All meetings are held at the Fulton County Museum unless otherwise noted. You are urged to attend all meetings, whether you are a member or not. Bring friends, neighbors, family, invite everyone! The public is always welcome. The meetings are educational and fun! All FCHS activities are family-oriented and children are welcome!

Feb. 24 Sun. 2 p.m. Program: J. H. Northrop - Seven Years War. Committee: Ruby Reed and Mary Barnett.

March 8 Sat. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. 4H Genealogy Day Camp

March 16 Sun. 2 p.m. Program:Alan Chesser - Indian artifacts. Committee: Marsha Glassburn and Lois Ulerick

Mar. 29 Sat. 7:00-11:00 a.m. Breakfast Buffet at the Museum - a fundraiser. Scrambled eggs, Ham, Biscuits & Sausage Gravy, mixed fruit, etc. Fundraiser to pay for summer intern.

April 26-27 Redbud Trail Rendezvous Sat 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Sun. 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

May 17 Sat. 4:00-7:30 p.m. Fish & Chicken Fry at FCHS Museum, fish and chicken cooked by Ernie Hiatt. May 25 Sun. 2 p.m. Program: Kevin Vedder, Rochester & Lafayette - Soldier back from Iraq. Committee: Clem Good & Kevin Kennedy,

June 7 Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Genealogy Workshop - Main speaker Shirley Hodges, Albion, Mich.

June 20-22 Fri. Sat. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.- 4 p.m. Historical Power Show.

July 25 Fri. 7:30 p.m.- midnight "Genealogy for Night Owls" at FCHS Reference Room.

July 27 Sun. 2 p.m. Hispanic Heritage of Fulton County. Committee: Carol Boyer, J H Northrop, and Melinda Clinger

Aug. 13 Wed. 4:30-7:00 p.m. Hap's Chicken Bash Fundraiser

Aug. 24 Sun. 2 p.m Program: George Godfrey, member of Citizen Potatwatomi Nation, and Shirley Willard on Trail of Death plans for historic highway signs and caravan from here to Kansas Sept. 22-28. Committee: Shirley & Bill Willard and Millie Redweik

Sept. 6 & 13 Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Work days - get grounds ready, repair booths for Trail of Courage. Earn free admission by working four hours. Bring picnic or sack lunch to eat in museum or in the woods.

Sept. 19 Fri. 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Trail School Day - School tours of Trail of Courage demonstrators & crafters.

Sept. 19 Fri. 7:30 p.m. Annual meeting of Potawatomi Trail of Death Assn. Meeting will be in Fulton County Museum's Reference Room. All interested persons invited to come.

Sept. 20-21 Sat. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. - Sun. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Trail of Courage Living History Festival. Special honored Potawatomi family: Gary Wiskigeamatyuk, descendent of Chief Abram Burnett. Gary will also be the head man Dancer and will perform the hoop dance on the stages. .

Oct. 17-18 & Oct. 24-25 Fri & Sat. 7 p.m.-until finished. Haunted Woods Trail. TWO WEEKENDS!

Nov. 8 Sat. 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. Chicken & Noodle Supper fundraiser.

Nov. 24 Mon. 6:00 Annual carry-in banquet, election of officers, awards to volunteers & donors. Bring food to share, table service. Awards at 7:00. Program at 7:30 p.m.: Program: RHS Barbershop Quartet. Committee: Ruby Reed, Melinda Clinger, Carolyn Clinger and Lola Riddle.

Weeks after Thanksgiving - Please come to help decorate the museum for Christmas.

Dec 13 - Sat. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Demonstrations & Christmas crafts you can make & take. Christmas Open House at Museum. Various piano players will play the baby grand from Colonial Hotel: Come & sing along - Christmas & old tunes. Committee: Melinda Clinger, Ruby Reed, Marsha Glassburn and Lola Riddle. Plans are being made for different demonstrations during the day - painting, scrapbooking, tating, bead making, etc. Minimal fee charged for supplies. Possibly have a homemade candy contest or cookie-baking contest.

History Fair Mar. 8-9, 2009 Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Sun. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You are invited to attend these meetings too!

Aug. 24 Sun. 2 p.m Program: George Godfrey, member of Citizen Potatwatomi Nation, and Shirley Willard on Trail of Death plans for historic highway signs and caravan from here to Kansas Sept. 22-28.

Sept. 19 Fri. 7:30 p.m. Annual meeting of Potawatomi Trail of Death Assn. Meeting will be in Fulton County Museum's Reference Room.

Sept. 22-28 Trail of Death Commemorative Caravan, meet at 8 a.m. at Fulton County Museum, 9:00 at Chief Menominee statue at Twin Lakes. Spend first night at Lafayette, Indiana. Follow Trail of Death as shown on www.potawatomi-tda.org Will travel 660 miles to end of Trail in Kansas.

