Members & guests met at Hope Historical Home at 9:38. President Bill Jones called the business meeting to order. Present were: Bob Appleby, Hope Chase, Jean Connon, Bill Gould, Ann Gould, Faith Hart, Herb Hart, Mary Ireland, Bill Jones, Dottie Kimball, Ann Leadbetter, and Ron Smith.

The Society observed a moment of silence in memory of our past President and beloved member Edward Keene True who passed on to that kingdom not made with hands on November 8th at the age of 92 and whose mortal remains were interred at Hope Grove Cemetery on November 12th. Ed True, a Harvard professor of architecture for 31 years, was the Society's genealogist and a frequent speaker at our monthly meetings, most recently on this August 21st. Two of his talks will soon be published posthumously on the Society's Monthly Meeting Monograph series. Faith Hart and Ann Leadbetter attended the service and the burial on behalf of the Society. Barbara Ludwig will send a condolence card to Ed's widow, Barbara, on our behalf.

Treasurer Faith Hart's Treasurer's Report was presented and accepted. Our bank balance was $8,712.39.

A copy of the draft minutes of the July meeting, our most recent business meeting, was circulated. Minutes of this meeting will record the intervening meetings: August 21, "Hope's Settler/Pioneers: Fergus McLain, William Hewitt and more" by Edw. True; September 16, "Hope's Gould Hospital," by Emma Theobalds & Bill Gould; and October 16 annual meeting, "A Travelogue of New Zealand," by Ron Smith. Acting Secretary Jean Connon agreed to take notes for this meeting and Pres. Jones to write them up.

Committee Reports and Announcements:

For the Building Committee, Herb Hart reported that the plumbing would be drained and the heat turned down following the December 11th brunch. He is dealing with a leak he discovered in the pipe to an outside tap. The window-well covers are missing. He will consult Obed Hart to try to find them.

Bob Appleby reported for the Website Committee that hopehist.com is now getting 33 visits per day! The site now houses over 100 megabytes of information. Anyone who looks up 'bury the hatchet" on the worldwide web is referred to our site and our monograph "Facing Hatchet Mountain" which explains the 1617 Treaty of Hatchet Mountain.
The committee would like help correcting errors and omissions and in research. They would particularly like more information on the history of our Hope Historical Home and on biographies of those buried in Morey Hill Cemetery. Appleby noted the poor state of the cemetery and its stones. He hoped there would be volunteers to make rubbings of the stones.
After debate, the Society decided not to put meeting minutes on the website.

For the Program Committee (Lois Hebb, Bill Jones, Ann Leadbetter & Ron Smith), Jones reported that the currently scheduled programs were:
Tuesday December 11th @ 9AM at the Hope Historical Home, Christmas brunch with the Hope School Chorus. Gwen Brodis will arrange. VP Ann Leadbetter will be in charge.
July or August 2008. History of Beaver Lodge Girls' Camp by Betty Lou Richards
Suggestions for other programs should be made to committee members. Consistent with outgoing president Lois Hebb's wishes, emphasis should be on aspects of Hope's own history. Jones hopes to get Cynthia Dellapenna to present the results of her research on Fiske House, which burned 100 years ago and the last meeting place of the Mount Hope Masonic Lodge.
After debate, the Society decided not to have programs or to meet in January, February or March, unless the Program Committee had something really compelling to offer.

Jones reported that the Camden Herald's new reporter for Hope is Kim Lincoln, Hope resident and daughter-in-law of Mark Lincoln who formerly owned the South Hope store. Members should strive to give her accurate information on Hope history. The Herald article on the centenary of the Fiske House fire was based on Cynthia Dellapenna's research. Cynthia was disappointed with the feature which also included quotes from Jones.

Jones reported for Gwen Brodis that she had found the originals of the 1859 map and of the small 2000 map. Both are out of print. She is getting corrections made and investigating how to get them reprinted.

Jones asked for a volunteer to assemble a collection of Hope posters, not just of HHS but of other events. Faith Hart reported that she already keep such a collection.

Faith Hart reported that $xxx.xx has been received from Coastal Workshops for cans and bottles returned for our account. The president cited some of the big returners (Ron Leadbetter, Andy Swift, Jill Lang & others un-named) and urged members to expand this source of funds.

Jones announced his intention, unless there are strong objections, to work out details of proposals in the Executive Committee to save time in monthly meetings and permit more attention to Hope history. The Executive Committee would bring proposals before monthly meetings for discussion and decision. There were no objections.

Old Business:

The president called for volunteers for secretary and a 3rd member of the Nominating Committee as required by the by laws. He got none.

New Business

It is high time to change the HHS exhibit in the glass cases at the town Office. It was suggested and agreed that an exhibit featuring our hopehist.com website be mounted. The Website Committee will try to produce the exhibit.

After debate, the Society decided to add Bob Appleby (Chair of the Website Committee) and Herb Hart (multiple committees) to the Executive Committee of Jones (Pres.), Ann Leadbetter (VP), Faith Hart (Treasurer). The secretarial position is vacant.

Mary Ireland suggested we place signs at historic places in Hope as Lincolnville and other towns do. Ron Smith noted Hope's restrictive ordinances regarding signs. The meeting showed enthusiasm and agreed to pursue the project. Mary volunteered to check out the ordinances, thinks of initial sites to be signed, check on design & cost of signs, and report back to Executive Committee.

Jones noted that Hope has a new Capital Planning Committee and wondered whether HHS had any projects it might like to put forward. Two were discussed.

Jones summarized developments re: preservation of the South Hope schoolhouse on Pushaw Road. It is now owned by Michael & Jamie Oliver Ames who have expressed interest in having it saved. Several years ago, the Society agreed to support any Friends of South Hope School group that formed and to assist in getting grants. No such group formed. Brian Powers inspected the building and pronounced it savable. On November 13, Jones was approached by Knox County Commissioner Lawrence Nash who is interested in the schoolhouse's preservation, who offered to see whether the building could be stabilized while waiting other developments, and who might be willing to stabilize it. Nash pointed out that the building is the only surviving one-room schoolhouse for a very large distance. The meeting discussed several that might be pursued should the building be judged savable. As first steps, the Society agreed that 1) Jones should try to get the Ameses and Nash together to stabilize the building if possible, 2) have a 2nd builder, possibly Scott McIntyre, look at the building, 3) try to find or generate a list of South Hope School attendees, 4) submit a "place holder" project to the Capital Planning Committee for discussion, and 5) report back to Executive Committee.

The possible rehabilitation of Morey Hill Cemetery was discussed. While this is of great interest to HHS, it was agreed that this is the business of the town's Cemetery Committee.

Next meeting is not yet scheduled.

The meeting adjourned at 10:55.

Respectfully submitted,

Jean Connon & Bill Jones, Acting Secretaries

Bill Jones, Acting Secretary                                                                                                                                                   RETURN