Heritage Associates LLC

The Future of Memories

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 17:51:00 +0000

Dee and Josh Halverson share memories.

Heritage Associates collects memories for a reason. Author Dave Eggers said, "The reasons for writing a memoir are many, but there is one that trumps all others: You should write your story because you will someday die, and without your story on paper, most of it will be forgotten."

Museums, art galleries, universities, libraries—much of what we want to leave the coming generation consists of accumulated facts, truth, and wisdom. Yet, we're strangely casual about informing our kids about their own families. The family group sheets might list hundreds of names and dates and hometowns, marriages and children. But beyond these skeletal details, there is no other record of former lives. And so these people, their experience, voice and knowledge, are lost to us. A sampling of their memories was presumably passed to their children, and then a faded version of that sketch was passed to the next generation. From there people are reduced to names, dates and cemeteries. What they felt and wanted and saw is gone.

This past weekend the W. Dee Halverson family celebrated its beginnings. Dee, Marty, seven children and their spouses gathered to commemorate birthdays and a 40th wedding anniversary. Memories were retold and love renewed. It was a reminder that if parents and grandparents want their descendants to know their stories, they need to be written down.

Heritage Associates specializes in assisting clients compile a comprehensive and readable family history. Putting that extra bit of effort into it, collecting the perfect images, carving here and chipping there, planning a bit before and editing a bit after, might ensure that your story is not only read dutifully by a few relatives, but is enjoyed enthusiastically by anyone who might find it. It is the heritage only you can give them.

Celebrate your beginnings.

History Makes Recession Road Less Rocky

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:07:00 +0000

Find a path; leave a trail.

We're hearing the challenges in every newscast, reading them on the stock market pages, and feeling them in our homes and wallets. We don't need more information on recession difficulties—we need information on recession solutions.

Heritage Associates knows history has the answers. How did a business survive during the depression? What did your grandmother do to stretch a depleted pantry? Who did your grandfather turn to in a personal crisis? Where did his employer find money to meet pay roll?

Our problems aren't new; we're new to the problems. Remedies are available if we look to the past, and apply age-old values to our future.

A corporate history is the perfect way to reassure clients and employees that solving problems is a tradition in your company. Remembering pressures of former economic downturns, and the vision and innovations that led to renewal will encourage creativity. An anniversary booklet enumerating goals and accomplishments will remind all concerned of your time-honored dependability.

Families look to those who survived personal struggles for assurance. True heroes are difficult to find in our society, but there are many hidden in the branches of a family tree. When their stories are told, descendants will recognize that courage and optimism are part of their heritage, and renew their own resolve.

We are living through a time that will provide hope to future generations; we are making valuable history on a daily basis. Those that follow us will need our experience to get through rocky patches of their own.

Make sure those coming behind you
have a trail to follow.

Right now is a crucial time to keep a record of setbacks, snags, solutions and successes. Heritage Associates LLC is prepared to help you. A successful history will repeat itself.

W. Dee Halverson

Lund, Nevada

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 03:37:00 +0000

Lund, NV

From London to Lund, Heritage Associates specializes in research on location.

No matter where the story takes place, the process is similar for Dee Halverson. In this case the fieldwork took place in fields surrounding a beautiful valley 75 miles from Ely, Nevada. Small local museums and archives gave clues to the first settlement, with detailed maps, old photos and early documents. The family who commissioned this history recommended folks for oral interviews. With diaries, letters, old newspaper clippings and scrapbooks, the story began to unfold.

Thirty Mormon pioneer families from St. George, Utah, made the 250-mile trek north by covered wagon in the late 1890's. One young wife wrote that her husband left her behind to safely deliver her new baby. Ten days later she joined a group to travel with her 2-year-old daughter and infant son on a 2-week journey to join him in her new home—a tent-covered dug-out.

The desert conditions were improved
by bringing water to the community from nearby streams.

There is still evidence of the logs that were
hollowed out and used as water pipes.

The old school is a monument to education.
Fannie was a school teacher who lived with the Carter family
and eventually fell in love with one of their sons.
She taught all ages in one small room.

Log cabins and adobe houses replaced
tents and dug-outs.

Windmills provided power.

And the desert began to blossom.

These folks made a difference
and they all have stories to tell.

