatly indebted to the Linscombs for sending this valuable collection of memorabilia that we will refer to as the "Dr. Clarence J. Edwards Collection."  As soon as the materials can be properly catalogued, copied, scanned, and put into suitable format, the items will be displayed at the Alliance Center and also on the website.  The donated items and copies of the loaned items will be preserved in the archives of the Society for future generations to enjoy.  We hope that others who have collections of memorabilia connected with the history of Vermilion Parish will be motivated to follow the lead of the Linscombs in sharing their collections with present and future generations.

The package contained the following:

• Diary of Clarence J. Edwards (Clayton's Octavo Diary 1861), with handwritten entries covering a period from 1874 to 1881, with several newspaper clippings pasted in or interleaved.

• Dr. Clarence J. Edwards patient register (The Physician's Perfect Calls List and Record) 1905-06.

• Original letter from Rev. F. Racine, St. Louis Cathedral, to Mr. and Mrs. C. J. Edwards, dated July 27, 1916, concerning the death of little Henry Edwards.

• Original letter from W. W. Edwards to his granddaughter Mathilde, dated October 25, 1911, concerning the study of trigonometry, boats, and Chadwick visit.

• Photographic portrait of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards by Hambacher Studio, 231 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, 6" x 9", in cellophane envelope.

• Death notice of Martha Hollingsworth (Mrs. W. W. Edwards), March 2, 1908.

• Death notice of Kate Young (Mrs. Clarence J. Edwards), August 4, 1926.

• Group photograph of 47 people, including Clarence J. Edwards and two priests, possibly a Catholic retreat, undated, 3.5" x 5.5", postcard format on back.

• Photograph of Dr. C. J. Edwards standing next to his giant bamboo grove, undated, by C. Bouligny, inscribed "Bamboo Grove of Dr. C. J. Edwards, Large Specimens! 60 ft high 7 in. diameter at Abbeville, La."

• Photograph of Kate Young Edwards, 4.25" x 6.25", by Souby, 113 Canal Street, New Orleans, undated, inscribed on back, "Kate Young Edwards, daughter of Mary Mathilde Guegnon and Dr. Francis D. Young, wife of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards. Property of Katherine Edwards Linscomb, 106B Alyene Ave., Lafayette, La. 70506."

• Photograph of W. W. Edwards playing his violin on the porch of Grey Friars, by L. E. Corrodi, Abbeville, La., 4.5" x 6.5", inscribed on back, "The Hermit of Greyfriars 1897," and "Grandpa W. W. Edwards."

• Photograph of Henry Edwards in sailor suit, undated, photographer unknown, 3.25" x 5", postcard format on reverse, inscribed "Henry Edwards" and "No. 1."

• Photograph of four generations of Edwards, including W. W. Edwards, Clarence J. Edwards, and probably a son and granddaughter of Clarence, undated, photographer unknown, 6.5" x 8.5".

• Photograph of home of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards, photographer unknown, three children outside and one in window, 8" x 10", inscribed on back "Taken in 1902."

• Group photograph of 22 firemen and two little girls, photographer unknown, 8" x 10", inscribed on back, "Abbeville Volunteer Fire Dept. 1880 [sic, probably 1890]," "231," 4 Col ROP C.O.," "Mathilde Edwards, Old Time Photo, 3-col-ROP," and "64R."

• Typewritten biography of Clarence Jeptha Edwards, 3 pages with envelope, from James T. White & Co., Publishers, New York, for the National Cyclopedia of American Biography, dated January 19, 1921.

• Handwritten acknowledgement dated March 19, 1908, signed by Elizabeth Edwards Petty, W. W. Edwards, W. P. Edwards, and C. J. Edwards, to the effect that the community formerly existing between W. W. Edwards and Martha Hollingsworth owed Elizabeth Edwards Petty the sum of $137 for the oak mantel and tiling in the main hall of Grey Friars, and the ceiling in Lizzie's room, and that Elizabeth Edwards Petty had no further claims against the community.

