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Published in the book Town of Rush New York bicentennial History 1818-2018.
 

The formation of the Rush Historical Society was an initiative of the Town Historian and the Rush Bicentennial Committee. The application process began in early 2017 with Pam Ebersold, Linda Henry, Susan Mee, Chris Miller, Maureen Neumaier, David Sluberski, Sandra Boysen Sluberski and Susan Swanton serving as Founding Trustees. A mission statement, constitution, bylaws, and a collection development policy were created as part of the application process to the New York State Education Department.

 

The Board of Regents granted a five-year provisional charter on May 9, 2017. The formation and launch of the Rush Historical Society at this time is a fitting tribute, recognizing the importance of our Town’s history as we continue building a path to the future.

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The mission of the Rush Historical Society is to provide educational programming for the local area community and to also conduct historical research related to the Town of Rush.

 

The organizational meeting for the Rush Historical Society took place November 6, 2017 with nearly 20 people attending. At that meeting, Linda Henry was elected as the first president; Susan Woolaver as Vice President; Susan Swanton as Secretary; and Pam Ebersold as Treasurer. Chris Miller was appointed Membership Chair; Dave Sluberski as Programming Chair; with Andy Morse and Emily Woolaver serving as Publicity and Social Media chairs, respectively.  New members are welcome as the success of our new historical society will greatly depend upon the interest and support of our local community.

 

An earlier Rush Historical Society was formed in 1938, when Zaida Mattern, Mary “Mattie” Hayes, Etta Diver, and Minnie Greene, all members of the Rush Ingleside Club, met to form a historical society. That group worked to acquire and preserve information and artifacts of the town. Mattie served as a consultant to the Town Historian. Little else is known about the work of the first Rush Historical Society but it seems it may have dissolved upon the death of Ms. Hayes in 1949. 
 

The Rush Historical Society worked closely with the Bicentennial Committee, sponsoring programs and events celebrating our Town’s history throughout 2018.   
 

Submitted by Susan B. Mee and edited by Maureen Neumaier
 

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