PRESIDENT'S CORNER

A Message From our President's Desk:

HISTORY GATHERING

ach Monday over the last eight weeks a History Gathering session has been held - and will continue through the end of April to gather local folklore, pictures, and artifacts about our people, their homes and businesses, our local institutions, as well as history gathering project ideas and suggestions.

Stories of the Past

• We enjoyed conversations among members of historic local families who have connections that extend back generations. We reflected on their historic houses and, where possible, have photographed their current condition. We met their relatives in family photos, and filmed their family stories. There are boxes of records from a local farm available to be analyzed, and more than 60 reels of film available to be digitized so that local life in the early 20th century can be appreciated.
• We received photos of specific houses and the residents who lived in the houses at the turn of the century.
• The narrative of our local institutions - our schools, our churches, our post offices, our local retail outlets, our local economic activities, etc. is in progress. There is enthusiasm about the history of dairy farming in Great Falls, and there is a collective memory about dairy farming that is ripe for gathering.
• There are wonderful tours of historic landmarks to be scripted so that they can be filmed.

Roots of the Present

• What is the story of the street or cul-du-sac where we live? What farm was the land originally a part of? Who purchased the land? What is its development story?
• Local residents would like to know the story of landmarks of our village:
• Who built the gazebo at the Village Centre and why is it there?
• How did the community raise the funds to purchase the Old Schoolhouse, the Grange, or the Turner Farm and why?
• How did the artist's collaborative emerge and what was its inspiration?
• How was Great Falls preserved as a semi-rural community?
• There are historical works already prepared or in process that contribute to our local story: the history of the Freedom Memorial, the history of local baseball, the history of the Great Falls Volunteer Fire Department, etc. (in development) which would be important to include in our collection.

Today's Story for Future Generations

• What is it like to live in Great Falls today? Our places of origin, our education, our economic activities, our aspirations point to a creative economy. How is this so?
• What is the most recent story of our place? How have more recent economic trends - the proximity of the CIA, the dot.com boom and the automation of government, etc., impacted the changing character of our village today? How would we narrate the story of people living in Great Falls today for future generations to enjoy?

There is a lot to do and there is a need for robust teams to work together on their favorite subjects to continue to capture the story of our place.

Sincerely,
Kathleen Murphy
Kathleen Murphy, President 2011-2012