Book Designs

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 06 May 2009 02:10:00 +0000

All art work is from the book: The LDS Conference Center

When Dee Halverson studied architectural preservation in York, England he became acquainted with what has become a favorite quote by John Ruskin:

"When we build let us think that we build for ever. Let it not be for present delight, nor for present use alone; let it be such work as our descendants will thank us. Let us think, as we lay stone on stone, that a time is to come when those stones will be held sacred because our hands have touched them, and that men will say as they look upon the labour, 'See! This our fathers did for us.'"

Heritage Associates originally produced The LDS Conference Center: The Story of Its Construction to honor Legacy Constructors and more than 4,000 workers, who built the magnificent edifice in just over 1,000 days. That book was edited and reworked for the public, and is now available again in a new edition.

Amy Robinson is a freelance graphic artist and an associate of Heritage Associates LLC. She has laid out each of the books and talks here about her craft:

"The Conference Center is a beautiful and modern edifice in historical downtown Salt Lake City. Standing across the street from the Salt Lake Temple built by pioneers, this new building is a testament to the longevity of faith and tradition amongst an ever changing world. I wanted to celebrate this notion in the design of the 2nd edition.

"One of the first things I like to design is the book's cover. A unique, interesting cover draws readers to a book. I want it to say something even before you read the words.

"For various projects I've searched for inspiration in old photos, a family's heritage, or, as in the case of the LDS Conference Center, architecture. Once I have a theme I carefully select fonts to carry a certain style throughout the book. I want each of the books I design to reflect the character of the stories inside.

"My work is in the details: the font, the colors, borders, text flow and pictures. I love to personalize all of these details to create a certain feel for a book. With the LDS Conference Center book, I wanted to create a feeling of reverence and beauty while celebrating the modernity of the building's design.

"I used contrasts to create a tone. For instance: a classic font contrasting with a very modern font throughout the book creates a juxtaposition between old and new. The same thing happens when you mix bright, vivid, digital images with old black and white photographs. We feel a sense of time and timelessness in this marvelous building.

"Themes and ratios from the building's architecture inspired borders, titles and textures within the book. We kept much of the text and many of the same images used in the 1st edition, but with the advances in printing and designing software, the 2nd edition has an elegance and style that was lacking before. We tightened the kerning of the text, and used high quality digital images to create a more streamlined effect."

Amy's training as an art historian benefits her work. "Studying classic and modern art has given me the eye of an artist. Learning about shape, line, texture, and color through the eyes of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Mondrian has aided me when creating my own projects. The many different styles of art throughout history has opened my eyes to ways to display feelings and thoughts. This variety helps me create a custom design fitting the needs of my clients."

"I did not set out to be a graphic designer. I went to college and studied Art History. After graduating, I knew I needed to learn a profitable skill and graphic design was a perfect fit! My brother, Peter, took me under his wings and taught me all that he knew. His training and a lot of trial and error has brought me to the point I'm at now. There is always more to learn, since the technology is always advancing."

Amy Robinson

Amy is a mom with three young daughters, whom she home schools. Volunteering in her church and neighborhood keeps her busy. "Every day is a struggle to balance the many roles I play. I feel lucky that I can stay home with my children. Before I had them, graphic designing was my identity. Now, it has been labeled my "profitable hobby." When the kids are playing or sleeping, I sit down at my laptop and have a little fun designing. I like the feeling of being productive through my creative outlet. I create invitations, scrapbook pages, flyers and other smaller projects for clients when I'm between books."

Heritage Projects appreciates Amy's talents.

The LDS Conference Center

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:56:00 +0000

The LDS Conference Center 2nd Edition

Heritage Associates originally published The LDS Conference Center in 2000 to correspond with the opening and dedication of the building. W.Dee Halverson compiled dozens of interviews with the major players who conceived, designed, built and finished the majestic edifice in record time.

The story is told using personal experiences, magnificent photographs, and structural information unavailable elsewhere. In fact, the text of the book forms the basis of the narrative given by over 900 volunteer guides who lead thousands of tours every year in Salt Lake City.

The first 10,000 books sold rapidly and The LDS Conference Center has been out-of-print for several years. Due to high demand, Dee has prepared a second edition, with additional information and photographs in an updated format. This book is going to print immediately and will be available to the general public soon.

"The book is one-of-a-kind. I'm asked about it wherever I go, and am pleased to offer it again as a tribute to the vision of President Gordon B. Hinckley and all those who were part of the creation of the LDS Conference Center," said Dee Halverson.

Often Dee's projects are researched and written for specific clients. This book was prepared for everyone who believes (or wants to believe) in miracles.

