Hopkins Historical Society Celebrates 20th Anniversary

The 20th anniversary of the Hopkins Historical Society was observed March 27th during a meeting of the organization held at the museum in Hopkins.

Jim Cline, President, welcomed the group to the evening gathering after which he entertained with the reading of interesting excerpts from the book, “A Time Capsule of Hopkins History.” The 285 page book was researched and compiled by Russell and Anna Cross, former editors of the Hopkins Journal. Published in 2002, the book contains a chronicle listing of events in Hopkins as they were recorded in the Journal in files dating from the 1890’s to 2002. A few copies of the book remain in possession of the Hopkins Historical Society and are available for purchase at the museum.

In addition to President Cline, other officers reelected were Garland O’Riley (Vice-President), and Lois Brand (Treasurer). Joyce Hennegin was elected Secretary to fill the vacancy left by Linda Cross, who chose to retire after serving for several years. Elected for a one-year term, Anna Mae Thompson is the only new member serving on the board.

Since March marks the beginning of a new year for the organization, annual dues of $10 per person are now payable. The money collected from dues is used for the operating expenses of the museum.
With springtime came thoughts of maintenance and “sprucing up” the museum building. Following a brief discussion, it was decided to promptly move forward with the installation of new carpet. A cleaning day will be determined following the carpet project.

The summer and fall schedule calls for the museum to officially open for visitors on Tuesday afternoon, May 1st at 1 pm. It will continue to be open each Tuesday afternoon through October. Volunteers will be there to greet and welcome visitors on those designated days. The museum will be open Friday and Saturday nights during the Hopkins Picnic in July.

The group was pleased to accept the donation of a glass display case from Ernie Bosley, a resident of Hopkins. The case will be moved and set in place following the carpet installation.

The Hopkins Historical Society was organized March 19th, 1998. The idea of forming a historical group was introduced by Russell and Anna Cross. Open to the public, the first meeting was held at the Cross family home in south Hopkins in February, 1998. The concept was enthusiastically received by interested citizens of the community who made plans to move forward with an organization committed to preserving the history of the then-126 year old town. Now, 20 years later, the mission remains the same: to research, collect, interpret, exhibit, and preserve items that tell the story of Hopkins and its residents.

–Submitted by Anna Cross, Historian, Hopkins Historical Society.