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Spring 2008 Volume 35 #2 OLD MAN RIVER THREATENS MUSEUM HHS MEMBERS, HAMPTON FIRE DEPARTMENT & VILLAGE TRUSTEES COME TO THE RESCUE!! I have been watching the river stages very carefully since the snow began to melt. On April 26, the Dispatch reported a forecast of nearly 20 feet on the Rock Island gauge. Flood stage is 15 feet. I knew that between 19 & 20 feet that the river would begin to pour into the Museum basement. I called Rocky & Jane Nelson, as well as Bev Coder. We discussed what had been done in years past. Vice President Randy Baldridge was the first to arrive, with family in tow about 1:00 Pm and began the task of moving tables & chairs to the first floor. I called the Hampton Fire Department, and Captain Don Adams arrived at 5PM with a crew of strong young men who moved the heavier freezer & refrigerators and other items. The firemen learned how to use our 1849 era elevator and were quite amazed by it and the building. Some had commented to me that they had never been inside and thought that it was a really cool place!! Trustees Kevin Irby & Rich Vershaw assisted. Rich helped me board up the basement windows. HHS members assisting were Tad Coder, Rex Larson, Marshall & Bobbie Beals. Jane Cady helped to coordinate volunteers. Mickey VanDiren loaned us a heavy appliance cart. SAVED BY A MERE SIX INCHES! The River crested, and not an hour too soon! If the River had come up another half foot, the small rise of land between the River and our basement entrance would have been breached and we would have had at least 2 feet of water in the basement. I had learned that the basement floor was about 2 feet below the River’s Crest. There was only about 6 inches of water in the lowest part of the basement floor at the crest... U.S Army Corps of Engineers Saved the Day All of the tainter gates that hold back the water at the Hampton dam were fully raised a few days before the crest to allow the River to flow unobstructed. It takes about a week to bring the two levels of the River to an equal level once they do this. I checked the River gages and forecast every day and noticed that during the crest, the River was actually 2 feet higher above the dam then below (where the Museum is). This means that had the Corps opened the gates days earlier would have had nearly 4 feet of water in the basement to deal with. If the wind came out of the Southwest at speeds above 15 M.P.H., then we would have had 2-4 foot waves pounding the foundation, and if a large log or tree was floating around and bashing the building, we would be looking at some serious damage. I wonder how many floods the old building has witnessed! Next time you are at the Museum, check out the outside basement door. The high water mark of the flood of 2001 has an engraved plate marking the high water point. Some local folks believe that the flood of 1965 was even higher!
UPCOMING EVENTS: Spring Membership Meeting Set your calendar for May 21 @ 7PM for this event. The location of the meeting has been changed from the Museum to the Hampton Methodist Church 400 2nd Avenue, due to the flood. HHS President Bill Beals will display his historic 1829 Northwest Illinois map as well as The Illinois Department of Transportation’s Highway map from 1917 (Yes we actually had some roads back then!) A very important topic will be discussed: The renovation of the building’s walls. This is an extremely important issue, as it will affect the Society for decades to come. Come share your wisdom and expertise with us! Jane Cady and Randy Baldridge have been working very hard on getting qualified contractors, bid pricing and possible donations & Grants. WE NEED YOU AT THIS MEETING!! Share your ideas and expertise with us. This is a project in which you can truly make a difference for decades to come! The members are encouraged to bring a guest that is curious about the Society. It is very important to keep our membership growing! Refreshments will be served by Jane Nelson.
Hampton Cemetery Veteran’s grave Decoration May 24 @ 10 AM all Volunteers will meet Rocky Nelson (coordinator) 309-755-8370. Flags will be placed on the graves for Memorial Day. We will seek out help form Hampton’s Scouts, but welcome all members who would like to participate.
Memorial Day Service Our service will begin May 26 @ 10 AM between the Village Hall and Black’s Store on First Avenue. This is one of our finest traditions. We usually receive television and newspaper coverage. A roll call of Hampton’s Veterans will be read aloud, by conflict, as well as the Gettysburg Address, as written by Abraham Lincoln. The procession proceeds down the Steamboat Landing and tosses a flower into the water in remembrance of those lost at sea (or any other loved one).
Family Fun Night at the Museum This is a brand new event! Friday June 6 at 6PM. Mark your calendars. We will have door prizes, Bingo, Trivial Pursuit, food & drinks. Prizes for the most Bingos, the top Trivia winners and more! This will be held in our newly refurbished basement. Please lend a hand to help and join in the fun and games!! Are you feeling lucky???
Ride the River – Father’s Day June 15 10 AM – 3PM The Museum will be an official stop on this Quad City wide event. We need lots of volunteers to work a partial shift to sell food & drinks and to escort guests through the Museum. Please be willing to volunteer at least a part of your day. We need this event as a major fundraiser to run the Museum.
Family Picnic Sunday July 6 at 1 PM in the back yard of the Museum. Everyone brings their own food and drink for potluck. A charcoal grill will be set up and will cook the famous “Bill’s Big ‘Ol Burgers!! Yum!!
Bill’s Oops Column If I left out anyone’s name by accident, please let me know and I will correct it in the next newsletter!
A Word About Dues Our organization relies heavily on the generous & prompt payment of membership dues. If you haven’t paid for this year yet, please send your payment as soon as possible. Without you, there will be no museum in Hampton. If you are not sure if you have paid, look at the mailing label on this news letter. The year corresponds to the number on the label. If you have a 08, you are paid through September 2008. If you have any questions, please contact Rocky Nelson @ 309-755-0362.
NEW SERVICE E-MAIL OF NEWSLETTER You may choose to have your newsletter e-mailed to you instead of using paper. This would certainly help the Society if most members could do this. Please contact Bill at 755-8370, or wbeals@mchsi.com, if you would like your newsletter e-mailed. To make sure that each member that signed up for e-mail delivery received an e-mailed copy, we will give you a paper copy & an e-mail copy, until you e-mail Bill Beals @ wbeals@mchsi.com and inform him that the new e-mail delivery is working. We want to make sure every member gets a copy!! The e-mail subscribers get a special treat in their newsletter; color pictures and an extended newsletter!!
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE It is very important to keep our membership growing! We ask that each member contact 1-2 friends, neighbors or relatives this month and tell them about the Society. Invite them to come to a meeting or event with you! We are working on new informational brochures to help, but our growth largely depends on you! VISIT US ON THE WEB!! @ www.hamptonhistory.org
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION To join or renew membership, enclose check made out to Hampton Historical Society. PO Box 31 Hampton Il 61256. For questions contact Bill @ 309-755-8370. Membership Classification & dues:
Thank you for being a member of the Hampton Historical Society!!!
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