New Publication

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 06:15:00 +0000

All images from Heritage Associates Projects

Finishing a book at Heritage Associates is like having a baby. After long months of excited preparation, followed by intense labor at the end, the whole team gathers to congratulate each other on a job well-done, and gaze fondly at the newborn. It is already known and loved, but everybody wants to see what it looks like.

Marta Dansie, a talented free-lance graphic artist (and daughter of Dee Halverson) has been a layout designer for Heritage Associates' books since 2001. Marta collects ideas. She has dozens of files filled with clippings, photos and illustrations of anything she thinks she might need one day. Combined with an artistic eye and a poet's imagination, her compositions are always distinctive. I asked her about the process she uses to create a rich, unique and interesting page-by-page design.

Marta said:
I love starting a new book! When Dee has finished writing the text, he hands the chapters over to me in a hefty three ring binder. His books are usually histories about individuals, families, cities, or businesses, so there is a lot of new material to get familiar with. I learn so much about interesting people and places in this first step.

I try to get the vision of what each particular book should look like as I read. Designing books is first and foremost about enhancing the author's text. Dee travels near and far, puts in hours of research, and performs numerous interviews before he even begins telling the tales. When the manuscript is ready for me to start designing, it contains many months of work. I hope to highlight the words and bring the histories to life with art. I jot down ideas for design that come to me while I pore over the chapters.

Once I'm acquainted with the text, I begin the task of scanning the images to be featured in the book. It's best to err on the side of too many images and artifacts, guaranteeing that we feature the very best images in each chapter.

Dee rifles through dusty attics, pages through vintage albums and hunts through boxes to find the perfect pieces to add life to his text. Together we decide which photos, documents, and ephemera need to go in which chapter. This is when I familiarize myself with the faces from the text. I like to get to know the characters. I enjoy working with sepia photographs from yesteryear, ancient documents with well-worn deep creases, beloved army letters which have been saved in their ripped envelopes, passports with young, healthy faces ready for adventure, beautiful paper money from all across the globe, and small colorful stamps sent from here to there. I use Photoshop software to improve the speckled, dusty or damaged images. Dee's clients appreciate seeing these treasures combined on an archival CD to keep for future generations.

Coming up with the skeleton of the book is all-important. I attempt to find out what Dee's vision is for his story. He knows it better than anyone and often has ideas of what the book should feel like. Together we determine the basics for the book: size and shape, paper weight and finish, the binding method, the cover material, etc. This is often choreographed with the print shop to discuss price and any limitations there may be. We narrow down the millions of possibilities. I appreciate knowing the boundaries of a project: I can think bigger if I understand the limits.

Then Dee lets me loose with my imagination and the real graphic design comes into play. Concentrating on one chapter at a time, designing a 200 page book becomes a manageable feat. I use InDesign software to create the blank book, set up margins, pick type size, and prep all the page components before actually laying out the text.

I select dozens of fonts that I think might work with the feel of the story. I pair them together and decide on the ones that are legible, interesting, and bring out the flavor of the history within the text. Choosing photos and ephemera that illustrate the words on each page is a big part of my job as a book designer. Using my best judgment I settle on those that suit the story, fit on the page neatly, and add to the overall look of the book. I like colorful images that pop on the page, yet don't distract from the story itself.

I always prepare a prototype of the first chapter for Dee to look over and show the client. Once I know they are pleased, I continue to design the rest of the book, chapter by chapter. I go back and forth, finding images that might work better here or there. By the time I finish designing a book, I know what photo is on page 43 and what clipart I used on page 109. Putting time and effort into careful designing makes both the images and text look like they belong together. My goal in building a book, is to marry the overall design to the author's text in a seamless fashion, enhancing the fascinating stories.

Marta's enthusiasm for her work allows her to work incredibly hard for long stretches to meet deadlines. This is her new baby!

Book Smart

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:42:00 +0000

You can recognize a true book-lover by the way he touches an old book. He notices the feel and smell of the leather, the softness of the pages, the embossing on the cover, the colors of the endpapers.

Dee Halverson, president of Heritage Associates, LLC, has always loved historical artifacts of every variety. When he first started collecting old books, he became familiar with the problems peculiar to them: loose hinges, torn linings and dust jackets, frayed spines, and other defects that begged to be fixed.