• Handwritten acknowledgement dated March 27, 1908, signed by Elizabeth Edwards Petty, W. W. Edwards, W. P. Edwards, and C. J. Edwards, to the effect that the community formerly existing between W. W. Edwards and Martha Hollingsworth owed W. P. Edwards the sum of $1,872.33 for listed improvements made to Grey Friars both before and after the marriage of W. P. Edwards.

• Typewritten receipt dated May __, 1919, signed by W. P. Edwards and S. Elizabeth Petty, witnessed by C. J. Edwards, to the effect that W. W. Edwards had paid W. P. Edwards the sum of $1,000 and had paid S. Elizabeth Petty the sum of $68.50 as his half of the community debt acknowledged March 27, 1908, to W. P. Edwards in the sum of $1,872.33 and to S. Elizabeth Edwards in the sum of $137.00, for improvements made to Grey Friars.

• Abbeville Meridional newspaper dated March 5, 1892, containing on page 3 the obituary of Dr. Francis D. Young.

• Abbeville Meridional newspaper dated July 29, 1916, containing on page 3 the obituary of Henry Edwards, minor child of Dr. C. J. Edwards and Kate Young.

• Abbeville Meridional newspaper dated January 17, 1920, containing on page 2 the obituary of Dr. Clarence J. Edwards.

• Abbeville Meridional newspaper dated January 24, 1920, containing tributes to Dr. Clarence J. Edwards.

• Times-Picayune newspaper dated March 21, 1921, pages 3, 4, 17, and 18, containing on page 4 the obituary and a picture of Judge W. W. Edwards.

• Abbeville Meridional newspaper dated August 7, 1926, containing on page 1 the obituary of Kate Young (Mrs. Clarence J. Edwards).

• The following issues of the biweekly Independent High School News (a student newspaper), Abbeville, La., 3 columns, 4 pages per issue, some badly damaged:

Volume II, No. 2, January 22, 1906—3 copies
Volume II, No. 3, February 5, 1906—1 complete 6-page copy, 2 partial copies
Volume II, No. 5, March 5, 1906—5 copies
Volume II, No. 6, March 19, 1906—8 copies
Volume II, No. 8, April 16, 1906—2 copies
Volume II, No. 11, April 28, 1906—7 copies
Volume II, No. ? (torn) (special issue; out of sequence), April 30, 1906—1 copy
Volume II, No. 12, June 11, 1906—3 copies
Volume II, No. 13, June 25, 1906—2 copies

The newspapers and the photographs of Clarence J. Edwards and Kate Young are donations to the Vermilion Historical Society, and the remaining items are on indefinite loan for display.

March 24 board meeting

March 24, 2004—The Board of Directors of the Vermilion Historical Society met tonight at the Gueydan Museum.

Because of the fact that there were several other events taking place, the meeting was poorly attended, with only six of the board members present.

After the reading and adopting of the minutes of the last meeting, Gary Theall gave a financial report showing that the Society is still in excellent financial shape.  However, most of the assets are in the form of unsold history books.  Although the books are selling slowly, the response from people who have bought the book as been overwhelmingly favorable.

Velta Bourgeois reported that the miniature courthouse building had been ordered.  She is also working on the Fenwick Sanitarium as a backup in case the courthouse prototype does not turn out well.

Gary Theall reported that he is in touch with Sheila Linscomb, wife of Wakeman Edwards Linscomb, and that they have the Dr. Clarence J. Edwards collection of memorabilia, including his diary, photographs, death notices, old newspapers, etc.  They are sending them to us, partly as a gift and partly as an indefinite loan.

The Board acted as a nominating committee.  At the general meeting scheduled for April 29, all current officers and board members will be recommended for re-election.

