Saving Wilson’s future by preserving its past. PRESERVATION OF WILSON VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 FALL/WINTER 2011 The Connor Lucas House, circa 1893, has new owners, Nancy and Otto Baron and their daughter Ariel. The family comes to us from California and has had a long time love affair with Victorian houses, antiques, hearses and classic horror films. They are antique dealers and owned a shop while in Temecula, California. Otto has been a long time fan of Victorian homes, going back to his reading a book called "Bunker Hill, Los Angeles" by Leo Politi in sixth grade. The book described an area of large stately Victorian homes in California that was leveled in the name of progress. This led Otto to a life long interest in history and historic preservation. What led to the Baron family choosing the Connor Lucas House, was not just how much they loved the house, but the community of Wilson being one which had a real commitment to encouraging preservation. "Preservation of Wilson is a perfect representation of making an effort to preserve local history, and that Wilson certainly has a lot of." Otto stated. In the mid sixties, Victorian homes were considered scary places and would typically be only seen in horror films and shows such as "Psycho", "The Munsters", "The Addams Family", and the like. According to Otto “It also bothered me a great deal when on shows like the Munsters you'd have characters in the series looking eagerly to destroying these homes because they weren't "up to date" and "stylish". Then in 1969, you had the Haunted Mansion opening at Disneyland, and that was a ride where the appeal to me may have been more the way the house you rode through looked, then all the special effects to be found there. So, you might consider Alfred Hitchcock, Disney, and Charles Addams as my tutors when it came to the aesthetics of what made an attractive home.” BB&T Lighthouse Project Preservation of Wilson is grateful to BB&T for partnering with us on the 2011 Lighthouse Project. Thanks to BB&T volunteers we now have a new laptop computer and LCD projector to enhance our presentations. We also are grateful for the fine photography of Cassie Causey and the many wonderful photos she took of the Old Wilson Mile. No service project seems complete until sleeves are rolled up and a bit of sweat labor is involved. Many of these generous volunteers, and especially Trustee Bill Colon, helped to give some of the houses that we are marketing a bit of curb appeal with yard work and minor clean up. Preservation of Wilson has benefited from the community spirit and pro-active leadership of BB&T. We sincerely thank all of you.
Transcript
Saving Wilson’s future by preserving its past.
PRESERVATION OF WILSON
VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 FALL/WINTER 2011
The Connor Lucas House, circa 1893, has new owners, Nancy and Otto Baron and their daughter Ariel. The family comes to us from California and has had a long time love affair with Victorian houses, antiques, hearses and classic horror films. They are antique dealers and owned a shop while in Temecula, California.
Otto has been a long time fan of Victorian homes, going back to his reading a book called "Bunker Hill, Los Angeles" by Leo Politi in sixth grade. The book described an area of large stately Victorian homes in California that was leveled in the name of
progress. This led Otto to a life long interest in history and historic preservation.
What led to the Baron family choosing the Connor Lucas House, was not just how much they loved the house, but the community of Wilson being one which had a real commitment to encouraging preservation. "Preservation of Wilson is a perfect representation of making an effort to preserve local history, and that Wilson certainly has a lot of." Otto stated.
In the mid sixties, Victorian homes were considered scary places and would typically be only seen in horror films and shows such as "Psycho", "The Munsters", "The Addams Family", and the like. According to Otto “It also bothered me a great deal when on shows like the Munsters you'd have characters in the series looking eagerly to destroying these homes because they weren't "up to date" and "stylish". Then in 1969, you had the Haunted Mansion opening at Disneyland, and that was a ride where the appeal to me may have been more the way the house you rode through looked, then all the special effects to be found there. So, you might consider Alfred Hitchcock, Disney, and Charles Addams as my tutors when it came to the aesthetics of what made an attractive home.”
BB&T Lighthouse Project
Preservation of Wilson is grateful to BB&T for partnering with us on the 2011 Lighthouse Project. Thanks to BB&T volunteers we now have a new laptop computer and LCD projector to enhance our presentations. We also are grateful for the fine photography of Cassie Causey and the many wonderful photos she took of the Old Wilson Mile. No
service project seems complete until sleeves are rolled up and a bit of sweat labor is involved. Many of these generous volunteers, and especially Trustee Bill Colon, helped to give some of the houses that we are marketing a bit of curb appeal with yard work and minor clean up. Preservation of Wilson has benefited from the community spirit and pro-active leadership of BB&T. We sincerely thank all of you.
Preservation of Wilson 2011 Benefactors New and renewed contributors from January 1, 2011 to November 21, 2011.
Founder - $1,000 or more Patron - $250 - $999 Sponsor- $100-$249 Supporter - $50 -$99 Contributor - $25 - $49 In-kind Service
FOUNDER
PATRON
SPONSOR SUPPORTER
Preservation of Wilson is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization which operates its Annual Giving Campaign under the calendar year. If you feel you have a service which may be of value, please contact us.
