Volume 9, Number 10 - Winter 1988
Preserving Taney County History
By Viola Hartman
Approximately 200 persons were on hand to witness the final stage of the Historical Committee’s project, TIME CAPSULE, Saturday, Jan. 30, 1988. The accumulated material concerning Taney County’s a~tivities over the past 150 years was sealed and buried at the site of the old court house in the original town of Forsyth, Mo., Taney County’s sesquicentennial gift to its sons and daughters fifty years in the future.
The momentous event began at 1:00 p.m. with the raising of the American flag by a group of Forsyth Boy Scouts; Chad Essery, Michael House, Pat Heseman and Michael Gray. As the flag unfurled, Kris McKee, a senior from Forsyth High School played the Star Spangled Banner. Miss McKee holds first chair, trumpet, in the high school band.
This was followed by an invocation from Dr. M. Graham Clark, President Emeritus of the School of the Ozarks and past president of the White River Valley Historical Society.
Jerry Gideon, Chairman of the Historical Committee extended a warm welcome to the assembled guests and introduced Dr. Robert Gilmore, President of the Historieal Society. Gilmore read portions from a copy of the letter he had written to future historians and enclosed in the capsule, ending with the hope that they would understand the purpose of its contents. He humourously conceded they might be a bit mystified by the present use of some material and that we, being perhaps less sophisticated, were already at that state.
Jerry Gideon then thanked his fellow committee workers for their efforts and dedication and recognized writer/historians, Elnio Ingei~ithroxi, founder of the W.R.V.H.S., Douglas Malrnkey and Townsend Godsey, represented by his~sor~j Willliaxn; the media, represented by Linda Morgan, Editor of the T~ney County Republican; Terry Moore, News Director for Springfield’s TV Channel 10; Seriatr Emory Melton; Joe Chowning, Associate Circuit Coi~rtJudge; Gil Davis, Finis Keyes, County Conwussione~s; WT. Persiiiger, Forsyth Alderman; Mayors
Wade Meadows of Branson and Carl Hatfield of Forsyth; Teresa Owens, Alderman ftom Hollister; Helen Stubblefield, and Susie Youngblood, President and Secretary, respectively of th~ Hollister Chamber of Commerce; Maynard Wallace, Superintendent of the Forsyth~Schools.
Many organizations were rep#~sented including the Taneycomo Chapter, DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution), Joanna Swearingen, Regent and Esther Vernatti, past Regent. The Chapter was formed in Forsyth, its organizing regent being Miss Frances IVkConk~y of Forsyth. "
The youngest person attending waS a three-month-old infant and the eldest, Jill Gardner, 90, cO-founder of the Golf Ranch at Kirbyville.
In his. closingremarks, Mr. Gideon noted that the last mail of the. morning~ arrived with a package, for inclusion just minutes before the sealing of the.. capsule. He said h,~ hoped that these whp opened the, tight~r pa,cke~ box wbuld htwe ~"~ii~4Yenjoy#1i~ntK, with the uhdoihg of th~ parcels a’s ~ putting them toge~bex. m’~ - ~
Included were packages containitig family histories, photograph; newspapers, bo9ks by~’lo~a1 ivrjt~&~ of his~ori~a~ ~iateria1, jn~dfca1 aiid~ deiitai publicstions, current publications, DApi~blication~n~ serapbook, Rose O’Neil pub1icati~n~, churchhistiies, packets from the S~ool of the~ Qzarks, Hollister School Systeni Fo#syth .S~ch~ol System, F9rsyth, Btanson and Hollister; WRVIIS 4i~arterlie s,’predicti6its from students of ~‘orsyth school~, (what they ex~cted life to be like in 2037), W~VHS Historical Phique, Empire Distric Electric Co. Jnforni~tioD Sheet, White River Valley Electric ~lO-op papers, Plat of Rirbyville, Dr. Mary King Lon~cholarship History, Taney Co. Budgut. There were items used in daily life over the past ~nd present years of the county’s history, a slab 6~f’timber from the old Oliver Mill, a collection of cloth~swatches, telephone books, business cards, social security literature and all
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manner of materials pertaining to life as we know it today. There were also letters and packets addressed to descendants of area residents in the hope that they would be hand when the capsule was resurrected.
As Miss McKee sounded Taps, the flag was lowered and the capsule sunk six feet beneath the surface of the ground. Its resting place at the site of the old courthouse in the early town of Forsyth will be marked with a marble slab denoting its general contents and the date it is to be opened.
Instructions will also be on file in the courthouse. Descendants of persons having items in the capsule or possibly some of those witnessing the burial will no doubt be aware of its ticking and be on hand for the grand re-opening in the year 2037.
Committee members: Jerry Gideon, Opal Gideon,
Penelope Willard, Theron Holland, Don Sullenger,
Louise Haworth, Bess Melton, Dr. Morris Harless,
Bill Cameron (deceased), Lois Holman, Shirley LaCore, Carman Krehbiel, Fred and Viola Hartman.
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