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Highlands Today

Genealogical Society, Chamber Partnering

Kathy Waters/Highlands Today

Members of the Highlands County Genealogical Society take a tour of newly renovated downtown Sebring Chamber of Commerce building on Monday. The group will man the building in exchange of housing their books and paperwork in the downtown office.

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By MANDY SHEETS | Highlands Today

Published: January 29, 2008

SEBRING — In the 1960s, Virginia Neel worked behind the front counter at Sebring's first public library, and soon she will be working in the same exact site –– this time as the president of Highlands County Genealogical Society.

Members of the genealogical society will be manning the front desk of the renovated downtown Greater Sebring Chamber of Commerce office in exchange for storage space for the genealogy books.

Neel said she thought of the idea one night when she couldn't sleep.

"I had been in another welcome center with a genealogical society office, and it was very convenient," Neel said. "I knew this building had been a library, so there is plenty of space, and it just worked out perfectly."

The kinks in the plan are still being ironed out. The Highlands County Board of County Commissioners will decide at a Feb. 5 meeting whether to authorize the relocation of the books, which are currently being housed in the Lake Placid public library.

David Flowers, facilities management director, said as soon as he receives the OK, he will transport more than 150 books to the chamber office, located at 309 Circle Park Drive.

Dan Andrews, president of the chamber, said renovations to the office on the Circle should be complete by the end of the week. He thinks the office, which will house a welcome center, public restrooms and the genealogy records, will be operational by the end of next week.

Members of the Highlands County Genealogical Society will volunteer to work at the front counter of the office, which will be open 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays.

"We will be a lot of people's first welcome to the town," Neel said.

But the members said they are most excited about helping people trace their genealogy.

"It will be nice to have our own space dedicated to genealogy where we can help people with their genealogy," said Jan Grove. "It will also be nice to be in a place where people will see us and know we are here."

Although they won't do the work for visitors, members of the genealogical society said they will be more than happy to retrieve books for patrons and help them get started.

"This is a very addicting hobby and one of the fastest growing," said Grove, who started compiling her family's history about 30 years ago by handwritten letters. "We want to encourage young people to get involved, especially the ones who still have their grandparents and can collect the information first hand."

Grove said she envisions Boy and Girl Scout troops using the society's resources to earn merit badges.

Members of the society walked through the building Monday with tape measures and notepads, sketching plans of where bookshelves can be placed.

"The society has outgrown the space available at any of the libraries," Grove said. "This space will be absolutely wonderful."

Nancy Ranck said the catalogue will also be available online for people to start research on the Internet.

References available will include books about recording family history, finding information, preserving records, as well as books about history of local places and families.

Mary Rand said she thinks the collection will grow with the new space.

"We have a lot of people who have told us they would be willing to donate their books to a permanent home," Rand said.

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