Charlotte, North Carolina USA

The first organized meeting of the Charlotte Herb Guild was held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 21, 1990 at the old Sharon Branch Library, with twenty-four people attending. Names of interested persons had been gathered prior to the first meeting from questionnaires sent out to people on a mailing list compiled by Cathy Tolman over a three-year period. The prospect list was gleaned from various workshops, programs, Wing Haven plant sales, and other gatherings where gardeners were found. The accumulation and sharing of knowledge about herbs and their uses was the initial purpose of the Guild, an objective which could be accomplished through programs, workshops, field trips, outreach, community gardening projects and social events.

The originating group agreed upon a meeting time of the third Tuesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. and planned to meet year-round. Even at this early date, there was much discussion about an appropriate meeting place. Meeting length was limited at the beginning because the library closed at 9:00 p.m. Dues to offset the cost of mailings, speakers and other expenses were set at fifteen dollars per annum. Organizing members agreed Guild membership would remain open for six months and at the end of that period, the matter would be addressed again. For the first six months, then, meetings were open to the public. A second mailing was sent to everyone on the original prospect list--and all those added to it from the first meeting--telling them of the status of the Guild, announcing the March meeting and urging them to attend.

The format of the meetings originated with a short business meeting, followed by a 30-45 minute program, discussion or workshop. Unlike present meetings, no refreshments were served. Discussion of programs showed a vast variety of interests. Out of this diversity, it was agreed each member would sign up to plan a monthly meeting. Members had the option of presenting the program themselves or engaging a speaker.

Organizers agreed that officers were needed to form a strong organization. Among the volunteers for offices were Cathy Tolman as President, Jeanne Martin as Vice-President (also Program Coordinator), Kim Schneider as Recording Secretary, Cathryn Rivers as Treasurer/Membership, Sherry Miller as Publicity Chair and Nancy Mathias as Corresponding Secretary (also Mailings). At a later date a Telephone Chair was also named.

The program for the second meeting was set as Publication where each member would bring and discuss the resources they enjoy (books or periodicals). By design, organizers felt this type of program would give members an opportunity to get to know one another better.

Prior to the first meeting, Guild founders had discussed several issues, and fortunately for us, they preserved an outline of the initial discussions. For instance, the main point gleaned from the questionnaires mailed out by Cathy Tolman was that the Guild should encompass all areas of herbarism. Records do not indicate where funds came from, but some monies were available to finance initial impetus.

One criterion of Membership asked rhetorically, What can you give back?--stressing from the beginning that members be prepared to contribute. Program, Public Relations, Communications, Hospitality and Membership were among the first committees formed.

The initial goals of the Guild were fourfold. First, to form a cohesive group with program presentations and workshops. Second, to engage in outreach education, possibly forming a Speakers Bureau. Third, to network at local and regional herb shops, classes, programs and symposia. The fourth goal--and possibly the most important--addressed criteria for belonging to the group, namely: What can you give back? and be prepared to contribute.

Other notes of interest surrounding the formation of the Guild include a list of community gardening projects: Wing Haven, nursing homes, and botanical garden and herb gardens at historic sites. In the same vein, suggestions for outreach included therapy for older adults, tapping into the knowledge of senior citizens and addressing and educating children in all things herbal.

Discussed intensively was Programs. Early suggestions for program topics were propagation, growing and cultivation, herbal lore, cooking, medicinal uses, the history and all phases of herbalist holistic medicine, book reviews, Biblical herbs and plants of our region. Among the first programs presented were these already listed, plus Antique Herbs: Then and Now, Wildflowers, Edible Wild Foods, Crafting with Herbs and Dyeing with Herbs and Plants.

Another project was Tours. Locally, tours of Wing Haven and Holly Land Garden off Rea Road were suggested, as well as the NC Botanical Garden in Chapel Hill.

On the eve of the Guild's 10-year anniversary, we've met many of the goals listed by our founders. Wing Haven is a piece of our history, the herb garden at Latta Plantation has been planted (and replanted), the gardens at the Hezekiah Alexander Homesite are established. A Tea party is now an annual event that we all look forward to planning and attending. Our Plant Exchange and Potluck Suppers continue. More of our members are presenting programs to the community each year.

We owe a vote of thanks to the original committee--Donna Boyd, Amelia Lane, Savany Demmink, Susan Woode, Jeanne Martin, Margaret Somerall, Jane Lesser, Peggy Moore and Leah Martinson--for planting the seeds of the Charlotte Herb Guild. With their view to the future, the Charlotte Herb Guild was formed. We hope to sustain their vision and add to it as time changes. Hopefully, the Guild will last through time, just as the herbs we use have lasted.

