MINUTES OF THE DOGTOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY
November 10, 2007

CALL TO ORDER: – President John Corbett called the meeting to order at 10:07 a.m. in the St. James Rectory. Eight members were in attendance. Members: Bob Corbett, John Corbett, Tom Corbett, Bill Miller, Gerry Miller, Carol Nemeth, Dawn E. Owen, and Sally Sharamitaro.

Minutes of Last Meeting -A motion was made and seconded to approve the minutes of the October 13, 2007 meeting. A vote was taken, the motion passed and the minutes were approved.

Treasurer’s Report - Bob Corbett, Treasurer, presented the current treasurer’s report. The beginning balance was $3,848.99. Deposits totaled $395.00; expenditures totaled $250.00, resulting in an ending balance as of November 10, 2007 of $3,993.99. A motion was made and seconded to approve the treasurer’s report. A vote was taken, the motion passed and the treasurer’s report was approved.

Archives/Donations– – Bob reported on the new Acadia Publishing Co. book “The Forest Park Highlands” by Doug Garner. Doug was kind enough to send free copies for the DHS and several of its members.

Bob told the members that Doug’s book can be purchased at the new Highlands at Forest Park Hotel and at the Missouri Historical Society on Lindell.

Century Home Committee - No Report

The title of this new lecture, the first of the re-formed Speakers Committee is: “19th Century Cheltenham-Dogtown: Economic and Social Development”.

Bob will send another email out to the members as a reminder as it gets closer. John will activate his phone log program, as there will be no flyer printed or mailed.

Future speakers will include, Henry Herbst, who will present his lecture on the Taylor city Belt Line Railroad and possibly Doug Gardner who will present his second lecture on the Forest Park Highlands. Bob hopes to have another Dogtown lecture prepared for 2009 using his ongoing research and Father O’Connor’s “Let’s Go” essays on Catholic Communism and how capitalism caused the St. James parishoners such suffering during the great depression.

OLD BUSINESS

Bench Project - John reported that the DHS is still waiting for the permits for our 3 new benches. He said that our paperwork has been lost by the City Hall. John hopes that it is found soon.

NEW BUSINESS

Not-for-Profit Status - John received notification and papers from Attorney and member, Ed Cody, which will require the DHS to provide financial information to the United States Internal Revenue Service in order to preserve its Not-for-Profit status.

Bob, who is DHS treasurer, offered to prepare the report as he has experience in not-for-profit reporting thanks to his Haiti charity work. The report is due by March 8, 2008.

Show and Tell - Bob took time to do a Show and Tell for the members at today’s meeting. He talked first about Joe Light, a young man about 30 years old, who is a serious caver and spelunker. Joe had recently done some long distance research on the Dogtown and Cheltenham areas, specifically where the former River des Peres used to flow. He and other cavers are still hoping to find caves and mine entrances, as well as the location of the Sulphur Springs.

This week, Joe Light was back from a trip to the Rolla School of Mines in Rolla, Missouri. He brought some copies of maps of the Dogtown/Cheltenham area. He said they were sewer maps. He told Bob that they have many many more maps there and that Bob could go himself to the Rolla School, bring the camera and the tripod, and photograph other even larger maps of the Cheltenham area that are so large they are impossible to Xerox.

The real show and tell part came when Bob showed us the samples that Joe Light donated to the DHS. They were two small jars, one with Cheltenham clay and the other with Cheltenham coal, and Bob passed them around. Joe had dug deep under the “old” Tamm Avenue bridge while they were in the process of replacing it. He found the samples deep in the soil under the bridge. Joe filled the small jars and labeled them with the contents and noted that they were his donations to the DHS.

Tom and John Corbett showed the members their new green sweatshirts with DOGTOWN printed on the front. And said that the sweatshirts can be purchased for $9.99 at the Walgreens on Manchester and McCausland.

The meeting adjourned at 10:50 a.m. The next meeting will be Saturday, January 12, 2008, at 10:00 a.m., St James Rectory 6401 Wade Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63139

Respectfully submitted
Sally Ryan Sharamitaro
Secretary, Dogtown Historical Society