Proud of Our Past

Since 2000, the Old Taney County Jail and WRVHS have had a lot of attention. Articles written by Linda Morgain (The Taney County Times), Cliff Sain (The Branson Daily News), Sam Clanton (Branson Daily Independent), and Diane Majeske (The Springfield News-Leader) have focused on the jail, its renovation and restoration needs, and the activities of the Society. Members' time and donations had previously gone unrecognized outside of the Society; the work done prior to 2001 was largely the work of Robert Miley and Jerry Gideon, who not only secured the building for the use of the Society, but also made it possible for the Board of Directors to meet at the Old Jail monthly.

Since large donations by the Forsyth Lions' Club and the local chapter of the Freedom of the Road Riders this past year, proceeds raised by "Law Day 2001: Outlaw Roundup", and the rummage sale in Feb, 2002, the following improvements have been made:

1. New windows have been installed upstairs, with new casings and sills as needed. The windows were custom-built, as each window's measurements were slightly different; the windows were also in varying states of disrepair. Not only is the difference significant in terms of protection of archived materials, but in terms of heating and cooling.
2. A new custom-built door has been installed on the south exit.
3. A new breaker box and wiring conduits have been installed by member/Director Robert Hartman.
4. A heating unit has been donated and installed by Mr. Hartman, a vast improvement over the older, noisier system. Fabric for new curtains was donated by Mrs. Viola Hartman; blinds for the new windows were also donated by the Hartmans.
5. Previously donated display boards were painted and utilized for exhibits.
6. A lighted glass display case has been donated.
7. All past editions of the White River Valley Historical Quarterly have been catalogued and properly stored by Mrs. Jo Stacey Albers, president of the Society.
8. New bookcases display our sale publications as well as research materials.
9. A motion-detector light has been donated and installed over the east door.
10. Paint and other materials have been donated by Mrs. Albers for the upstairs "History Center" and meeting room. Mrs. Albers has also spent hours nearly every week in the building, arranging displays and making the upstairs much more pleasant. She has located previously donated items and brought them out for display, and acquainted herself with the archives in order to better understand the history of the society itself.
11. A wheelchair ramp and deck have been added to the south balcony, providing better access for our handicapped visitors.

Looking to the Future

Home of the Society


1. Preserving the jail's lower floor as a museum, with traveling exhibits and jail equipment from the early 1900s. Special care will be taken to preserve the prisoner graffiti covering the walls of the former cells.
2. Setting up a research facility/archives on the top floor of the Jail.
   
   Membership/Community Involvement
   
   
3. Increasing our current membership of over 300 people from all over the world; in particular, we want to recruit local people who can be active in preserving the area's history: do-ers who find a way to do what needs to be done, before it needs to be done.
4. Being actively involved in the community of Forsyth, by producing income-generating events and opening the jail regularly for visitors.
5. Continuing relationships with other regional societies and local organizations.
6. Increasing participation among younger residents by encouraging family memberships; working with schools and youth groups.
   
   Society Functions
   
   
7. Host monthly gatherings for families interested in local history. This could include cemetery hops, research trips, and attending functions of other area historical/genealogical societies and organizations.
8. Build by expanding our events and increasing public attendance.
9. Publishing a book concerning the graffiti on the walls of the jail; sheriffs who served and lived in the building; the overall history of the jail.
10. Begin a genealogical history of Taney county.
11. Gather documentation and pictures of towns, schools/churches, and cemeteries for books to be published.

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