A Few Minutes with the Mayor, June 2014

We may live in an historic town, but I’ll wager that when studying history in school, you hated it. Was your history class like mine, consisting of nothing more than memorizing important dates of people and bigger-than-life events? King George may have been a bad king… at least from the American colonists’ point of view, but what were we taught about the man himself? Very little!

Personal facts about historic people were seldom included in history courses. Did George have a wife? He did… her name was Charlotte. Did he know her well before marriage? No, they met on their wedding day. Was the marriage a good one? Yes… judging by their progeny—15 in all. Did he have a mistress as most rulers did? No… he was faithful and the first monarch in his lineage to forego such royal “privileges.”

Now, wasn’t learning that less boring? Just imagine… a lifetime romance from an arranged marriage. Terry Erdmann and Paula Block, the Review’s Unfettered Critics could write a film script on that alone. As for me, I’ve always been able to step-back and imagine myself in the scene. It’s fascinating to imagine how people really acted or reacted with one another, to understand what they felt, what they believed, and how they lived in their world long since gone. At least I think so and the one reason I love old films, even the bad ones. They are a window into our past. The Frank Capra film, AMERICAN MADNESS, visually portrays better than any history book a run on a bank during the depression. The depositors’ increasing sense of panic literally jumps off the screen. Even though the scene is fictional, its genesis is drawn from real history.

And “real history” surrounds us fortunate enough to live here, a city where our window into the past is always open. How I love a walk down California Street! I never tire of observing buildings five and six generations old. The Courthouse, the center of our attention these days, was built in 1883. Did you know a Christmas Ball was held on the new second floor to celebrate the accomplishment? One wonders where they parked all the horse and buggies for the occasion.

I’m sure every building in the historic core has such stories, however, just as stories in books have an ending page, so will our buildings see an end without proper care. The fable of the three little pigs is fine, as far as it goes. The third pig was safe in his brick house. But travel forward in time with the pig’s children living in the house their father built. They feel safe but look, there are small cracks in the mortar and bricks and due to weathering, roof joists are weak, making one wonder just how long until the ending page. Back to reality, one in which we are facing deteriorating buildings.

In recent history, two generous citizens bequeathed their estates to the historic preservation fund to help preserve our precious heritage by creating a fund to be used for preservation. From this fund, the Historical Architecture Review Commission is able to function. But it is not unlimited; its ongoing purpose depends upon us. There is no other way to say it: CONTRIBUTIONS ARE ESSENTIAL IF WE ARE TO PRESERVE OUR TOWN.

The historic preservation of this city is necessary if we are to pass this heritage to our descendants. There are many ways to donate… in cash or assets now… or from one’s estate, either now or upon death. There can be certain tax advantages in whatever method is chosen. Donna Bowen is the chairperson of HARC. She’d love hearing from anyone blessed with such generosity. Think of it this way, your donation to HARC gives you a personal footprint in the future and that puts you on an even par with all the King Georges!

Posted May 30, 2014