Board of Directors of the Piedmont Historical Society

The Formation of the Society

In January, 1972, a small group of dedicated historians proposed the creation of an historical society for Piedmont. Mrs. Harmon Bell presented the plan to Mayor Arthur Flegal and the City Council, and a town meeting was scheduled to determine community interest in an historical society. The Society’s Formation Committee gathered a small collection of historical artifacts and displayed them in the Octagon Room at the Recreation Center. The display and the town meeting which followed on April 12, 1972, were a success. Piedmont residents showed a great deal of interest in an historical society, and the Piedmont Historical Society was formed. Nine directors were nominated, and the first membership meeting was held at 55 Craig Avenue, the former Hugh Craig home, on September 10, 1972. The first directors of the Piedmont Historical Society were the following:

Mrs. Bradley Rutledge, President
Mrs. Winslow W. Hall, 1st Vice President
Mrs. Stanley B. Price, 2nd Vice President
Mrs. Arthur R. Flegal, Secretary
Raymond D. Harper Jr., later Randall W. Harper, Treasurer
Carleton F. Bryan Jr., Director at Large
William G. Henshaw, Director at Large
Donald F. Dorward, Director at Large
R. James Nutting, Jr, Director at Large

The Piedmont Recreation Department donated space in the Octagon Room for the Society’s permanent display of Piedmont’s memorabilia, and the Society is grateful for its generosity.

Many of the Founding Members of the Historical Society who joined in 1972 are members today, and the Board thanks them for their long-time support. A year later, the Society’s newsletter announced the membership at 492.

Today, the Historical Society publishes an annual newsletter, Piedmont’s History, with articles and photos on Piedmont’s history. The Annual Meeting in the Fall features speakers on history with a reception. The Society continues to collect memorabilia on Piedmont’s history and maintains the June MacKay Rutledge Memorial Room in the Recreation Center.

The Historical Society has presented three major public historical exhibits:

• The Highlands of Piedmont, the Story of Isaac Requa and his family (1997)
• Bubbling Springs and Bushy Dells, the history of Piedmont Springs Park (1998)
• The Ghirardelli Connection, the Ghirardelli families in Piedmont (2002)
• Footloose in Arcadia, the Artists and Authors of Piedmont from 1890 to 1930 (2007)