Excerpt:

To the editor:

If the Washington County Board of Supervisors were to form a historical preservation committee, the first thing they have to do is pass an ordinance to establish a commission.

Hopefully, that will come in the very near future. Then they would have to advertise for people who want to serve on that commission. Hopefully, they will be a broad band of people from the county who would like to serve, and have some input on saving some of our history in Washington County. It is not going to be demanding and occupy a lot of your time, but as citizens of Washington County, we all have some responsibility to preserve our history. Years ago, the Washington County Historical Society did a great job with their oral history collection (at the Percy Library) and all their efforts to document part of our history. We have so much to be grateful for and we are fortunate to have a rich history. Not only from Feb. 14, 1863, when the Greenville ladies went on board the Union ram, the Monarch, to persuade them not to burn Greenville. Only to have three months later after the Union boats were fired upon in Millers Bend, to order the city burned. Think of our history lately. The towboat business, our blues history, and the history of our communities - Arcola, Metcalfe, Hollandale and Winterville. I am sure as you read this your thinking -“Sure, I have some history in that box up in the attic.” So you get the idea. It's really about getting involved and it involves all of us. It's not just about us older generation, although the Nick's, Black's, Gibson's and many others have contributed to our history are all a rich source of information that the commission will draw upon. But it is the future that we look toward.

The Board of Supervisors will choose one member from each of their districts, and then chose four more, at-large members to serve. Then those members will choose their own chairman and vice chairman and elect a secretary to keep the minutes etc. Then they can apply for the “Certified Local Government Program” through the Mississippi State Department of Archives and History and be eligible for funds. Oh, I didn't mention funds? Well, excuse me, but as you well know, it is all about the money. And at this point, we are not getting any. Most government programs are about control, and for heavens sake, they control way too much already. Yes, part of the program is about preserving buildings, and once in the program you can't burn the building down for in the insurance. Once we are in that program we can apply for “Preserve America” status, which is another federal program (with money) that Cleveland, Columbus, Vicksburg, Greenwood and Leland - to just name a few - are already in the program. So we will be playing catch up with them.

Alicia Netterville with the Main Street Greenville is working with the mayor to also establish a local city ordinance for the same purpose. There is maybe some hope to form a joint commission to pool resources with a common objective. Alicia has some great ideas on forming a digital database with pictures etc. At this point, hopefully, there is excitement stirring in you that will move you out of your chair and get a pen and paper and jot down on a sticky pad “get involved with historical commission.” Don't leave it up to somebody else - get involved. Enough said.