Following the business portion of the meeting, Gary Theall presented a PowerPoint presentation of the history of the Una B. Evans home.  The property was purchased by Dr. William D. White at the sale of the "Blanchet Place" in 1878—the same sale at which W. W. Edwards bought the property for Grey Friars, Dr. H. T. Chevis bought the property for Chevis Addition, Father Mehault bought the property for the Convent, etc.  Dr. White's daughter Carrie married W. O. Pipes in 1894, and they built Una's home on Dr. White's property in 1895.  After Dr. White's death in 1898, Carrie got the property upon which the house sits.  Carrie and her husband sold the home to J. E. Nettles in 1898 and moved to Gueydan, where Pipes founded the Gueydan News.  In 1949, the successors of J. E. Nettles sold the home to Aliface Broussard, Una's father.  Many photos of the home were viewed, showing the changes in the home over the years and some of the events that took place in the home.

January 28 board meeting

January 29, 2004—The Board of Directors of the Vermilion Historical Society met last night at the new Vermilion Parish Library.

After congratulating themselves on the completion of Volume 2 of History of Vermilion Parish, they passed their personal copies of the book around so that all of the board members could sign each other's books.

After the reading and adopting of secretary Alberta V. Winch's minutes of the last meeting, Gary Theall gave a financial report showing that the Society is in excellent financial shape.

The date of the annual meeting of the general membership was fixed for Wednesday, April 28, 2004, 6:00 p.m., at the new Vermilion Parish Library in Abbeville.

The board unanimously ratified the actions of Gary Theall in ordering another batch of miniature banks and another batch of miniature churches.

The board also unanimously passed a motion authorizing the payment of a commission to the Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance of $5.00 per book and $5.00 per miniature building sold, past or future, at the Cultural Center on State Street.  The employees there, Tony Mayard and Jeannie Comeaux, have done an excellent job in helping us sell the buildings, and will be handling the sales of the history books as well as the next batch of buildings.

Gary Theall pointed out that Volume 1 of the history book can be found for sale on the Internet for $130.00 or even $164.00.  He stated that we still have 377 copies of Volume 1 for sale at $60.00.  It is becoming a rare book, and the demand for Volume 1 is expected to increase now that Volume 2 has been published, since some people who do not have Volume 1 will want the set.  Considering these facts and the fact that the price of Volume 1 has not increased for 20 years, the board unanimously decided to raise the price of Volume 1 to $80.00 per volume.  The price of Volume 2 remains at $90.00 per volume.

Following the business portion of the meeting, the board enjoyed a PowerPoint presentation by Gary Theall and Ken Dupuy on two old photos of Abbeville buildings, namely, the Solomon Wise building and the Hotel Vermilion, which had been the subject of many interesting exchanges among the email group.  Careful study of the photographs led to other interesting historical observations.  Ken Dupuy then presented a word picture that he had written years ago describing an old photo of the Veranda Hotel, while the board viewed that very photo on the overhead screen.

Volume 2 has arrived

January 22, 2004—The long-awaited History of Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, volume 2, has finally arrived.

If you purchased the book pre-publication and paid for shipping, your book is being shipped to you.  If you purchased the book pre-publication and did not pay for shipping, you may pick up your book at the office of Theall Law Firm, 120 Peace Street (corner of Peace Street and St. Charles Avenue, across the street from the courthouse), Abbeville, Louisiana.

Other sales of the book will be made at the Alliance Center, 108 South State Street, Abbeville, Louisiana.  The price is $90.00 per volume, plus $5.00 per book shipping and handling if the book is to be shipped.

Internet users who want to buy the book may go to the order form on this website, print it out, fill in the blanks, and mail it with their check.  A limited number of new copies of Volume 1 are still available as well at $80.00 per volume.

Volume 2 contains 620 pages, many old photographs, family stories, historical essays, tributes, and a large section of excerpts from the Abbeville Meridional newspaper up through the year 1900, categorized and arranged alphabetically by names and subjects.  In addition to providing an interesting account of life in early Vermilion Parish, this book is a valuable research source for students and history buffs now and for the foreseeable future.