While studying historic preservation in York, England, Dee had the opportunity to apprentice with a world-renowned book binder (Peter Smith on Grape Lane) where he learned many tricks of the trade. Since then, as Dee acquires books, he examines, cleans, and, when necessary, gently repairs each addition to his library. His book repair kit is stashed in a closet, with supplies that have added life to favorite old books, from nursery rhyme collections to holy scriptures.

It is routine for Dee to investigate the volumes on some one's bookshelf and say, "Can I take this book home and fix it for you?"

He assembles pots of special adhesives, toothpicks, small artist's brushes, wax paper, alcohol, Vaseline, fine grain sandpaper, large soft erasers, clean cloths, elastics and heavy books to use as weights. Baking soda, solid air freshener and even leaves of tobacco can be used to "de-stink" moldy pages in a large suitcase or metal file-cabinet drawer.

The English bibliographer William Blades said, "An old book, whatever its subject, is truly a portion of history. We may imitate it or reprint it, but we can never exactly reproduce it; as an historical document it should be carefully preserved."

To Dee Halverson, every book is a personal friend.

Midway Utah Celebrates 150 Years

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 23:54:00 +0000

Wasatch County, Utah

What are you doing April 15, 2009? Bake a big cake to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Midway, Utah. Dee Halverson will blow out the candles, although his wish is coming true. Since writing Midway: Portrait of a Town, Heritage Associates has worked towards creating a memorial to the earliest pioneers.

On April 15, 1859, after a long, difficult journey up the Provo Canyon Road, Benjamin Mark Smith, David Wood, Jesse McCarrell, Sidney Epperson and Jeremiah Robey and their families were the first to settle the lower part of Snake Creek. They called their settlement "Smith's Grove."

A few weeks later, another settlement on the upper part of Snake Creek was founded as "Mound City." A fort was established by the two growing communities for protection against Indian hostilities in 1866. Because it was exactly midway between the two earlier settlements it was designated Fort Midway.

The Mound City site has been recognized by an historic monument on the Homestead Road for many years, but the Smith's Grove location has been long forgotten. This year a new LDS Chapel is being constructed on Center Street not far from the original "Smith's Grove" location. Preliminary plans indicate that the Smith's Grove Chapel will be ready for dedication about the time of the 150th anniversary. Plans also include a memorial plaque and monument on the site to honor those who first established Midway.

Home to resorts, golf courses, and spectacular scenery, Midway is one of the fastest growing towns in Utah. Residents both new and old salute the foresight and hardiness of the first pioneers.

Book Work

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 18:13:00 +0000

Dee in Vienna 2008
Antiquariat Books
Weihburggasse 16

Creating a book is an art form, and a specialty of Heritage Associates.

After researching a subject for months, collecting interviews and organizing data, the book work begins. Writing, re-writing, copy editing, inserting and blending; then line editing and rewriting again. Images are accumulated from the start, but now comes the process of sifting through photographs, ephemera, illustrations and examples.

Ideas come by poring through old books, noticing fonts, dropped caps, title pages, appendixes. The heft of a book, and how it's meant to be read is considered. Will the reader be sitting at a table with room to spread out, or will this book be tucked in a backpack to be read on an airplane? The weight and size is critical so it will be comfortable in a reader's hand.

Our graphic artist marries the text to the artwork with incredible composition skills: scanning, cropping, experimenting with margins, designing chapter layouts, spacing the images and connecting them to the story. Captions are added. Paper is chosen by judging weight and glossiness: what will show off photographs the best, without causing glare and eyestrain. The file is finally sent to the printer who creates a prototype for binding.

With the finished book in hand, a die-cut is created for the cover and title. Decisions about the binding are finalized: three-quarter leather, full leather, embossing, color, and the spine lettering. Hand-made marbleized end-papers are chosen for special presentation copies. For one book, actual blueprints of the featured building were used. The book makes the exciting trip to the bindery, where it will become a real book at last. This is an art Heritage Associates is known for.

Roots of Heritage Associates

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:25:00 +0000

Bootham Bar, York, England

Heritage Associates, LLC has it's roots in England. Dee Halverson moved his family of nine to the ancient walled city of York for a year in 1985 while he got a master's degree in Historic Preservation at the University of York.

During that time, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was preparing to celebrate 150 years in the British Isles. A professor at BYU was writing a book on the subject and asked Dee to search out some particular historical sites in England. Memorable events and locations were described in diaries written 150 years before by Heber C. Kimball and Wilford Woodruff, but the coordinates had disappeared from modern maps. Names like Hilltop Farm, Castle Frome, Benbow Pond and Job Pingree's Mill were well-known to LDS historians, but the actual places were lost in the depths of the countryside.

