Milton Historical Society puts out desperate call for vols

Harrison Thorp 9:36 a.m.


Milton Historical Society puts out desperate call for vols

In this Lebanon Voice file photo, Bonnie Dunton, foreground, and Loretta Banks pore over and catalog artifacts last August at the Milton Historical Society in Milton Mills.

MILTON MILLS - Members of Milton's Historical Society are putting out a desperate plea for volunteers to help keep the group going and aid with the overwhelming task of cataloging artifacts that fill their society's home quarters in downtown Milton Mills.

John McCallister, a longtime member, said today that they've gotten a few new members in the past several months, but they need more. He said thousands of artifacts need to be logged in and entered on a computer so that volunteers can find and access them readily.

"We want to end up with a complete list of everything that is in the building and be able to go to that entry and find it," he said.

Longtime Milton Historical Society President Bonnie Dunton has said they'll accept volunteer help from young people in their teens if they would only ask.

In a Lebanon Voice article from August 2016, she said it would be a bitter pill if the society failed in its mission to continually preserve the town's storied past.

The building the society is housed in celebrated its 100th birthday last August. It was first constructed as the Milton Free Public Library and stayed as such till the MFPL moved to the Schoolhouse in 1993.

McCalister said they remain optimistic they will get more volunteers and said if they get just a few they hope to start a monthly speaker series.

The need for volunteers was briefly mentioned at Monday's Selectmen's meeting with Selectmen Chairman Andy Rawson asking that a "Volunteers Needed" message be listed on the town website.

For more information about volunteering or becoming a member contact: Dunton, at 603.755.2055; Loretta Banks, Secretary, at 603.473.2083 or McCallister at 603.652.4670.

The society meets the second Sunday of every month at 2 p.m.