Subject to approval, your service may qualify as a contribution.
We want you to be pleased with the way your name is listed. Please call if you note a need for any corrections.
If you have already made a gift this year, please pass this pledge card on and invite someone new to support our preservation mission. To check on your gift status, please call Kathy Bethune at 252-234-7694.
Fall Letter Fest
The Wilson Visitors Bureau opened the doors of the C. W. Stokes House, 209 Broad Street, for the Preservation of Wilson Fall Letter Fest. Sandra Homes and the Tourism Board did an outstanding job on the renovation of the house. Congratulations on the fine work and craftsmanship of this wonderful bungalow.
Betty Lou Walston
Robert Flippin & Frank Eagles Garland Homes & his pulled pork biscuits
Genny Etheridge & Ann Brice
IN-KIND Accu-List Mailing Service
Ms. Lu-Ann Monson Anne & Alexa Pression
Mr. & Mrs. Eduardo Quiroz Wilson County
Mr. & Mrs. Randy S. Deans
Inviting all Real Estate Agents to become Restoration Partners
When we are unable to market a property, we will provide the owner with a list of “Restoration Partners” as a resource. All benefactors that are active real estate agents are included in this list. To confirm contact information or to become a
benefactor call Kathy Bethune at 234-7694.
President’s Letter
The year 2011 is moving towards conclusion and Preservation of Wilson has many rewarding accomplishments. We have added to our benefactors and are at all time highs. Our message is becoming recognized in our community through our website, our benefactors, our signs and the videos on the Channel Eight local channel. Our Real Estate activities have created interest, listings and closings. Our annual Garden Party and Art Show are gaining in popularity. We have Kathy Bethune, our Board of Directors and our many volunteers to thank for this success.
I have been privileged to be your President for the last three years. The success we achieved during this tenure was direct result of all those cited above. We were able to build an organizational structure that can serve Preservation of Wilson for years to come. We have a focused vision and mission to help Preservation succeed. I have been honored to serve with so many dedicated and enthusiastic people. The result of three exciting years of hard work and dedication can be our springboard towards 2012 and beyond for additional accomplishments. What can you do? Renew your pledge. Get a friend to join our benefactors. Volunteer for one of our committees. Your successes become our accomplishments and our community wins. Thanks again for your commitment and for the opportunity to serve.
Garland Homes
Thank you to our Committee Members
Getting our message out is very important to the success of Preservation of Wilson. With the dedication of our committee members, we seem to be on the right track. Thank you to the many folks that are making the commitment to meet monthly and work to support our mission, vision and strategic initiatives. If you would like to get involved, check out the meeting schedule and select a committee that interests you. If we can get a lot of people each doing a little work each, we are sure to succeed! For more information, please contact Kathy Bethune at 252-234-7694 or [email protected]
Properties (Last Wednesday @ 4:30 p.m.)
Ed Etheridge, Don Franks, Sharyn Hardister Lu-Ann Monson, Jim Scarborough
Gaynell Stallings, Donna Wells
Visioning (2nd Tuesday @ noon)
Lisa Anderson, Bill Andrews, Bill Colon Susan Hudson, Ken Jones, Verona True
Betty Lou Walston, Melanie Womble
Marketing (2nd Thursday @ 5 p.m.)
Ann Brice, Rena Corbett, Marshall Dildy Sharron Dildy, Garland Homes
Rob Keller, Hal Tarleton, Cynthia Whalen
Finance (Last Wednesday @ 7:45 a.m.) Doug Boone, Frank L. Eagles Bowie Gray, Garland Homes,
Perry Morrison
Visual Improvement (1st Monday @ 11 a.m.)
