MS 672 - Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District
MLA Citation
“MS 672 - Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District.” Finding Aids. BGSU University Libraries, 20 Mar. 2014, lib.bgsu.edu/finding_aids/items/show/1415. Accessed 18 Sep. 2024.
Tags
| Title | MS 672 - Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District |
|---|---|
| Introduction | The records of the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District were donated to the Center for Archival Collections in November 1993, with the help of the Wood County Park District. The records, dating from 1986 to 1995, consist of minutes, membership records, letters, news clippings, brochures, newsletters, and photographs. No restrictions exist on the research use of this collection and the duplication is permitted for research purposes. The collection was arranged and described by Devon Proudfoot in September 2013. |
| Agency History | The Friends of the Parks of Indian Trails Park District was established in 1989 by a group of Wood County citizens, with the help of a grant from the Edward F. Knight family. Park Commissioner Martha Kudner helped in the campaign for the creation of the Friends of the Parks, while original trustee Marjorie Hunter was elected as the first president of the organization in July 1989. Over the course of the first year of its existence, 176 residents of Wood County became members, bylaws were drafted, and a monthly newsletter began being printed. In 1990, the organization changed its name to the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District. The organizations first major project was the Slippery Elm Trail in 1991. This task looked to turn 13 miles of railroad tracks between Bowling Green and North Baltimore, into a walking and cycling path. Since then, the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District have undertaken many other projects such as the annual flower and seed sale fundraiser, the building of a new greenhouse near the park district headquarters, and the upkeep of parks around Wood County. The Friends of the Parks have continued to help build the local parks through donations and fundraisers. As of 2012, Wood County contains 19 different parks covering over 1,100 acres of parkland. Today the main focuses of the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District include preserving the natural parks, organizing special events, creating educational programs, and increasing the parks visibility throughout the community. |
| Scope and Content | The Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District collection primarily contains proceedings, correspondence, reports, printed materials, and newsletters. The proceedings contain the organizations initial bylaws, drafted by the original members in 1989, along with the revisions that were made the following year. The information presented in these consists of the duties and obligations of members, officers, and committees. Not only are the minutes for the regular and board meetings found in the collection, but the agendas for these meetings as well, both covering the span from 1989 to 1993. While the agenda provided a skeleton of the ideas that would be covered in the meeting, the minutes, written by the secretary, contain the date, location, and the officer reports of the meeting. The last parts of the proceedings, the membership records, are extensive lists of the members of the Friends of the Parks. These records contain the names of the members along with their addresses. The correspondences found in the collection are various letters, with dates ranging from 1989 to 1993, sent by the organization as a whole, sent by the members of the board of trustees, or sent to the Friends of the Parks. The letters sent out from the organization served as an update and reminder to the members, or potential members, of the Friends of the Parks. The letters cover such topics as membership, events, and elections. The other letters in the collection are more business oriented, sent out from the members of the board of trustees. These are letters were sent out to foundations asking for grants, the IRS regarding taxes, and other professional matters. The collection also contains the letters that the Friends of the Parks received back, answering their questions and concerns. These letters are arranged chronologically. The reports contained in the collection cover bother the finances and the projects of the Friends of the Parks. The reports, ranging from 1988 to 1993, are categorized in to the finance, treasurer’s, and park district reports, and are arranged chronologically. The finance report contains the total balance of the organization with the money spent, and the money received in donations. The report also contains detailed listings of the members of the community who donated to the organization, along with their addresses and donation amount. The treasurer’s report contains similar information, although they cover specific events. The information provided in these reports is the amount of money spent on supplies and the amount of money that was made from the event. The collection also holds the yearly report for the Wood County Park District. While this report also has financial information, such as park and project grants, it also has information on the additions and improvements of the parks in the community. There are a few different types of printed material in the collection including certificates, brochures, flyers, and programs. The dates of these items range from 1986 to 1995 and are arranged chronologically. The certificates are either awards that have been won by the Parks Department, or documents certifying the Friends of the Parks of Indain Trails Park District and also for the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District, after the name change. The brochures in the collection contain information and brief histories of the parks and projects of the Friends of the Parks, while the flyers contain information and locations for the events and meetings hosted by the organization. Programs are also included for the annual Friends of the Parks Meeting, recognizing the volunteers, donors, and board members. The collection contains the quarterly Friends of the Parks, the Oak Leaf, and the Trailblazer Newsletters. They are arranged chronologically and span the dates of 1989 to 1993. The Friends of the Parks Newsletter contains information about the organizations recent activities along with advertisements for upcoming events at the parks. The Oak Leaf Newsletter contains more information about the Wood County Parks District and their projects. Just like in the Friends of the Parks Newsletter, each issue of the Oak Leaf Newsletter also has a listing of the upcoming events at the parks. The final newsletter in the collection, the Trailblazer, contains more material about the projects similar to the Slippery Elm Trail’s conversion from railroad to bike path. |
| Series Description | PROCEEDINGS BYLAWS 1989-1992 Arranged chronologically The original bylaws of the organization, including information about the procedures, along with the amendments made in 1991 and 1992 MINUTES 1989-1993 Arranged chronologically The secretary’s notes for the board meetings including information about upcoming projects, events and elections MEMBERSHIP RECORDS 1989-1992, n.d. Listing of the citizens who joined the Friends of the Parks, along with their address and their membership status CORRESPONDENCE CORRESPONDENCE 1989-1993 Arranged chronologically Both letters sent from the organization to its members in regards to future celebrations and activities, and letters from the board inferring about legal and financial dealings, along with the responses they received REPORTS MONTHLY REPORTS 1988-1993 Reports from the finance committee and the treasurer listing the amount of money contributed to the organization and the amount of money spent on projects YEARLY REPORTS 1989 Park District Report reviewing the improvements to existing parks, new programs, and grants given out for projects LITERARY PRODUCTIONS NOTES 1989 Written and printed notes about the parks meetings and the trail proposals FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS GRANT 1990 The application and the paperwork sent to the Toledo Community Foundation, Inc. in order to obtain a grant for the parks district SCRAPBOOKS NEWS CLIPPINGS 1989-1993, n.d. Arranged chronologically Newspaper cut outs of stories in the Sentinel Tribune with articles and pictures of new officers, park events, and legislative acts affecting the Friends of the Parks MAPS, CHARTS, DIAGRAMS, GRAPHS, LISTS, ETC. MAPS n.d. A map of central Wood County, with the proposed path of the Slippery Elm Trail highlighted PRINTED MATERIALS CERTIFICATES 1986-1990 Arranged chronologically Award certificates presented to the Wood County Parks, along with the certification of the records of the Friends of the Parks from the State of Ohio BROCHURES 1988-1993 Arranged chronologically Brochures containing information about the parks and the projects that the Friends of the Parks of the Wood County Park District attempt to provide FLYERS 1989-1992 Arranged chronologically Flyers advertising the various events and meetings set up by the Friends of the Parks organization PROGRAMS 1991-1995 Arranged chronologically Programs for the annual Volunteer Recognition Meeting with a brief history of the Friends of the Parks along with a list of volunteers and members of the organization NEWSLETTERS 1989-1993 Arranged chronologically Monthly newsletters from parks related organizations, reporting on the projects and events going on in the community PHOTOGRAPHIC MATERIAL POSITIVE PRINTS 1989-1993 Collections of photographs from various events and celebrations at parks around Wood County NEGATIVES n.d. The film negatives of the photographs found in the collection ARTIFACTS ARTIFACTS n.d. Stickers and cards containing the Rails to Trails Conservancy logos and contact information |
| Inventory | Box 1 Folders
Box 2 Folders
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