SEEDS OF THE CHARLOTTE HERB GUILD

The years 1991 and 1992 were busy, formative years for the Charlotte Herb Guild. Dues were set at $15 per annum and programs were designed around a seasonal format, which included propagating, bed preparation and design in the spring; harvesting, drying, and fresh uses in the summer; crafts and wreaths in the fall; and winter programs on herbal history and lore. Meetings were held the third Wednesday of the month, ending the year with a fund-raising auction open to the public at the December meeting. Items donated for the auction included edible treats, plants, cross-stitch items, herbal oils and vinegar. All profits from the auction were donated to Wing Haven. To record the Guild's progression, a scrapbook was started and a Speakers Bureau list was drawn up and made available to other organizations for one dollar. The original membership and attendance list was misplaced in May 1990 and a new list started.

At the January 1991 meeting, it was decided not to have a December meeting due to low attendance. This meeting also brought a predicament that continues today--where to hold meetings. The Sharon Branch Library would be closing and moving to Morrocroft. At the new facility, meeting rooms could be reserved no more than one month in advance. A study group was formed to look into the possibility of meeting at Wing Haven.

It was during these formative years the Board decided to have every one present at meetings wear name tags, meet at Wing Haven, hold no December meetings and meet the second Tuesday of the month. The meeting date was changed due to a conflict with the Organic Gardening Club and the Botanical Garden Society. Dues were increased in June to $20 per year and a nominal guest fee of $2 was charged. In October 1991, the membership numbered forty-three and Althea Barton presented Lavender as Herb-of-the-Month.

The membership quota of 50 was reached in January 1992 and a waiting list was established. During 1992, the annual potluck supper and herb exchanges were initiated. Participation in a community garden project started. The first suggestion was to establish an herb garden for the City of Charlotte, but Guild members decided to plant a kitchen herb garden at the Hezekiah Alexander Homesite. Also beginning in 1992 was the tradition of hosts bringing a copy of the recipes when providing refreshments. The recipes were compiled and sent out in a newsletter.

The North Carolina Herb Association met in Charlotte on February 19-21, 1993 and the Guild participated in those meetings by attending. Later that year, on April 1, 1993, the Herb Society of America also met in Charlotte. The Charlotte Herb Guild was asked, and accepted, to provide centerpieces for the banquet at Union Center. Other major steps taken in 1993 were our application for a tax identification number, the designation of an official logo designed by a member and the beginning of a video library.

The first set of by-laws was presented in 1994, a newsletter subscription was offered to non-members, and the Special Events or Projects Committee was formed. The committee's job was to recommend ways for the Guild to best use its resources to be of service to members and the community. On a lighter note, refreshments were now served at the start of the meeting, not at the end. 1994 also brought the first mention of Dixie Spivey presenting a cooking program to the group. The fiscal year ended with $2,564.35 in the treasury.

The struggle to grow and organize was over by 1995 and regular programs were well established. The main foci that year were library and public herb garden projects. Monthly meetings were being held at Wing Haven, but annual discussions ensued as to whether this was the right place to meet. Alternate meeting places mentioned in the minutes were the Matthews Women's Club Building and the Windrow Clubhouse. One of the highlights of the 1995-96 Guild year was a sit-down dinner prepared by Barbara O'Hara. This meeting took place at the Matthews Women's Club. A Latta Plantation project is first mentioned for this year also.

As the 1996-97 year began, a group of volunteers continued to research herbs appropriate for the era when Latta was a working plantation. Participation in Herb Day at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market on Yorkmont Road also started this year. The Market asked the Guild to choose a day to participate and a September date was selected. Until this year, the Guild had conducted a fund-raising auction in November. In 1996, however, the auction was replaced by participation at the Farmers Market. Invitations to the Matthews Farmers Market Herb Day and the Southern Women's Show were sent to us also. Public recognition continued when members Virginia Frazier, Marietta Pagani and Denise Smart were featured in the Charlotte magazine. By August, plans for a cookbook were underway. Dixie Spivey bravely and competently spearheaded the project. The first tea party was held in November 1996. The Victorian Tea was planned and hosted by the Executive Board for the membership and members were encouraged to wear Victorian dress. The most unusual note of record was mention of a suggestion that the number of meetings be reduced because of the workload of the officers and the busy schedules of many members. At the January 1997 Board meeting, however, it was decided meetings would continue to be held every month except December.

