NORMAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM, INC.
Norman Historic Preservation Program, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit Arkansas corporation (Donations are deductible to the full extent allowed by law)
"Dedicated to preserving the history and structures of the Norman area
and to building a future through historic preservation.”
NHPP, Inc. History:
Several people interested in the preservation of the old Norman High School organized and incorporated into a nonprofit corporation, called the Norman Historic Preservation Program, Inc. (NHPP) The goals of the corporation include the purchase of the old building and raising the necessary funds to restore it to its former glory. (The building was purchased in Oct. 2001.)
Short term goals included completing the purchase and getting the building in the dry, before it suffered further water damage. In the first year and one-half we replaced the roof. We had to obtain a loan in the amount of $51,000 in order to accomplish this. The cost of the new roof was $61,437, and the balance on the loan as of January, 2007 is $21,500. We have also been able to replace all the front windows (23) and eight of the sixteen side windows, and the front doors. This was accomplished by donations made by former students and placing a memorial plaques on the windows purchased by former students in honor of, or in memory of, someone they wished to honor.
The two downstairs rooms have been completed with electric, heat and air, and carpet in the library. The one-room school had the new floor installed by Hodge, Gene & Joe in January 2007, and it is now open to the public and for children's school field trips. Once the entire building is completed it will be home to the Norman Educational Cultural Center, (NECC) owned and operated by the Corporation.
In 2007 we completed three rooms upstairs and now have a small museum open. We also completed the walls, windows, and floors in the auditorium. We hope to have the ceiling in soon, and the hardwood on the floor. It is just a subfloor for now, but safe, and painted a nice grey to match the walls. We have used our new stage several times and it is great to have it useable once again.
In the meantime, the Corporation will concentrate on fundraising, and cleaning up the outside and inside the building. The property has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. See our annual report for a list of completed projects each year.
The Board is selected by the membership at large. Memberships are being offered on several levels and anyone holding a membership and attending the annual membership meeting is eligible to vote. You can become a member by submitting a membership form. You do NOT have to be a former student to become a member. Dues are currently $20 per year, but are expected to be raised in the near future, subject to a vote by the membership. Each member who’s membership is current receives two issues of the 32 page magazine, “Norman Today & Yesterday”, as well as about four newsletters a year. They will also have other benefits as the building progresses.
REUNIONS ARE ALWAYS THE 4TH WEEKEND IN JUNE, AT THESCHOOL. Membership meetings are held in conjunction with reunion.
The Bylaws and Incorporation papers will guide the Corporation in its attempt to best serve the community at large. Changes to these official papers can only be made through the passage of resolutions by the Board of Directors. Shirley Shewmake Manning is the founder of the Corporation, and its current president.
For information on membership, click HERE.