Medina Historical Society puts out call for more members

Photo by Ginny Kropf: Reinhard Rogowski, left, and Craig Lacy have been actively involved in the Medina Historical Society since joining – Lacy in 2000 and Rogowski in 2011. Here, Rogowski holds a dark room light, while Lacy is holding a gadget used to take seeds out of raisins, both items found in the museum’s collections and belonging to Lacy’s father-in-law, Henry Pollard. The Historical Society is actively seeking new members.

MEDINA – Preserving history for the future is a major initiative for the Medina Historical Society.

And now they are asking for help to continue that mission.

Last year the Historical Society conducted a campaign for new members, with a goal to exceed 100. They accomplished that, but since then, membership has dropped in half and the plea is out again to please consider buying a membership and help preserve Medina’s history. A membership costs $15 for an individual or $20 for a family.

Georgia Thomas is a long-time board member of the Medina Historical Society and supports all its functions, including Ale in Autumn on Saturday.

She stresses the importance of “preserving the past for the future.”

She cites Levan Merritt who in 1841 built the home at 406 West Ave., which was eventually acquired for a museum.

“Mr. Merritt loved trees and noticed the lack of trees in his village,” Thomas said. “He set about to plant trees in the village, such as the big, beautiful trees which grew on West Avenue. He made sure Medina had trees for shade and beauty.”

Thomas went on to say that preserving the past assures future generations know how we evolved and who started us.

The Medina Historical Society is a treasure trove of memorabilia, such as a War Room with a large lithograph of the Civil War. It is one of only 16 in existence, Thomas said.

Recently, longtime member and former president Craig Lacy shared information about a dark room camera and a gadget from the 1890s used to seed raisins, which had belonged to his late father-in-law, Henry Pollard.

Reinhard Rogowski is currently president of Medina Historical Society, an office he has held since he joined 15 years ago. Lacy joined in 2000 and has served as president for four or five years, and is now vice president and treasurer.

The Medina Historical Society was founded in 1971 by village historian, Ceil White, who held early meetings at her home on East Avenue. Seven years later, an opportunity arose to acquire a permanent home at 406 West Ave.

Merritt’s home was acquired by the village of Medina in 1958 and two years later the town of Ridgeway acquired it, and converted the house to their town hall.  In 1979, the town purchased the rear lot in order to build a new larger, modern town hall. The village agreed to the sale of the lot, with the stipulation the Merritt home be leased to the Medina Historical Society for $1 a year, with the Historical Society responsible for its upkeep.

According to Ed Grinnell’s “Medina – Here’s to Our Heritage,” membership in the society regularly averaged between 70 to 100.

Rogowski is personally inviting everyone to consider purchasing a membership.

“Your support keeps the doors of your museum open and ensures the rich history of Medina is shared, celebrated and remembered for generations to come,” Rogowski posted on “Memories of Medina.”

He invites people to attend meetings on the last Monday of the month at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library. Meetings start at 7 p.m. in September through November and January to May and always feature a speaker. This month’s speaker is Pembroke history teacher Greg Kinal.

“We have several great presentations coming up,” Rogowski said. “This is a plea for membership, not money.”

The museum is open the first Saturday of the month from May to October or by special request. He suggests people consider the Historical Society when will planning or making a memorial to a loved one.

Checks may be mailed to Medina Historical Society, 406 West Ave., Medina, 14106. Membership forms are available in the Medina Bugle, on their Facebook page or at a meeting the last Monday of the month.