At the Hope Corner Firehouse President Donovan Bowley called the meeting to order at 7:05 PM. Also present were: Bob Appleby, Joe Berry, Marie Berry, Gwen Brodis, Mary Frances Chase, Cindy Jim Dellapenna, Nancy Ford, Sara Gagan, Beth Guiseley, James Harriman, Obed Hart, Linda Hillgrove, Mary Ireland, Bill Jones, Ann Leadbetter, Barbara Ludwig, Eliot & Jane Mitchell, Nancy Pike, Brian & Marie Powers, Emily & Peter Saladino, Ron Smith, Debra Stephens, and Dana & Ruth Winchenbach.
The June 2014 meeting minutes were summarized & unanimously approved.
Treasurer Gwen Brodis presented the Treasurer's report. It was unanimously received. Over the past month, expenditures were $1266 for insurance, $772.43 for electrical labor & supplies, $25 for speaker Thornton Batty, $24.99 for supplies from Rankins, $19.95 for our web site, and $15.14 to CMP for power (total = $2123.51). Income was $21.80 from returnables. Balances are $11,079.60 in our savings account and $1387.60 in our checking account after a $2,000. transfer to pay the month's bills.
Announcements
Donovan (1) announced receipt from Richard Crabtree of photos of the Samuel Crabtree house and letters from Robert Thompson Bowley from Placers CA to his wife. (2) He reported that the old steps at Hope Historical Home are gone. (3) As part of its August 9th bicentennial Searsmont HS has published a 139-page book, History of Schools in Searsmont Maine from 1814 to 2014. 4) Tet Dow vanVliessingen's horse rescue & rehabilitation center will have an open farm on September 9th.
Bill Jones reported that Tom Hardy had checked July speaker Thornton Batty's figures on Hope's War Between the States casualties. There were more than Batty reported. Names and particulars are available from Tom or from our Secretary.
Ann Leadbetter, Program Committee Chair, announced that the September meeting will feature a talk by Eliot Mitchell on the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
Thanks to Linda Hillgrove for providing the refreshments for this meeting and to Judith Jones for doing so for the September meeting.
Old Business
After discussion of the Flagship Cinema's Movie Money Bonanza fund-raising package introduced and discussed at the July meeting, the society opted to participate.
The meeting adjourned at 7:29.
Program
Ann Leadbetter introduced speaker Cindy Dellapenna, author of An Array of Hope: Social News of Hope, Maine; 1888 to 1907. No minutes can do justice to the skillfully-chosen excerpts Cynthia read from her massive book, making this critical period of Hope's history come to life. 1888 to 1907 was a period of decline and out-migration for Hope. Perhaps the most poignant passage was a statement from a Mansfield on why he chose not to move to California or anywhere else. Informal discussions continued after the meeting formally ended.
Respectfully submitted, Bill Jones, Secretary