Westport Historical Society reassembles

WESTPORT | After a 13-year hiatus, a group of dedicated history buffs are bringing back the Westport Historical Society. It originally started when a group of local women saved the Westport Train station from demolition in 1978. Train service was suspended in the early '70s and it was sold to be turned into a museum. "Well, as you can imagine, it wasn't really popular in Westport to lose that beautiful building," Derinda Sherman, past and current member of the Historical Society, said. The Town of Westport purchased the building from the Delaware and Hudson Company for $1 and a long-term lease. With the help of the Westport Historical Society, Carol Buchanan founded the Depot Theater in 1979. Sherman said the Westport Historical Society was popular for a long time before it dwindled out. About 20 people attended the Society's second meeting, Feb. 12. At the next meeting, they hope to establish leadership roles. Phil Mero, Westport Town Historian, is leading the resurgence of the group but does not want to be in charge. "There's enough interest, so I'd love to see an independent group take this and run with it," he said. As a lifelong Westport resident, Mero has a great interest in its history. "What I would like to see the Historical Society do is to not only preserve historical things that are given to them, but also promote the history of Westport, make people aware of the history of Westport," Mero said. He explained there are aspects of Westport's history that would interest even those who don't live in the town. For example, the Adirondack Chair, an offshoot of the "Westport Chair" was developed by Thomas Lee in Westport. The Lee family also built a water main that supplied spring water to the town and beyond. "Teddy Roosevelt went to Harvard with Thomas Lee," Mero said. "When Teddy Roosevelt was in the White House, the only water he would serve was Westport water." Many of the individuals involved in the Historical Society are lifelong Westport residents. "The people who live here really want to know about it, because they love it and they love learning about it," Mero said. "I think that's fantastic." Since it has been so long, the group no longer has its tax-exempt status. Instead of forming an entirely new 501(c)(3), meeting attendees discussed becoming a sub-committee of Westport-Wadhams Community Alliance (WWCA). "I think it fits our mission," WWCA President Clay Reaser said. "I suggest that the committee establish its own leadership." This would allow them to fall under WWCA's tax-exempt status, while still maintaining their own leadership, funds and bylaws. The Society also plans to look for inspiration from other nearby towns' historical societies. If the Historical Society were to become its own 501(c)(3) it could take years. Mero said there are some historical items that have been in storage since 2011 that will need a place to live. This includes paintings, a few windows that came out of the old arsenal and some historical documents. There is also a videotape someone saved of an event the Westport Historical Society did years ago. The video shows three older men who grew up in Westport, speaking at the library. They spoke to anyone in the community who was interested about what Westport used to be like and answered questions. Mero hopes bringing the Westport Historical Society together again will reignite the community's interest and engagement in their town's past. "I love the history and I want to see it relayed to people who are interested and will enjoy it," he said.

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Westport Historical Society reassembles

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