JOIN US AS WE CELEBRATE THE105TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE GRAYBILL REUNION SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2024 AT GRAYBILL'S GROVE, RICHFIELD, PENNSYLVANIA 11:15 AM Meet, greet and share 12:00 noon- Buffet lunch (see below) 1:30 pm program (Please bring folding chairs)
Music
Speaker- Guy Graybill
Attendees- share memories
A buffet lunch and beverages will be available for $10. Bring your own food to share.Call 717-694-3812 or message us on Facebook to reserve a lunch by August 30th. In case of rain, the Reunion will be held at the United Methodist Parish House.
Do you want to become a "Friend of Graybill's Grove"? Volunteers are needed to help with paperwork, event planning, maintaining the grove and more. If you want to be a volunteer or contributor, send mail to: Friends of Graybill's Grove P.O. Box 104, Richfield, PA 17086. Contributions can be made payable to "Friends of Graybill's Grove".
For more details email or phone Brent Snyder bsnyder13@centurylink.net (717)320-2593 OR Gloria Fultz mornglow@outlook.com (717)694-3812. Look for us on Facebook.
Welcome to the 23rd Annual Hymn Sing Open to the public at Brick Mennonite Church Sunday, September 15, 2024 2 pm 37322 Rt. 35 north, Richfield, PA 17086 Acapella singing from the 1902 Church & Sunday school Hymnal Also some German singing Come and bring a friend!
2024 Society Annual Report
We had 116 visitors since the 2023 annual meeting. In addition we had more than 100 participants in the six school group events this spring. Visitors came from many counties in PA and a variety of states.
We have 35 Life members. We also have about 180 regular members including 14 new members for 2024. We also have a few subscribers for those who want to receive the Echoes but prefer to decline from voting privileges as a member. We exchange memberships with about 30 other organizations. We also offer a gift subscription that can be purchased for a new member.
Wilma Kauffman, a faithful Life member and contributor to our society passed away on February 23, 2024. Wilma served on the board for 22 years as a representative for the Lost Creek Mennonite Church. Her family donated a significant amount of materials from her estate.
We welcomed two new board members in the past year.Glenn Miller represents the Susquehanna Mennonite Church and Merle Brubaker is a representative for Cross Roads Mennonite Church. Their participation and input is much appreciated.
We continue to search for a director. Meanwhile Betty Ann Landis and the other staff continue to share responsibilities. Janice Burkholder does a fine job as an archivist and keeps track of the memberships. Sarah Beth Spade serves well as the Echoes editor and Lill Weaver helps organize the displays and does a good job of the cleaning. We have been blessed with 90 recorded hours of volunteer services. Board members have also contributed their services for maintenance and other tasks.
We hosted six school groups in the past year for a 'history day." The focus this year was the "Great Depression". More than 100 people attended those events. In one station the students learned a bit of history on the Great Depression; the second station was a hands-on experience with rotary phones, typewriters and a Victrola record player.The third station gave students an opportunity to learn about the life of a tramp or hobo. They each packed a knapsack attached to a stick which contained items like an apple, small potato, stubby pencil, small notepad and plastic cup.
We hope to host school groups again in the 2024-2025 school year. The subject is "Colonial America." Watch for more details in the Echoes. The annual Brick Church hymn sing will be held on Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 2 pm. Open to the public! We will sing from the 1902 Church & Sunday school Hymnal. There will also be some German singing. Come and bring a friend!
We plan to participate in Goose Day on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from 9 am-2 pm. Visitors who find the hidden goslings in the library will receive a small gift. There will also be a drawing for a free one-year membership. Thank you for continued support and interest.
Note the change in our hours- Tuesday 9 am-4 pm and Saturday 9am-2pm. 2023 Society Annual Meeting Report Visitor count since the annual meeting of July 2022 was approximately 241. Visitors came from many different states and counties.Membership total is 152 plus 34 life members. Two life members, Melvin Arnold and Carol Wagner passed away in the past year. Our faithful board member, Lewis L. Martin from Millmont Mennonite Church resigned his position for health reasons. We are grateful that Rodger King has accepted the position as representative for that congregation.