English Countryside

Dee was further asked to follow the journals and find appropriate locations for the Church to place historic plaques, hold celebrations, and even purchase property for the British saints to enjoy.

Over several months Dee traveled the length and breadth of England's narrow, crooked roads, using 100-year-old ordnance maps, collecting information from local folks. LDS church members (Mormons) had immigrated en masse to Utah in the 1850's, and their important places weren't important to the people now living in England. Many British Latter-day Saints didn't know the history of their earlier counterparts who had left, and were unfamiliar with the church sites themselves. One major reason for the celebrations, plaques and documentation was to acquaint members with their own church history.

Without the aid of a computer, satellite map, or GPS, Dee gathered precise details. It was an unpaid position; in fact Dee actually paid all his own expenses. But it was like an apprenticeship, and he discovered that he loved gathering history and assembling the pieces together like a puzzle. Facts, locales and human stories must be compiled and put into written form to be accessible to scholars. This on-the-ground research was valuable, necessary, and Dee recognized he was good at it.

Using a magnifying glass to read the old maps, he found significant markets, lodgings, farms and ponds, and then transposed them onto modern maps. Sometimes the roads were gone; often he had to climb out of the car and peer through high hedgerows to see the ruins hidden behind them. Luckily things don't change too quickly in England and he eventually compiled directions to a cemetery in Llanelli, Wales, to a home on the Isle of Man, to a stone wall in Downham, Lancashire, with many noteworthy farms, chapels, and rivers in between. The history now had a setting.

Preston, England

After returning to Salt Lake City in 1986, Dee served on the committee that prepared the historical markers. He also established a private preservation trust and raised money to purchase and rebuild some of the buildings he had found in ruins. There are guided tours in Britain designed around these sites today.

Gadfield Elm Chapel

The next year Dee went back to England for a month to set up displays in town halls and libraries around the country, and transport the plaques to their destinations. When it was all over, it was time to find a real job.

In connection with these events, Dee had a chance to interview Gordon B. Hinckley who was a counselor in the 1st Presidency of the Church at the time. He asked Dee about his career plans after the Sesquicentennial was over and Dee told him he was considering a job with the Church archives.

President Hinckley recognized some characteristics and talents unique to Dee. He said this:

"Dee, history is not just in the archives. Most of it is in the attics and basements of everyday people, waiting to be discovered. You tell those stories."

And Heritage Associates was born.

Dee Halverson: History of the Historian

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 03:54:00 +0000

Zhorec, Czech Republic
2008

You might say that I was born to history, because I was one of the first wave of post-World War II baby boomers. My birthday, October 5, 1946, came exactly nine months after my father returned home after serving in the U.S. Army in Europe. His tales of army life in England and France were enhanced by the various wartime souvenirs and artifacts that he kept religiously. The pages of newspaper clippings, maps, foreign stamps and coins fascinated me and stimulated my interest in faraway geography, history and culture.

Even my elementary school, Timpanogos, was named for a long-since disappeared tribe of local Native Americans, as well as an 11,000-foot overwhelmingly beautiful mountain peak nearby. Each day from Kindergarten through 6th Grade my route from home to school and back took me past some historic sites—the small group of well-preserved, Mormon pioneer log cabins in Sowiette Park and the well-preserved artifacts and docents in the Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum. There was also a large granite-topped monument with a bronze plaque telling of the settlement of the Provo, Utah area. I was always trying to figure out how to pry loose the large “fool’s gold” rocks embedded within the monument.

Great teachers of history, languages and geography continually inspired me with stories of Richard Halliburton, the world traveler / explorer; Spanish padres and mountainmen fur-trappers who explored our mountains and valleys; and also the faith-driven colonizers of our land. I always found myself connecting with these subjects and disinterested in science, math or trigonometry. When it was time to go to college there was no hesitation for me to dive headfirst into all the Humanities, at the same time that “plastics” and aerospace were all the rage. I would simply not be put off by those who would ask, “But what are you going to do with it?”

Opportunities opened up for me to continue my quest. I cruised through my college courses, always deferring the unattractive classes in the Sciences that were required. Then I was called to serve a two-year mission for my church in West Germany which opened up a whole new world of inquiry. Later I returned to Europe to study more history and culture on a semester abroad program. As an added bonus I met my future wife who was also studying in Austria. Now I had someone to share my passion for the past and other things with. Marty and I were determined to have a dozen children; raise them in a German-speaking household; and some day take them to live in a foreign country.

