Submitted by the Washington County Historical Society
by Gwen Collins
On Friday, November 2, 2018 members of the Washington County Historical Society enjoyed a field trip to the Washington County Library in Chipley. The purpose of the field trip was to visit the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street Exhibit – Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped America.
The group toured the displays which feature all types of sport and sport memorabilia – even the smell of popcorn at a ball game!
Renae Rountree, Director of the Washington County Public Library, led the group as they checked out each sport. She then brought out a surprise – Scrapbooks kept by her grandfather, the late Philip Rountree. The scrapbooks document “The Golden Years – 1949-1953” of Chipley High School Sports. The collection features personal mementos, photographs, Tiger Scratch issues, sports programs, and much more that was collected during the time Mr. Rountree was the football coach at Chipley High.
The Smithsonian’s Hometown Teams Exhibit will be on display at the Washington County Library until November 9th. Mr. Rountree’s scrapbook collection will be available for viewing on Thursday, November 8th as an addition to the exhibit.
Following the library visit, members re-convened for the regular monthly meeting at the Historic Society Museum. The main topics of the meeting were damage from Hurricane Michael (water damage to the ceiling in the main building and extension water damage to the Native American Museum collection and the building) and the upcoming membership drive.
It was noted that the museum and the paviliion saw lots of activity during the past weeks when it was used as a staging and food/water distribution center. The museum provided a place to cool off for several folks.
If you would like to become a member of the Washington County Historical Society, please contact Director Dorothy Odom at 638-0536.
