Many readers already know that the Take Me Back articles published by this paper grew into a book. Well, actually they grew into two books. The first was launched in June with a summer cover of Warren Falls. We sold out that print run quickly. Then we created a second edition that has a winter scene on the cover. The second print run is almost gone too. It seemed obvious that the next step was to become a nonprofit called Take Me Back Inc., whose mission is to raise awareness about and money for individuals and organizations that want to showcase the history of the Mad River Valley.
For the first book, local businesses paid for the printer and all the local artists donated their work. This is why the money from sales went directly into our nonprofit bank account and paid for the second winter print run and the production of Kevin Eurich’s new book “Once Upon a Time in the Mad River Valley”
After this I joined some local boards to help: The Rural Resource Commission (RRC). The Wait House Commission and the Waitsfield Historical Society.
Mad River Valley Planning District community planner Sam Robinson is also a member of the RRC. Per Robinson the MRV Rural Resource Commission became the first of its kind in Vermont to be designated as a Certified Local Government (CLG) under the National Historic Preservation Act. Resulting from the collaboration of local government, the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, and the National Park Service, the MRV Rural Resource Commission was granted this status through the Certified Local Government Program. The CLG Program promotes the idea that local governments should be actively involved in finding, assessing, recording, and protecting local historic assets.
This year, the RRCs board is reaching out and collecting historical photographs of the Mad River Valley. My hope is that this harvest of images will be the first of many that will lead to a digital museum collection. So, if you see a strange local number on your call list — it might be one of us calling. This is especially true if your last name is Graves, Eurich, Joslin, Mehuron, Hartshorn, Jamieson, Messer, Viens, DeFreest, Long or another of the families that has made The Valley home for decades. For some families, centuries.
Even if you don’t have one of those surnames, you might be in possession of a really cool image that most people have never seen. The bottom line is that we need your help. If you have received a phone call and someone left a message, please call them back.
As Robinson said, “Whether you’re holding onto family albums, antique photo collections, or have captured moments of The Valley’s past, your contributions are invaluable. By participating, you help us weave the story of the Mad River Valley’s heritage for future generations.”
That is what the digital museum is all about. Photos and graphics are fragile; time alone can destroy them. Water damage is common. Mold can form in unheated storage spaces.
The Rural Resource Commission is available to help digitize photos. Take Me Back Inc. bought a portable scanner for this purpose. There is a suggested cap of 20 photos per family name. If more than one of your ancestors have different last names that number can be expanded. We need people to you provide the names of people in the picture. The location of the photo is also important. We have volunteers who can meet you at the location of your choosing. Digitization will also be offered during standard business hours at the General Wait House (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday – Friday) from May 20 to May 31, with the availability to accommodate appointments outside of those hours as needed. To schedule a digitization appointment or ask questions contact Robinson (
Reach out to