Although I had set my sights on the Foreign Service, the war in Vietnam came crashing into our lives with the military draft lottery of December 1969. It was the first and only lottery that I was declared a winner—my draft number was 24th out of 365. By the time I had completed the ROTC courses three years later, I had a college degree and a growing family of three children. Before being commissioned I received a medical discharge and started planning all over again.

After a detour into the business world, Marty and I took our seven children to York, England so I could complete an advanced degree in History while living in a medieval, walled-city. Finally, I was on track again.

Returning home to Utah I decided to hang out my shingle as a Public Historian. In 1985 our company, Heritage Associates, LLC, was founded to provide history-based products to institutions, government, individuals and families. Since that time we have been dedicated to communicating the client’s history in a clear and engaging story. Our purpose is to preserve the personal or corporate memories that create a lasting legacy for future generations.

For nearly twenty-five years it has been my pleasure to research and write over fifty books of corporate, family and personal history; to conduct hundreds of oral-history interviews to preserve past memories; and to weave strands of lives, past and present, into a tapestry which tells the story of what has gone on before. I have done research throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Great Britain. There is nothing that excites me more than working on topics that have never been done or finding artifacts and documents that fill in the missing pieces. It is a blessing to be engaged in work that is meaningful and worthwhile.

At sixty-two I look forward to new projects to immerse myself in, knowing full well that there are simply more great stories out there yet to be told than I have time to complete. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next twenty-five years.

Dee at Riveaux Abbey
Yorkshire, England 2006

Yesco

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:00:00 +0000

The History of Young Electric Sign Company
YESCO

Heritage Associates has done extensive research on the history of signs, organizing the archives and writing the history of Young Electric Sign Company. "What started as a small sign lettering company in the 1920's has become one of the largest electric sign companies in the world." This is the company that lights up Las Vegas, and produces billboards and signs that are familiar to people everywhere.

The intensive period of study required for each project makes Dee Halverson an expert on many topics. Knowledge and interest turn into new hobbies for Dee. Because of his work for YESCO, he is fascinated by signs wherever he goes.

Photos taken in Colmar, France September 2008

Research in Colmar, France gave Dee a chance to see vintage signs up close.

Wrought-iron signs decorate the shops.

In medieval times, when many people couldn't read,
graphics told folks what was being sold...

...or the service being rendered.

What illustration would you choose to portray yourself?
What's YOUR sign?

These antique signs have become art, depicting and enhancing the history of a town.

Do you have an anniversary or milestone approaching?
Use it as a sign post to show where you've been and where you're going.

Yesco Anniversary Commemorative Book

The past enriches the present, and gives inspiration for the future.

Let Heritage Associates tell your story.

Heritage Associates: What We'll Do For You

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:16:00 +0000

Dee's Alma Mater

Heritage Associates is a public history company. Some of our services and products include:

Corporate Anniversaries

Writing

Editing/Copywriting

Printing and Bindery Coordination

Archive Development

Heritage Associates: Corporate History

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:37:00 +0000

Commemorative Booklet
Judge Building 100th Anniversary

Heritage Associates is in the memory business. Corporate anniversaries and other milestones are opportunities to revive moments of glory, and celebrate the values, business practices and innovators that reflect the high standards of your organization.

An anniversary is an opportunity to leverage past accomplishments with plans for the future. It invites media coverage. Exhibits, booklets or larger publications can share successes, build employee morale and be used for future promotion of your organization. Insights of current leaders, employees and customers are valuable, as are historical documents, old newspaper articles, photographs and memorabilia. We can inventory the material you have to prepare for an event.

One client used Heritage Associates to research and prepare a traveling exhibit. Throughout the anniversary month, the founders visited offices in ten different locations for a celebratory dinner where anecdotes and historical facts were presented. The exhibit displayed a time line of the company in photos, text and images. Ultimately it became part of the corporate office decor, informing former and potential clients, as well as new employees, of a dynamic history and exciting future.

Compelling, historically accurate accounts can be a tool for meeting current goals. Your story can be told in newsletters, marketing brochures and office art to demonstrate how key decisions in the past are relevant to today's demands. Heritage Associates can deliver a turnkey service, from concept development, research and interviews, through writing, design, editing, imagery, printing and binding. We can tell your story in an exciting way, while adhering to the highest standards of historical practice.

Heritage can become one of your organization's greatest assets.

