 More Than Home
Linda Bowlin was presented the 2008
'More Than Home' award at the Chamber of Commerce's
annual banquet held October 20. The award is presented
annually by Five Rivers Historic Preservation, Inc. to a
Randolph County resident who has achieved significant
accomplishments in the promotion and preservation of the
heritage and history of Randolph County. Steve Shults
was the 2007 winner.
Ms. Bowlin was
honored for her activities and accomplishments over the
past several years. She became President of Five Rivers
Historic Preservation in 2005 and headed up the effort
that produced the Pocahontas Sesquicentennial
Celebration in 2006. Organizing and directing literally
hundreds of local volunteers, a celebration of the
City's history was presented over in a three-weekend
celebration that is generally recognized as the biggest
and most successful such effort in our history here.
Other projects
that came out of that effort include creating the
Randolph County Heritage Museum. Five Rivers obtained
the building for the Museum the last week of August,
2006. We received the lighted cases for the Museum the
first week of September. Yet we had set the date for the
grand opening of the Museum for September 16. Ms. Bowlin
took it upon herself to meet that deadline--drawing up
the floor plan, setting up the cases, obtaining the
artifacts to fill the cases, labeling the cases and
artifacts, and ensuring that the Museum would be staffed
for the opening weeks were among her accomplishments as
well as organizing and directing the many others who
helped in that effort. The 2006 deadline was met, and
the Museum has continued to be an outstanding asset to
the area for the past two years.
Working with
others, Ms. Bowlin also created the Civil War River Walk
Memorial Trail along the bank of the Black River in
Overlook Park. The Memorial Trail is a paved walkway
with six large historic markers that tell the story of
Randolph County's important Civil War history in detail.
A Civil War themed bench is located at each marker along
the trail.
After the
Sesquicentennial, Ms. Bowlin led Five Rivers to initiate
some 11 other historic preservation projects that are
now well underway to completion. After stepping down as
the organization's President, Ms. Bowlin has headed up
three other projects which will soon be completed. These
include the Randolph County Quilt Trail, the Rock and
Roll Highway 67 project honoring the county's
significant contributions to the early history of Rock
and Roll, and the upcoming Founder's Day Celebration to
be held in spring 2009.
Five Rivers
Historic Preservation, Inc. congratulates Linda Bowlin
as our 2008 'More Than Home" award recipient honoring
her many important contributions to the promotion and
preservation of our local heritage and history. |