March 8 Sat. 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. 4H Genealogy Day Camp

June 7 Sat. 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Genealogy Workshop - Main speaker Shirley Hodges, Albion, Mich.

July 25 Fri. 7:30 p.m.- midnight "Genealogy for Night Owls" at FCHS Reference Room. Free help on computer research and "breaking brick walls."

Nov. 18 Tuesday 12 noon - lunch at local restaurant to elect officers & plan.

Meet at Sutton Terock Blacksmith Shop beside FCHS round barn to demonstrate & teach iron working and blacksmithing the second Sat. of each month at 9 a.m. Public is welcome!

Meet the second Tuesday of each month in Fulton County Museum. Public is welcome!

March 1 Sat. 4:00 - 7:30 p.m. Fish & Chicken Fry by Ernie Hiatt, at 4H Fairgrounds.

April 4 Fri. 7:00 p.m. Auction & carry-in supper at 6 p.m. at museum.

June 20-22 Fri. - Sat. 9 a.m.- 8 p.m. Sun. 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Historical Power Show on FCHS grounds.

Oct. 11. Sat. 6 p.m. Annual Banquet carry- in supper followed by awards and elections at museum.

Oct. 26 Sun. Toy Show, at the museum, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

For further information contact: Fulton County Historical Society, Inc.
37 E 375 N
Rochester IN 46975
Phone 574-223-4436 Email: fchs@rtcol.com
Web Page: www.icss.net/~fchs

Fulton County's Round Barn Museum can now be found in the Rand McNally Atlas which is available locally at Wal-Mart. This invaluable and free advertising will be seen all over the world.

Marsha Glassburn, Leiters Ford, who participated in the 2002 Trail of Courage as a newcomer:

A common figure of speech says that old habits die hard. But old skills, old crafts, the old knowledge and culture die quickly without people to practice them and pass them on. So, If you don't know how already, you can learn to throw a knife and tomahawk, start a fire with flint & steel, shoot a muzzle-loader, weave a basket and other crafts. Cook over an open fire; sing around a crackling campfire at night, swap tall tales. Then you need to join us next year here at the festival. If you're like most folks, you'll get bit by the bug and yearn for a rendezvous whenever you smell smoke. I will always say, "Smells like RENDEZVOUS!" I'll be back next year. Rain or shine!

Carol Layman, NorthVernon, Indiana: I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Wearing an old fashioned dress and a bonnet, I was sitting on a log bench in an autumn woods on a Sunday morning. Rays of sunshine coming down through the trees were tinted blue by campfire smoke. A trapper-type man dressed in fringed leather sat on the edge of the stage, which was a rust structure made of weathered planks. He was playing familiar songs on a squeeze box he called a melodeon. I had hardly stopped smiling since arriving at this Trail of Courage Living History Festival the day before. The only down side of the weekend was having to stay in my booth if I wanted to do business, but we took turns minding the store. A small village of wigwams was located directly behind our booth. I was so happy to see them shown to school children. Too many Hoosier students – and adults—believe the Indiana Indians lived in tepees.

The Trail of Courage in 2001 was just a few days after the Sept. 11 terrorist attack. This email came the day after the Trail of Courage:

I have been coming to Trail since 1988. Anything I can do to perpetuate the Trail, within my power, I will gladly do.

I told Chief White Eagle Sunday, as a former Green Beret, my first reaction was to go kill something. Then I remembered my vow of non-violence I took at the planting of the Peace Tree. If there ever was a time I needed to be there, this was the time. Being there, talking to White Eagle, and remembering what the Trail is about, helped me through a difficult time.

Let there be no doubt that what you do is worthwhile! A friend and I discovered the Trail by accident while driving up 31. Praise the Great Spirit! Over the years, I have brought my young sons, my brother and his family, three nephews, and two other friends. There was not one among the group that did not want to return the following year!! All the years I've been coming, and all the reading I've done; I had not heard the entire story of Geronimo until Sunday.

YES what you do is worthwhile!! I only wish that my health, employment, & proximity allowed me to participate in the effort. Thank you again, I NEEDED to be there this year.

The newly revised FCHS Web site, created by Debbie Willard of HTC Technologies as a public service, has brought in several e-mail responses to the Trail of Courage Living History Festival. All were very favorable. Stated one participant: "We want to thank you and your organization for allowing us to be part of the Trail of Courage week end. I do not know when I have enjoyed myself so much. Not only did I have a chance to look at my ancestry, but I was able to see some of my living family also. You and your group have done a great job in putting things together in a way that honor and shows great respect for both the Indians and the settlers of our land. I wish I could have gone with you on the trip to Kansas. If we are in any way able, we would sure like to take the trip the next time (in 2003)."

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