Wallsburg, Utah

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Wallsburg, Utah

Standing in the center of Wallsburg village is the 115-year-old Ford Merchantile Store. Although it is no longer open for business, it was the hub of commercial activity during four generations. The store represents the essence of Wallsburg--faith, commitment and service. Inside is the original telephone that was installed in 1897, that provided townspeople with a connection with the outside world before radio or television. In the back corner stands the barred-window that served as Wallsburg's first post office.

W. Dee Halverson became familiar with the beginnings of this unique village in Round Valley while writing the biography of it's founder, William Madison Wall, in 1991. Commissioned in 2005 to write a history of the community, Heritage Associates has watched it awaken from a sleepy little farm town to a coveted address. Newcomers and visitors are fascinated by this photo-rich chronicle of "A Valley of Dreams."

Heritage Associates: Litigation Research

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:23:00 +0000

Smith and Morehouse in Summit County, Utah

Heritage Associates has done research for attorneys to locate and analyze information needed to reconstruct the past. Many legal cases need to be put in historical context for the stories to be understood.

To verify the continuous public use of livestock trails and mining roads, we explored paths that used to be lined with saloons and brothels. Much of the area is now inaccessible by car, so other modes of travel were necessary.

Dee on Rail Trail at Silver Creek Junction in
Summit County, Utah 2007

Oral interviews, old maps and scrapbook photos were employed to find routes that miners and sheepherders used for decades. Notes left on aspen trees led to crumbling foundations, and the ruins of former camps, indicating continuous public use of the property.

One of many "Sweetheart Trees" along the Perdue Creek road.

George Carter drowned in the Weber River during a railroad tie drive in 1877.

Even a lost grave was discovered in our explorations. Heritage Associates can find relevant and significant facts to make the past applicable to your situation.

Heritage Associates: Oral History

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:57:00 +0000

Old-Timers in Grass Creek, Utah

Grass Creek, Utah is a ghost town. It was once a thriving community in Summit County, with a population of nearly 1,000 Italian, Greek, Slovakian, Chinese and American coal miners. Since nobody lives in the Grass Creek Valley, it now only comes alive in peoples' memories and scrapbooks.

Heritage Associates has carried out oral history interviews to tap into the memories of the people who remember this forgotten community. Skilled oral historians ask the right questions, so that participants feel pride in their contribution. Stories passed on by parents take on special meaning when nothing has been written before to recognize their contributions, and dignity is given back to those who built the foundations for a way of life.

Oral histories recover a record in fleeting memories. Heritage Associates recognizes the value in discovering vital details with living case studies.

Midway, Utah

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Midway: Portrait of a Town
by
W. Dee Halverson

Midway: Portrait of a Town was commissioned by the Midway Heritage Foundation for publication in 2003. Midway is located off highway 40, south of Park City, Utah in Heber Valley. It gained international attention during the 2002 Winter Olympics as the site of cross country and Nordic skiing events.

In preparation for this project, Heritage Associates spent two years examining private and government archives, collecting photos, oral interviews and historic documentation. The result was a hardbound book richly illustrated with images, stories and photographs from the past and present.

During the research of Midway, many other stories came to light. In the town, which was founded in 1859, there are numerous architectural masterpieces. Bonner's Corners was produced by Heritage Associates to tell the story of the original families who lived in the unique red houses that still stand on Midway's Main Street.

Bonner's Corners
by
Dee Halverson

Luke's Hot Pots is another offshoot of the Midway project, describing the history of hot pots (turned resorts and spas) that the area is known for.

Smith's Grove, settled April 15, 1859, is one of two original settlements that joined forces to build Fort Midway. Current research is underway for a Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2009, supported by business, religious and community leaders.

The Swiss influence in Midway is undeniable. Heritage Associates has followed the paths of 20 original settlers who came from the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland to this verdant farm valley in Utah, and will soon be able to connect those early contributions to the contributions Midway's citizens continue to make.

Heritage Associates: Historian on Location

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 22:19:00 +0000

Lancaster, MA
Town Library

Heritage Associates specializes in research on location. (Click here for listing.) Primary sources found in local libraries and archives give valuable information not found anywhere else. Collections carefully preserved, now relegated to dusty basements, hold vast and sometimes unread details relevant to families, businesses and other organizations.