The year 1998-99 continued to be fruitful for the Guild. We continued the Latta Plantation gardens project, ordered a second printing of our cookbook, and the Tea Party became an annual project, open to members and their guests. The Library project transformed into a donation to the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County since we had no way of storing books and materials. We continued to participate in Herb Day at the Farmers Market. The Potluck Supper and Herb Exchange remained vital parts of our programming. Annual January business meetings had become meetings of note to look forward to with jovial anticipation.

Hopefully, the metamorphosis of the Charlotte Herb Guild will continue into 2000 and the years beyond. It is also hoped that the hard work of the original committee--and our efforts after them--will serve to fulfil their dream of a group that will accumulate and share the knowledge of herbs and their uses with the community.

I'd like to offer a tussie-mussie to the Charlotte Herb Guild founders, weaving into their bouquet Myrrh for gladness, Honeysuckle for generosity, Red Clover for industry, Mints for wisdom and Lavender for devotion.

SEEDS OF THE CHARLOTTE HERB GUILD

The Charlotte Herb Guild entered the new millennium faithful to its founding mission by continuing to offer a variety of educational and entertaining programs. Guest speakers came from our area and nearby states and presented programs ranging from plant propagation, theme herb gardens and composting to harvesting, drying and preserving herbs. Guest speakers, as well as our members, presented programs on the culinary, medicinal and decorative uses for herbs, including garden journaling. Members especially enjoyed hands-on programs where we learned to make both dried and living herbal wreaths, lavender wands, tussie-mussies and potpourri. In September 2002 the Guild took a bus trip to visit Buffalo Springs Herb Farm in Raphine, Virginia where a tour, lunch and herbal wreath presentation was enjoyed by all attending.

Finding and affording a larger space for our meetings was a recurring issue, which faced the Guild during these years. In March 2002, we moved the monthly meetings from Wing Haven to the Charlotte Council of Garden Clubs House. Having a facility centrally located and a remodeled complete kitchen was a draw for the Council House. Due to the increasing value of the Guild's programming and opportunities, membership dues were increased to $25 annually and the meeting visitor fee changed to a minimum of $5. Tickets to our annual tea grew to $20 in 2003 with a portion of the proceeds donated to the Charlotte Museum of History.

The Annual Tea party continues to be a highlight each year and one which all of our members look forward to attending. Our Fifth Annual Tea Party, Rosemary for Remembrance, was held at St. Luke's Lutheran Church on November 14, 2000. Since then we celebrated our Sixth, Take Thyme for Tea, our Seventh, The Cup of Tea, and our Eighth Annual Tea Party, A Friend for Tea--Who Could it Be? in the Great Hall of the Charlotte Museum of History, a grand room for an equally grand occasion. Representatives for Southern Living Magazine were guests at our tea on November 11, 2003.

Work at the Latta Plantation Herb Garden continued another year or so with the herb garden at the Hezekiah Alexander House becoming our present focus. A solid core of members joins regularly to maintain this educational eighteenth century herb garden. We have supported the annual Davidson Horticulture Symposium with scholarships, donated herbal books to the Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County and supported the programs and projects of the Charlotte Council of Garden Clubs. Many of our members have presented herbal and gardening-related programs to various groups and clubs in North and South Carolina and have given generously of their time and talent to promote the joy and knowledge of herbs. Other members share their talents at our annual Farmers Market Herb Day Workshop at our August meeting, teaching willing hands the art of making tussie-mussies, potpourri, bath salts, lavender dryer bags, lavender eye pillows and tea cup bird feeders.

We continued our favorite tried and true endeavors such as the Annual Potluck Suppers, Herb Day at the Farmers Market, Annual Plant and Seed Exchanges and a revival of the Silent Auction. Debbie Moore Clark continues as editor of our informative and much-anticipated monthly newsletter, the Herb Guild Thymes with features like Herb-of-the-Month, Someone You Should Know member profiles, Sow and Reap (Q&A column), and other timely information submitted by Guild members.

As our membership continues to grow, we strive to remember the initial purpose of the Charlotte Herb Guild by continuing to share our knowledge about herbs and their uses with each other and the community. Long range goals include publishing our second cookbook (our first cookbook was printed twice and is now a collector's item for herbal culinary enthusiasts) and more opportunities for members to form closer friendships among the richly talented members of the Charlotte Herb Guild.

2/28/04