We continue the search for a new director. Meanwhile Betty Ann Landis, the assistant director and other staff have shared the responsibilities. Janice Burkholder is doing a fine job as the archivist and keeping track of the membership records. We welcome Sarah Beth Spade as the new Echoes editor. Lill Weaver helps organize materials and does a good job of cleaning the facility. Ella Ruth King has taken responsibility to plan, organize and host the school group events. Together, as a team, they research for clients and welcome visitors. Dale Gingrich has spent a considerable amount of time doing maintenance work at the History Center. Other board members have made significant contributions as well. We hosted five home school groups in the past year. Four of them featured "Indians and PA History." The groups ranged in size from about 15-50 people. The children heard some little known Indian history, a few Indian stories, learned some Indian place names in the area, did a treasure hunt, and ground corn Indian style. A high school group of 21 students focusing on Mennonite history had each student use our resources to compile a personal 5-generation family tree. They also visited Fort Pomfret. We hope to host school groups again in the 2023-2024 school year. The subject in focus will be "The Great Depression." There will be a short history of the times, displays, hands-on activities and more an approximate two hours session. Call the History Center for further information and to schedule your group. (717-694-3211) The shutters are out for restoration. Organization on second floor is still a work in progress. . The Meadow Springs congregation continues to hold services in the Brick Church every 5th Sunday of the month in warm weather.
Books, commemorative crocks and Brick Church ceramic replicas are available for purchase. Brochures and other handouts are available free of charge. You are invited to become a member of the society and receive the Echoes every quarter- January-April-July and October.
23nd Annual Hymn Sing
Call to confirm- 717-694-3211
Betty Ann 717-444-3466 ; Janice 717-694-396
Open to the public
Brick Mennonite Church
Sunday, September 15,2024 2 pm
37322 Rt. 35 North, Richfield, PA 17086
A capella singing from the 1902 Church & Sunday School Hymnal
Also some German singing
Come and bring a friend!
Our 2024 membership drive is on!
A membership entitles you to receive the 12-page quarterly newsletter, Echoes, published in January, April, July and October. The periodical features local and family history articles plus the ever-popular Noah's Diary, written by our original director, Noah L. Zimmerman (1923-2004)
Choose one of the memberships below:
Life member - $500.00
Classic member - $100.00
Supporting member- $55.00
Sustaining member - $35.00
Basic membership - $30.00
$30.00 covers our expense to publish and mail the Echoes. Any additional funds are a contribution toward operating expenses.
Make check payable to: Juniata Mennonite Historical Society. Mail to P.O. Box 81, Richfield, PA 17086. Please include your mailing address and indicate if you are a new member. Current members will receive an annual membership notice with renewals due by December 31.
We are offeringan opportunity for existing members to give a one-year gift membership at half price ($12.50) for a new member. You can give an unlimited amount of gift membership, but only for new members or those who have not received a previous gift membership. This may be an idea for your Christmas gift list for the person who has everything. The gift membership rate is not valid for existing members. Please make check payable to Juniata Mennonite Historical Center. Mail to P.O. Box 81, Richfield, PA 17086. Offer expires December 31, 2021!
To avoid extra postal charges, pleae inform us of any address changes.
Live recording Of Brick Church Hymn Sing
September 16, 2018
Dial 712-432-8776
Enter conference ID pin- 426227#;
then choose the following:
91618#
or 916181#
Press 1 to stop the recording,
press 1 again to restart the recording.
Press 4 to back up the recording,
Press 6 to advance the recording
Listen to a live recording of
Juniata Mennonite Historical Society Annual Meeting
July 14, 2018 Held at Vicksburg, PA
Dial- 712-432-8788
Enter the conference ID 9088#,
then choose from the following:
71418# -
Opening,
Looking at the Past to Guide the Present; Luke Weaver- Lewisburg, PA
Early Amish History of the Buffalo Valley - Elam Fisher, Loganton, PA
714181#
Early Memories of the Groffdale Conference in the Buffalo Valley - Harry Oberholtzer, Mifflinburg, PA
714182#
Canals and Canal Life in the Susquehanna River Basin region - Steve Runkle, Mechanicsburg, PA
The blog is intended to be a small window into our collection. You will be able to view photos that come to us with a corresponding article, an artifact with its history, and more. The articles and photos are in addition to the features in our quarterly newsletter, Echoes.
Lending Library
A portion of the library has been prepared for circulation. More titles are added as our collection grows.
Some of the books in the library will be available to lend for a two-week time period, renewable for one subsequent two-week period. There is a penalty of $1 week for each overdue book.
Borrowers must be members of the Juniata Mennonite Historical Society.
There will be no charge to borrow books.
Borrowers who wish to renew the loan must notify the library; otherwise, books are considered overdue until the return of the book. We do not have a "book drop box" outside the facility. Please return books during hours of operation: Tuesday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Users are responsible for damage or loss of books, and the replacement value.
The library reserves the right to restrict select books for circulation. We do not participate in an interlibrary loan nor do we mail volumes on a loan basis.
