One of the most crucial aspects of any society is remembering the past. The history of a town or city shapes the way that same town or city is in modern times. The very culture and politics of a community are the result of the hard work of many generations and the events that happened in the area. Traditions are passed down from parents to children and between friends and neighbors. Much of this can be forgotten unless the people of a community are willing to join together and preserve history for future generations. This is the goal of organizations such as the Windsor Historical Society, which seeks to ensure that the storied history of Windsor and the Russian River Township is never forgotten.
Founded in 1988-89 by Windsor Citizen Barbara Ray, the Windsor Historical Society’s mission is “to collect, preserve, and disseminate the history of Windsor and Russian River Township through museum exhibits, historic sites, educational programs and printed materials.” Since its founding, the Historical Society has worked to gather as much of Windsor’s storied history as possible, in order to ensure that future generations of Windsor residents are able to not only learn about the history of the Town, but see photos and historical items that were used by previous generations of Windsor residents. “Windsor’s been here since at least the 1850s, so it’s a little upsetting when people bring up Healdsburg’s history as if there’s not a great history of Windsor as well,” says Stephen Lehmann, current president of the Windsor Historical Society.
In addition to cataloguing the history of Windsor through items and photographs, the Historical Society also offers to help people – whether Windsor resident or not – who had ancestors in Windsor discover the areas where their ancestors would have lived and settled in the Town. Likewise, the Historical Society is also able to help people find the resting place of ancestors who may have been buried in local cemeteries such as Shiloh, Faught, or Hill.
One of the most notable ways to interact with the Historical Society is through the Hembree House Museum. Built in 1931, the Hembree House was the retirement home of Dr. Atlas Hembree, a doctor who had a successful career in Redondo Beach, California. Today, the house holds numerous artifacts from Windsor, ranging from hop buckets, to photos of the world’s first Airmail flight by Fred Wiseman of Windsor, to the wooden carvings of George Greeott. Though the museum is currently on limited hours due to the restrictions of COVID-19, it is still worthwhile to contact the Historical Society to find a time to visit and learn about the history of Windsor. Additionally, Dr. Hembree’s wife, Clara, constructed a large garden on the property, which remains to this day.
Current Historical Society President Stephen Lehmann has been working with the Historical Society since 1991-92, almost since the very beginning. A big fan of history, Stephen also worked for many years at the County Recorder’s Office, which deals with thousands and thousands of important historical documents ranging from birth certificates to deeds. After a meeting at the Windsor Community United Methodist Church for interested parties, Stephen joined on with the Historical Society.
With recent years seeing dangerous fires sweep through the county, the efforts of organizations such as the Windsor Historical Society have become all the more important. While physical items may end up lost in disasters, it is possible to save photos and records from the Town’s past thanks to digital services.
In the end, no matter how far a community has come since its founding, remembering the past is crucial. Being able to preserve the past through photos, items, and records allows the residents of a community to understand where they and their ancestors came from. For those working in the Windsor Historical Society, the ability to help share this with the Windsor community has been incredibly rewarding. To the people of Windsor, Windsor Historical Society President Stephen Lehmann says: “Every community needs a good sense of when they are, and to be able to see that something happened. Windsor is full of history, and even the plants and trees are historic in a way.”
If you would like to learn more about the Windsor Historical Society and how you can support their efforts to preserve and disseminate the history of the Town, visit their website at www.windsorhistory.org
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