Out With the Old; In With the New!!!

We are now turning the last page and closing Chapter One: "Organizing Reliving History, Inc." and beginning Chapter Two of our process: "Building the Structure."

2009 has been eventful and down-right miraculous. In one year we have grown from nothing into a fully incorporated 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization with a great Board of Directors that meets monthly, by-laws and all the legal and practical supports in place. We've done some initial fund-raising and while it seems quite small, we are ending our first year with over $1600 in our bank account. That's not bad for a very small organization that had zero money in our account at the beginning of October. We've also put into place a legacy fund with the Eastern West Virginia Community Foundation and currently have $2000 there as we work toward full endowment so we can build a beginning basis for preserving our heritage for many years to come. In addition to these amounts, a little over $1000 still exists in the funds donated to the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission by the Bread Bakers Guild for our Archaeology program. 

Additionally, according to documented records, our volunteers have:

• paid out of pocket over $3500
• contributed over 1300 hours
• driven over 7500 miles 

These totals do not include the additional expenses, hours, and miles that have not been recorded.
These do not include the hours spent working from home or the little amounts contributed a little here and a little there as we each purchase items that will be used for some program element.
They also do not include most of the approximate 60-80 hours per week I spend working from home organizing, planning, and administrating as a full time volunteer.

So, what does it all mean? It means that we have a functional organization that is supported by volunteers and that is ready for the upcoming year.

As we begin our focus on next year, we will focus on:
programming
volunteer recruitment
fund raising
networking

Programming will include putting into place some on-going period correct agricultural and life-styles programs as well as planning special events. I hope to make better use of the Internet with a view toward putting online a virtual Workshop for Making Period Clothing that hopefully will correspond with and supplement a new sewing guild. We hope family members will plan to dress in period correct clothing for at least one of the events during the October homecoming. Also, programming hopefully will include an online focus on tourism that will help visitors to the Peter Burr House and Jefferson County area to blend in site seeing that enhances their understanding of Peter Burr and the significance of his house. Both on-site and off-site programming will focus on helping the local community to benefit from understanding the cultural contributions that resulted from the early settlers of what we now know as Jefferson Co, WV.

While volunteer recruitment and fund raising are on-going priorities that continually require innovative approaches and continued nurturing, I believe that local and national networking is an often overlooked yet potentially important element for any successful program. This is likely the one single element that has long been missing in efforts to revitalize the Peter Burr property. So long as the Peter Burr House sits as a loan structure off in a field behind a growing industrial park, it is doomed to be overlooked and eventually destined to be viewed by some investors in surrounding property as an unwelcome obstacle that could be better utilized as 9.5 acres of more financially valuable property. The historic value of that wonderful property depends on someone effectively telling the story of its significance in a way the community can believe and realize benefit. It is up to us to proclaim the story that allows the community to embrace the property and to protect it and value it as highly as any potential economic prospects.

Networking locally and nationally is therefore vital to the long-range planning for the Peter Burr House. While various volunteers focus on specific areas of interest, I consider my job to include maintaining a clear vision of the importance of networking at every level. The BIG Picture is difficult for many to see because it is difficult for anyone to describe in words. So suffice it to say, I'll keep my eye on the big picture and simply smile as the pieces fall into place. I understand that in the end, many will think our progress was simply good fortune rather than good vision.

Much of my philosophy is based on an example I heard about 40 years ago and never forgot. It says that when sheep hear the rattling of their feed bucket, they will come running. But if they find the bucket empty each time they come running, they will eventually stop coming. I've learned from this that people, just like sheep, respond to that which feeds them (physically and metaphorically). When they start to believe that the rattle of the feed bucket is just noise, they will become disinterested. Once they experience dissatisfaction with the sound of the rattle of the feed bucket, it is hard to get them to respond again to same noise. Filling up the bucket will then not be enough to get them back.

Moral to this truth: It will now require more than assuring that quality food is in the bucket. We now need to find a different beckoning signal than the rattle of the feed bucket.

Together we must assure that the quality is there. Likewise, we must overcome the obstacle of apathy and disbelief and find unique ways to communicate that a very rare and valuable treasure exists at the back of the Burr Industrial Park. And when the sheep come, it is vital that they feast on something of value to them.

• Anyone wanting to contribute money should see the Fund Raising Page on our website: http://www.relivinghistoryinc.org/FundRaising.html
  
• Anyone wanting to contribute other resources or wanting to volunteer time, energy, expertise, etc should contact me.  http://www.relivinghistoryinc.org/ContactUs.html  While I do use a personal email address, it would be more effective to advise everyone to contact me first via our website. This will help to get people use to using the website.
• If you haven't already bookmarked our website, now would be a good time to do it: www.RelivingHistoryInc.org  Slowly, I'm trying to evolve our website into a platform for communication and information. If you haven't bookmarked the site, please do so and check back periodically. 
•  Also, bookmark this blogspot for updates, explanations, and other information: http://www.relivinghistoryinc.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year! Everyone. This past year has been miraculous and the new year already looks very promising. By this time next year, I hope to have a very productive report to make reflecting back on that which today still lies ahead.

Joyce Cole
Reliving History Inc. and
The Peter Burr Society

PS: What is the difference between Reliving History, Inc and the Peter Burr Society?

• Reliving History, Inc is a corporate structure in Jefferson Co, WV organized to support the restoration, preservation, and programming for the Peter Burr House. 
• The Peter Burr Society is an unincorporated structure (of national and perhaps international scope) designed to give descendants (and other relatives, in-laws, and friends) of Peter Burr (1727-1795) a network for interacting and learning more of our family history. Because the Peter Burr Society is loosely structured and yet very useful for discovering family history related to Peter Burr, then I am considering the Peter Burr Society as a program of Reliving History, Inc.