DCHA Presents Awards of Merit At Annual Meeting

By Cyndee Pattison

The Delaware County Historical Association presented Awards of Merit to three individuals that have helped preserve, promote or present the history of Delaware County during their annual meeting luncheon buffet catered by the Crossroads Café and Coffee Bar on October 18.

DCHA president Sonia deFrances reviewed the organization’s 2003 programs and events and introduced staff members Helen Casey, Angela Gaffney, Jim Ghiorsi as well as the Board of Directors. She also discussed the challenges faced by the DCHA to maintain and preserve the Gideon Frisbee house, especially the need for a climate control system.

Richard deFrances was elected president, Manny Rodriquez was elected as vice president and Charles Turner was elected treasurer to two-year terms a officers on the DCHA board. Sonia deFrances, whose term has expired, received a certificate of appreciation from the board for her dedication and many years of outstanding service to DCHA.

Andes resident Jim Andrews, who is an active member of the Andes Society for History and Culture and hosts walking tours of Andes, received an award of merit for his remarkable knowledge of and presentations about the Anti-Rent War, the Andes Presbyterian Church, Andes’ architecture, Andes’ schools, the Pepacton Reservoir and Shavertown, a town that was flooded to create the reservoir.

Delhi resident Charles Eustis received an award of merit for his services to the Veterans History Project sponsored by the Library of Congress. He encouraged World War II and Gulf War veterans from Delaware County to share their military experiences on audiotape. Transcriptions of these tapes are now archived at DECH and the original tapes are preserved at the Library of Congress. Eustis is interested in continuing the project and requested that war veterans who are willing to share their experiences in the military regardless of “action seen” (including support staff) on audiotape call him at 746-7374 or Helen Casey at 746-3849.

Franklin resident Joe Hart received an award of merit for his many years of cleaning and maintaining the Merle Houck Nature Trail located along the back of DCHA’s property and for helping to clean up the trail following the July 21 windstorm. He also created hand-carved signs for the nature trail that allow for easy identification of trees that assist visitors in understanding the many ways in which they were utilized by Delaware County ancestors.

The afternoon concluded with an informative and interesting presentation titled, “Feet, Hooves and Trails: Transportation in Nineteenth Century” by Dr. J. Ward Regan who teaches at New York University, Bard College and Pratt Institute in New York City. He described how the character and pace of society was changed by technology using examples from the nineteenth century. Among other things, he discussed how the invention of steam engines facilitated nationwide transportation via the construction of railroads, the creation of the Erie Canal in upstate New York made trade with the mid west and Canada possible and profitable and how the invention of the telegraph (and subsequently the telephone) allowed the communication of complex messages to someone that could not be seen facilitated broader communication. He also noted how the character of American society changed and moved forward on innovations made by ordinary people.