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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:
| Student |
$1.00 |
| Individual |
$10.00 |
| Senior Individual |
$5.00 |
| Family |
$15.00 |
| Senior Family |
$7.50 |
| Organization |
$10.00 |
| Contribution |
$25.00 |
| Business |
$50.00 |
| Life |
$200.00 |
Thank you for being a member of the Hampton
Historical Society!!!
click here to view past HHS newsletters |