A volunteer-run nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Middletown area’s history for future generations celebrated its 100th anniversary during an annual meeting on Oct. 14.
At the meeting, Middletown Historical Society President Gerald Kleiner thanked members for their support and reiterated the mission statement that has guided the organization over the past century.
In addition to the core task of preserving historic artifacts and records and making them available to the public, the nonprofit also seeks to strengthen the patriotic sense in the local community, he said.
Jeff Berkman, the society’s vice president, told The Epoch Times that as a Middletown native, he was proud to be involved in efforts to commemorate the past to inform the future.
“I believe history is the heart and soul of a community,” he said.
City Councilman Andrew Green concurred. Mr. Green serves on the nonprofit’s board and became a member of the Historical Society about three years ago on the recommendation of fellow Councilman Mr. Kleiner.
“They say history repeats itself,” Mr. Green told The Epoch Times. “But if we learn from the good and the bad in history, then hopefully, we will only repeat the good.”
The primary function of the Historical Society is carried out through its museum at 25 East Ave., Middletown, according to longtime city historian Peter Laskaris.
The house was built in 1887 and donated to the organization in 1940 by the Van Duzer family.
Among historical documents preserved at the museum, Middletown High School yearbooks are the most popular for visitors, who can view a physical collection that goes back as early as 1921.
The city directory collection is also popular, he said, which covers the years between 1857 and 1974.
“If you want to find out who was making soda or what kind of businesses were on North Street in a particular year, this is where you’d find the answers,” he told The Epoch Times.
Museum visitors range from local history buffs to students, researchers, and out-of-state travelers who stop by for a few hours to trace family roots.
Dan Burrows, a society volunteer who was recently assigned to organize museum archives, told The Epoch Times that he judged the value of documents from the perspectives of visitors.
“I ask myself this one question, ‘Will people want to come here to look at it?'” he said.
The museum is open to the public every Wednesday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
The City of Middletown was formed in 1888, about 40 years after the arrival of the Erie Railroad, which transformed the previously obscure hamlet into a village and, subsequently, a thriving industrial city.
North Street was developed as a central downtown strip full of businesses, big and small.
However, the decline of the railroad industry, with the Erie Railroad ceasing services through Middletown four decades ago, initiated an economic downturn for the city.
Simultaneously, the growth of highways and suburban strip malls drew businesses away from the once-prosperous downtown, exacerbating the decline.
In the past 10 years or so, with the arrival of Heritage Trail and the $10 million state revitalization grant as two main catalysts, downtown Middletown has experienced an economic revival.
