Saturday was a cold morning with a heartwarming exchange of conversation as community members gathered to share stories and history at the Pilot Point Memories Roadshow.
A mix of new and longstanding residents came together at the Clifton and Nadene Irick Museum to get their Pilot Point artifacts preserved.
“The exciting thing about this program is that it's a bit of a pilot program in our area,” Library Director Jenna Glass said. “Other people in the county are interested in replicating this, so we're hoping to learn from this experience, see what works, what doesn't work.”
Amy Dane Lanier has always had an interest in preserving history, something she said she inherited from both her parents, with her dad’s passion for history and mom’s love of genealogy.
So, when it came time to write her dissertation, the focus was clear: community— Pilot Point’s to be specific.
“I just fell in love with people's stories and the fact that when we share our stories, it brings us together, and it helps us to understand each other,” Lanier said.
She was connected with Sara Wilson, the UNT Oral History Program’s administrative specialist and appointed commissioner on the Denton County Historical Commission, who could help bring the vision to life, and Glass, who oversees the Library and Cultural Arts Board.
“It's been a lot of people giving us advice to kind of pull this off,” Glass said. “I know that local history is really important to the residents here, so I'm glad we're able to do this.”
The three were able to put the event together in less than a year, with many residents staying for the whole
event.
“The people that have come out, they linger, they talk, they look at each other's archives, they sit around and listen to the extra interviews that we were doing, and so it's been a blessing to see how all of this has come about for the community,” Wilson said.
Rick Bradd and his wife, Deborah, brought a brochure from Pilot Point’s Rest Cottage organization from the 1960s or ’70s, along with photographs.
The experience connected them with new community members.
“We've met some people here that we'd not met before and learned a lot just in a few minutes,” Rick said. “… I really appreciate all the people that want to preserve this area.”
Pilot Point history—once hanging on walls, tucked away in attics or placed on coffee tables—is now to be preserved.
Residents brought both new and old memories, such as newspapers, photos of family or friends, and artwork.
Rebecca Marshall Hollar brought her aunt’s diary with entries dating back to the late 1920s.
Those who didn’t bring items brought their curiosity.
One listener carefully flipped through the diary's pages as Hollar talked.
Resident Cindy Farris, a historian, sat and listened as people shared the significance of their items during interviews, detailing the history behind them and the cherished memories.
“Hearing the old stories and who did what, what did who, you know, where it took place, it's interesting to find out the little facts of life back then,” Farris said.
As Lanier guided the interview portion, she learned new details and stories she hadn’t heard, even one of her father, Ray Dane, who spoke about a sentimental book he owned about Pilot Point’s history.
It was a copy of the book he had read as a child in the public library back when it was in the fire station.
So enthralled with it, her father, Dane, bought his own copy several years ago.
“I didn't realize the signifi cance of that book,” Lanier said. “If I hadn't heard him tell about it today, someday I would have found that, and it would have just looked like a dusty old book, and I probably would have kept it, because I keep everything.”
She chuckled at that.
“But that was really a good memory for him to share,” Lanier said.
With the event wrapped up, the plan is to put the digitized version on the city’s website, on the museum page, and to share short videos and stories on social media.
The hope is to continue hosting events like this in Pilot Point for years to come, as a way to unite residents old and new through a shared love of Pilot Point.
“We've lost several people recently, … people who hold all these memories, and I don't want the memories to go away forever, and so whatever we can do now to preserve the memories that people have, we need to do,” Lanier said.
