Newport Township Historical Society receives a gift for Christmas

Pat Christol and Susie Anthony representing The Newport Township Historical Society, (N.T.H.S.) was presented a check for $2330.00 from Pam Holmes, Vice Regent and Historical Preservation Chairman of the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter, NSDAR of Libertyville. This check was the result of the chapters fundraising efforts for their "Adopt Mount Rest" project.

The chapter began fundraising in June 2020 for Mount Rest Cemetery in Rosecrans, Lake County, Illinois in order to hire Christine Hillmann, an Illinois Certified Preservationist to repair, restore and preserve 79 headstones in the 172 year old cemetery. This is slated to begin in the spring of 2021.

Early on the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter also wanted to give back. A percentage of all monies raised from "Adopt Mount Rest" would be donated to N.T.H.S. The fundraising is ongoing until we can help bring Mount Rest Cemetery back to its original beauty.

Spurred by the United States Bicentennial in 1976, a group of local citizens in Wadsworth were determined to preserve the history of the area and started to hold regular meetings and because of their efforts, the Newport Township Historical Society was established.

Grace (Gracie) Shields was one of the founders, and upon her death in 2002, she bequeathed her family home which was built in the late 1800's, and the adjacent family grocery store to the society. Gracie also donated many of the contents of the home and grocery store. Since 1976 the N.T.H.S. has been collecting and preserving everything involving Newport Township and its people.

Due to the pandemic, the N.T.H.S. has not been able to hold any of their fundraisers which directly go towards the upkeep of the Historic Shield's residence and grocery store. Due to the fact that the N.T.H.S. has a large following on their Facebook page which includes a lot of family members and descendants of those buried in Mount Rest, a partnership was made. With their help spreading the word though social media, the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter has been successful in their fundraising efforts, all while helping the N.T.H.S.

For more information on the Ansel Brainerd Cook Chapter, please visit our website at:

https://www.ildar.org/chapters/anselbrainerdcook.

For more information on the Newport Township Historical Society, please visit their Facebook page

Or email them at: newporthistorical@yahoo.com