The Battle Ends and the Museum Stays on Main Street

By: Grace Smith – Wise News Network

CHERRYVILLE, NC (WNN) – After a year of disagreements between the Cherryville Historical Association and the City, both parties have reached a mutual decision: the Cherryville Historical Museum will remain at its Main Street location.

At a City Council meeting on January 8, 2024, the Council voted to give the Historical Association until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 12, 2024, to resign and adopt new bylaws. As of Tuesday, January 16, 2024, the previous Association members have resigned.

According to a press release from the City, the decision is in the best interest of both parties and Cherryville’s residents.

The Association adopted new bylaws drafted by Palmer Huffstetler Senior in 2022, who originally chartered the Historical Association.

The new bylaws stipulate that the Association will consist of no fewer than five members and no more than seven. Members will be voted on by the City Council, and officers will be appointed by the new board members.

The resignation of the prior Historical Association, including Al Putnam (President) and Lori Pruitt (Treasurer), marked the beginning of an era with new board members. The City Council will vote on applications to fill the Association’s positions.

“The Cherryville City Council will now accept applications for all interested parties to serve on the Cherryville Historical Association.” stated the press release. 

The City encourages residents to keep their loaned artifacts in the Museum, with City Manager Brian Dalton playing a key role in the negotiation process.

“We want everything to stay just like it was. We’re going to still give them the free utilities and we will still upkeep the building.” said Dalton. 

According to Mayor H.L. Beam, two residents have already applied to fill some of the vacant spots on the Association’s board.

“I think our citizens never wanted to see the doors closed. They never did want to see it padlocked, and we didn’t want to do that.” said Mayor Beam.

All sides of this situation appear to be relieved at the mutually agreed-upon solution, however some residents still feel frustrated about the situation. 

Mike “Boozie” Dellinger is the vice president of the Cherryville New Year’s Shooters organization. He assisted with mediating early negotiations between the City and the Association. He believes that the previous Historical Association should be thanked for “saving” the museum. 

“The real hero in this whole story is Al Putnam, because the City can sit and say what they want, but they were going to sell it and move the museum and the artifacts.” said Dellinger.

Putnam is thankful that the situation has been resolved and that the museum is safe. The former members of the Association were encouraged to apply to the new board. 

“We will preserve the artifacts and they’re going to be here for a very, very long time … Hopefully we will remember our history and that we don’t try to give it away [again].” said Putnam. 

If you are interested in applying to serve as a member of the Cherryville Historical Association, please contact the City Clerk, Paige Green ([email protected]).

“We feel that the museum will experience a positive future with this new agreement.” stated the press release. 

To read the press release and the new bylaws, please visit our public records page on the WNN website.

• https://wisenewsnetwork.com/public-information

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