The last week and half has been very busy for members of the Miller County Historical Society. Monday April 9 we sponsored a display featuring our new building program at the Soil and Water Conservation meeting in Eldon. At the event we were honored when a picture of Sharon Holder in a nineteenth century style dress (made by Elva Steen, Sharon’s mother) was taken and placed in the Eldon Advertiser. Last Sunday, April 15, we held our groundbreaking ceremony which was fully covered by Ginny Duffield and published in the Advertiser and Autogram in last week’s editions including several good photographs. The very next day after the ceremonial groundbreaking Layne Helton arrived and began the groundbreaking in earnest finishing last Friday (see photos) so that now we are ready to begin laying the foundation. We plan to construct approximately a 24x86 foot building with two floors; the upper floor will be utilized for displays, offices and research area; and the lower floor, which will have a kitchen area, will be used for dinners and meetings.

Today, I had the honor of showing our progress at the building site to Bamber Wright, who now is retired from his family’s very historical Anchor Milling Company. Bamber has been very helpful to us in providing multiple photos of old Tuscumbia and Miller County and the steamboats owned by Anchor Mill. He also is our local historian and has made himself available to us many times in person as well as by telephone to answer questions we have had concerning Miller County history.

Come down to Tuscumbia and watch the building addition go up!! We plan to have a bean supper/open house May 5 which would be a good time to come and visit us. Our season opens for the public May 5 after which we will be open for visitors Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday’s and Saturday’s 10:a.m. to 4:00p.m. And don’t forget; if you would like to support us in our new building endeavor just go to “About Us” on the left side of our website, click on “Here we grow” and in the middle of the page click on “brochure flier…” to get more information about how you can help.

Joe Pryor