Volume 2 to arrive this week

January 19, 2004—Taylor Publishing Company notified us today that Volume 2 of History of Vermilion Parish has been printed and should be delivered to Abbeville later this week.  Sales of the book will be made at the Alliance Center, 108 South State Street, Abbeville, Louisiana.  The price is $90.00 per volume, plus $5.00 per book shipping and handling if the book is to be mailed.  This volume is the same high quality as Volume 1.

Many people ordered and paid for the book before publication.  Those who paid the pre-publication price of $50.00 got a great bargain.  We thank those people for helping us to raise the necessary funds to pay for the printing.  Those who prepaid for shipping will have their books sent out to them shortly.

Board to meet on January 28

January 16, 2004—The regular bimonthly meeting of the Board of Directors will take place at the small meeting room in the new library on St. Victor Street on January 28, 2004, at 5:30 p.m.  The new meeting rooms are well equipped and up-to-date.  High speed Internet connections are available in the meeting rooms, as well as drop-down screens and motorized shades on the windows.

Issues to be addressed are (1) a report on the sale of miniature buildings, (2) the re-ordering of miniature buildings, (3) selecting the next building for the miniature building project, (4) the arrival of Volume 2 of the history book, (5) arrangements for the sale of the book, (6) the price of Volume 1, and (7) presentation of topics, including a video presentation of the new features of this website, presentation of interesting old photographs and commentary, and other video and personal presentations.

The meeting is open to the public but only the Board members may vote on motions.

The old library building

January 16, 2004—Now that the library has moved to its new location on St. Victor Street, the Vermilion Parish Police Jury will have to decide what to do with the old building.

Some community groups are evaluating the possibilities of moving into the old library building.  There is talk of approaching the police jury with a proposal for some kind of sharing arrangement which could include all or some of the following organizations:  the Tourist Commission, the Abbeville Cultural and Historical Alliance (museum and art gallery), the Giant Omelet Festival, Main Street, and others.  The location (directly across the street from Magdalen Square) is perfect for attracting the attention of tourists.

Guarino blacksmith shop

January 16, 2004—Sam Guarino & Son, Inc. (the Guarino blacksmith shop on Jefferson Street) recently closed its doors after 90 years in business at the same location.  In latter years, the shop mostly sold metal from its huge inventory.  Sam Guarino, who was born in 1892, came to Abbeville at age 5.  He died in 1979.  His son, Tony Guarino, recently retired from the business.

The Guarino family has indicated that they are willing to donate the building to the City or to a community group in order to make a tourist attraction out of it.  Efforts are underway to find a suitable spot to which the building can be moved.

January 11 marks one-year anniversary

January 11, 2004—This website began its existence on January 11, 2003.  Since that time it has about doubled in size.  Hopefully it will continue to grow in the future.  The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive from those who have either sought out or stumbled upon the website, and many of them have contributed stories, pictures, or other material in addition to their kind words of praise.

Your humble webmaster has learned a few things in that year.  One thing he learned is that it is a mistake to load up the news page with image-intensive stories.  As the year goes on, it becomes more and more time consuming to load the news page, especially for those users who connect by telephone modem.  This year the news page will contain almost exclusively text so that it will load fast.  Image-intensive news stories will begin on the news page but will continue via a link to their own pages.  That way you will not have to wait while the images from the stories you are not interested in are loading.

The Vermilion Historical Society thanks each and every one of you who has participated in making this website a success.  To all of the local users and to all of the displaced Vermilionites all over the world for whom this website represents a taste of home, we promise to keep trying to make this site something you will want to return to again and again.

2004 Board meeting schedule announced

January 1, 2004—The regular meetings of the Board of Directors of the Vermilion Historical Society have been set for the following dates and places.  All meetings start at 5:30 p.m. unless otherwise indicated.  These are business meetings, but some presentations of historical topics are usually made.  The public is invited to attend but not to vote on any issue.  The annual meeting of the general membership is held in April, and all members may vote on all issues.

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This page was last updated on 10/28/2007.