SHERMAN — The Sherman Area Historical Society is pleased to announce that “The Red House” has been purchased by Richard Bonner from the Perrin family and generously donated to the organization in honor of his mother, Esther Garnett Bonner.
Bonner currently lives in California. He is a descendant of Isaiah Foster, one of the early settlers of Sherman. His mother, who was born in Silver Ridge, also supported community projects and previously donated the children’s room at the Sherman Library in honor of her great-grandmother, Laura Foster Gerry. As a continuation of his mother’s legacy of supporting the community, Richard Bonner chose to donate the historic building to the Sherman Area Historical Society.
Bonner’s donation of the Red House will provide the Sherman Area Historical Society with a permanent home for preserving and sharing the history of the communities of Sherman, Benedicta, Sherman Station/Stacyville and Silver Ridge.
The board members and volunteers of the Sherman Area Historical Society have spent many hours organizing historical materials and building community support to establish the organization. Over the last four years, they have sold hot dogs, cinnamon rolls, fudge and other baked goods at the local band stand, held monthly meetings, worked on the auction and the yard sale at Sherman Old Home Days, gathered photos, and taken classes for preserving historical items and collections.
The society would like to thank Jarice Perrin Kelley for working with Bonner and helping to facilitate the transition of the property, as well as hosting society meetings for four years before the organization had a location of its own.
The society is deeply grateful for Bonner’s generous gift and for the community members whose dedication has helped make the preservation of Sherman’s history possible.
To help preserve and support Sherman’s history, you can become a member or donate to the Sherman Area Historical Society.
Please visit the new website at https://shermanareahistori.wixsite.com/sherman-area-histo-1.
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