Charles Barnes, Francis Boomer, Sue Dail, Robin Dubeau, Margaret Marsden, Holmes Smoot, Eliza Stephenson Students in Free Enterprise, Barton College Chapter
2012 Calendar of Historic Porches
“House in the Mile” by Ed Levy of the Joseph J. Best House,
109 Bragg Street, circa 1920
“A Tale of Two Porches” by Monty Garrish of the George A. Lucas House,
609 Vance Street, circa 1917
A common remark by many folks is how beautiful and inviting the historic porches are in Wilson. Bet-ty Lou Walston, Trustee and member of the Vi-sioning Committee, says “I think a porch is such a symbol of southern life. There is a porch revitalization going on today, taking people out of their homes and back on their front porches. There seems to be appreciation for the connection and sense of community that sitting on a porch gives you.” Ken Jones, Preservation of Wilson Secretary, says “In the seven years that I have been in Wilson, I have noticed the beautiful porches that Wilson has in all four of the historic districts, both on the east and west side of Wilson." Preservation of Wilson is celebrating these fine covered entrances with our 2012 Calendar of Historic Porches. We held a photo contest open to all photographers, amateur or professional. The only requirement was it must be a photo of a porch in any one of the historic districts. Burk Uzzle and Je-rome De Perlinghi were the judges and selected the top 12 of the 86 photos submitted. Thank you to our winning photographers: Megan Elizabeth Miller Oteri, Grant Roberson, Bill Reaves, Cassie Causey, Bill Colon, Dave Haas, Charles L. Smith, Amber McDaniels, Gena Etheridge Seltzer, Ed Levy and Monty Garrish. The calendar makes a perfect holiday gift. Share the beauty of our historic districts with your family, friends and co-workers. To purchase a calendar, please contact any one of the Board of Trustees or stop by one of these businesses: Arts Council, Wilson Hardware, Recollections, Chamber of Commerce, Newcomb Lighting, Park Place Consignment, Sweet Maria’s, Wilson Visitors Center, and the Upper Coastal Plain Business Development Center. For the computer savvy go to www.preservationofwilson.com and use PayPal.com
Winning photographers Dave Haas and Bill Colon promote the 2012 Historic Porch Calendar with
Kathy Bethune.
A Message from the Director As we enter this Holiday Season Preservation of Wilson has much to celebrate. We celebrate the growing
number of folks that continue to be dedicated benefactors year after year. We celebrate the new people
supporting our efforts giving us a steady increase in membership annually. We celebrate Garland Homes
and the Executive Committee for providing the leadership that it takes to ensure that we are focused on our
goals, good stewards of our finances, and committed to getting out our message. We celebrate our
dedicated Board of Trustees and the new Trustees that will begin their tenure in January. We celebrate the
many fresh faces joining our committees giving us creative and unique ideas of how to succeed in the
challenging work of neighborhood revitalization.
This year we have enjoyed additional real estate closings giving brand new life to old houses. Families have
decided to select Wilson as their home making our community richer in diversity. The Old Wilson Neigh-
borhood Association is stronger than ever. And most of all, the preservation grassroots spirit is growing
each day. Thanks to each and every one of you. Without you, we cannot succeed. Best wishes to you and
yours this Holiday Season.
Kathy Bethune
The Barton College Connection
Barton College’s Chapter of Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is partnering with Preservation of Wilson on
an exciting project focusing on heritage tourism as an economic development tool.
Students will work in the Old Wilson Mile by creating a
Walking Tour of the historically significant properties.
Not only will this tour help tell the “Wilson Story“, but it
will help to encourage visitors to stay a bit longer in
Wilson.
Dr. John J. Bethune, facility advisor, tells us “This is the
second year that SIFE has partnered with Preservation
of Wilson to assist with the revival of the historic districts
and the Barton neighborhood. We believe we are
promoting private sector activity and free enterprise by
removing burdens from government as a result of
delinquent owners and returning these homes to private
productive uses. The major criterion for SIFE programs
is that they make a large impact. We believe our
relationship with Preservation of Wilson is an ideal
project for making a large and significant impact.”
Preservation of Wilson PO Box 2741
Wilson, NC 27894-2741
Officers
President - Garland Homes, Jr. Vice President - Ed Etheridge
Secretary - Ken Jones Treasurer - Bowie Gray
Past President - Bobby Boykin Members-at-Large
Frank L. Eagles Susan Hudson Perry Morrison
Trustees
Paula Benson Doug Boone
Bill Colon Sharyn Hardister Robert P. Keller Gaynell Stallings Eliza Stephenson Deloris Thomas
Betty Lou Walston Donna Wells
Executive Director
Kathryn F. Bethune
Ex-Officio Member
Lu-Ann Monson, City of Wilson
NON-PROFIT ORG. US POSTAGE
PAID WILSON, NC PERMIT # 507
Mission Statement
Preservation of Wilson provides leadership in the revitalization efforts o f Wi lson County ’ s un ique architectural heritage. As stewards of Wilson’s historic buildings, we a c t i v e l y p r o m o t e h i s t o r i c , architectural, and culturally significant properties. Our efforts are to ensure that revitalized properties will contribute in the aesthetics of the community, increase the value of surrounding properties, and create a safe and welcoming environment.
When the Board of Trustees accepted the property at 101 Warren Street it was our intention to renovate the 1923 bungalow for use as our office. With excellent office space being provided by Wilson County and with a very tight budget, we had to recons ider these p lans . For 18 months we marketed the property to be moved. Although we had two very serious prospects, neither material ized, thus leaving us regrettably with no alternative but to return the property to the United Way. Thank you to everyone who worked with the Mayor Wilson House.
