| Meetings The McDonald County Historical Society meets the third Sunday of every other month at 2 p.m. at the Pineville Community Center on Jesse James Road, in Pineville, Missouri. Guest speakers delight us with their recollections of McDonald County Past. All are welcome. Newsletter The Heritage and History of McDonald County is published by the McDonald County Historical Society and is distributed to all members quarterly. Preserving Our History and Heritage The McDonald County Historical Society is a non-profit membership organization with close to 200 members and growing. The Society’s not-for-profit status 501c3 was established in 2003 and the Society operates within its bylaws. The Society annually prints calendars in order to preserve photos of our historical past as well as a fund raising effort, beginning in 2008. Previous calendars have included photos of our County's Main Streets, County Riverways, County Schools, the 1961 Secession Event, Community Baseball Teams, and County Churches. Additional themes will be developed in subsequent years. The Society currently has two contracts with the County. The original log courthouse owned by the Historical Society was moved from Rutledge and erected on County property in Pineville. We currently lease the Courthouse Museum from the County. The Society has purchased the Historic Sheriff’s House from the County and will continue to restore and preserve to house the administrative offices of the Society as well as storage & cataloging of artifacts. The renovation of the Courthouse was initiated in 2010. The year 2011 saw the beginnings of this project, with the Grand Opening of the downstairs area taking place Memorial Day weekend, 2013. The second floor Courtroom, a room dedicated to education and the old prosecutors office was completed in 2015. As of 2015-16 we were awarded a grant to have preservation architecs examine the Courthouse to determine stability, possibilities on the 3rd floor renovation and restoration of the brick exterior. |
Projects Current Projects We are currently involved in developing and implementing an educational outreach program and a detailed inventory of artifacts and documents. The latter includes numerous newspapers & articles from the county. McDonald County Historical Museum The Society formed in 1963 had a vision to establish a County Museum. They collected memorabilia and information to share in the Museum. Thanks to the efforts of many, the Society officially opened the County's First Museum in September, 2007 in the Sheriff's House. In 2013 the museum was expanded and moved to the first floor of the Historic Courthouse on the square. McDonald County Historical Society Website The McDonald County Historical Society has created this website to host a variety of news and resources for persons interested in the history and genealogy of McDonald County, Missouri. This website is a live and on-going project. We are indebted to the efforts of consultant Susan Collard who maintains this site for us. Persons wishing to contribute comments or information regarding this website may contact us at 417-223-7700 or write up at P. O. Box 572, Pineville, MO 64856 Old McDonald Courthouse Restoration Project The Historical Society signed a contract with the County Commissioners in November, 2010 to take over the care and maintenance of the Old County Courthouse. The year 2011 found the Society giving this historic courthouse a face lift. Projected completion of the entire project is 2015, but a Grand Opening of the main floor was held Memorial Day Weekend, 2013. In 2015 we completed the renovation of the 2nd floor including the Courtroom, an Educational Room and the Prosecutors Office. McDonald County Cemetery Preservation Project The Society recognizes a need to mark and maintain the County’s cemeteries. Numerous cemeteries are no longer in use and several have been completely destroyed. Volunteers and Society members work to preserve our cemeteries via Find A Grave MOGenWeb McDonald County Cemeteries Missouri Death Certificates 1910-1962 and Pre 1910 After searching this site, if you don't find your loved ones, please write or call us. Old McDonald Courthouse on National Registry Member Virginia Hall completed tireless hours upon hours of tedious research to lay the foundation of placing the Courthouse on the Registry. Details collected had to include talking with past historians, consulting with County officers, measuring both the interior and exterior of the building, and pouring through past county records to recreate the building of the structure. Past president Raylene Lamb completed the project, building upon Virginia's year-long research project. The Courthouse was placed on the National Registry of Historical Places in 2012. McDonald County Family History Book The Society is in the process of compiling a Family History Book. Did you miss getting your family information in the Sesquicentennial? The time is now to preserve this information. A small fee of $25 per page will guarantee you space in this new and exciting publication. Contact us today! Preservation of Family Stories through video tapes One of the long-term goals of the Society has been to preserve the County's history through multimedia, specifically videotapes. Several citizens in McDonald County have been contacted and are recording historical memories. Any persons who are interested in preserving their memories of McDonald County or who know lifetime residents of the County whose contributions would be invaluable to the Society are invited and encouraged to contact The Society. |