Links to posts detailing some of the places where Heritage Associates has gathered history follow:

Newfoundland :Searching for Ghosts
Polish Roots
Trezesniow, Poland
Krakow, Poland and Beyond
Czech Republic : Check it Out
Austria: Family Ties
British Isles: Attics and Basements
Brandywine, Pennsylvania
Ogden, Utah: Miles Goodyear Cabin
Summit County, Utah: A Life Forgotten

W. Dee Halverson

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:45:00 +0000

W. Dee Halverson earned degrees in history at Brigham Young University and York University (England.) Since founding Heritage Associates, he has provided professional research and published works for nearly 200 clients worldwide. He is also a specialist in oral interviews, historical site evaluation, archive development and organization, litigation research, and genealogy. Dee is fluent in German and has a reading knowledge of French. He is also proficient in translating Old English and German scripts, and deciphering old handwritten texts. He is adept at handling the oldest papers, and using the newest technology.

Dee was born in Provo, Utah. He has lived in Germany, Austria and England and currently resides in Salt Lake City with his wife, Marty. They have seven children and nineteen grandchildren.

Heritage Associates: Who Are Our Experts?

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 01:17:00 +0000

Skilled in settings from archives to courthouses, our talented team of professionals offer your organization a turnkey solution for using your unique heritage.

W. Dee Halverson earned degrees in history at Brigham Young University and York University (England.) Since founding Heritage Associates, he has provided professional research and published works for nearly 200 clients worldwide. He is also a specialist in oral interviews, historical site evaluation, archive development and organization, litigation research, and genealogy. Trained in photography, and geography, his skills are well-used for research on location. Dee is fluent in German and has a reading knowledge of French. He is also proficient in translating Old English and German scripts, and deciphering old handwritten texts. He is adept at handling the oldest papers, and using the newest technology.

James E. Robinson, CPA, has been a successful executive of a network of home health care businesses throughout the Intermountain West. He specializes in corporate marketing and development.

A. Peter Halverson has applied the latest in website architecture, searchable databases and digital printing techniques to our history-based projects. He supervises quality control and insures that your product is of the highest standard.

Marta Dansie has developed state-of-the art graphics and text layout techniques in book design and publication, as well as digital scanning and restoration of images for historic use. Marta is also a talented photographer.

Christina Johnson is a professional photographer, and provides digital transcription service for the firm’s heavy volume of oral- and video-history interviews.

Amy Robinson specializes in book design, layouts, image research and art history, together with expertise in graphic arts. Her access to the best photographic equipment, and knowledge of digital imagery has been featured in numerous Heritage Associates books.

Marty Halverson is an experienced writer, editor, researcher and blog designer. Her on site photography is often used in Heritage Associates publications.

Heritage Associates has expertise in:
Museum and exhibit research and text.
Seminars and lectures.
Corporate events to celebrate anniversaries and other milestones.
Archival development.
International research.
Historical evaluation.
Interpretation of artifacts.
Evaluation of historical collections.

Heritage Associates: Why You Need Us

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:56:00 +0000

Archive in Colmar, France

Heritage Associates answers important questions about the past to give perspective to the present, and understanding for the future. Working across disciplines and with team members familiar with a wide variety of subjects, life in earlier times is uncovered and put into context. At Heritage Associates we give value to your past.

Heritage Associates is a public history company using traditional as well as modern techniques. Geography, archaeology, art history, folklore, politics and literature all contribute to an understanding of the human experience. Knowledge of philately (stamps), numismatics (coins and medals), paleography (ancient writing and documents) is helpful, along with special language skills, especially in German, French, Greek or Latin. Handwritten archival material was often recorded in old English or Germanic script, and a reading proficiency is vital. Heritage Associates is competent in all of these areas.

Our historians spend a great deal of time reading diaries, letters, periodicals, government records, and microfilm. They have become experts on the history of particular places, periods, and societies. Reading ship-manifests, land descriptions, census and tax documents has familiarized them with the movement of people related to economic and civic conditions. The primary sources handled by Heritage Associates have made proper archival techniques relevant and necessary. We have organized personal attic archives as well as business archives comprised of hundreds of file cabinets into searchable, convenient resources for the client.

Oral interviews create new source material for projects. Experiences hiding in memories, combined with contemporary maturity is valuable in understanding current society. Remembered circumstances, emotions, hardships and daily activities add depth to dates, maps and scrapbooks. The right questions can trigger recollections previously forgotten.

These techniques, brought together in Heritage Associates, are beneficial to families, businesses, cities, religious organizations and others interested in remembering, disciphering or celebrating the past.

The essential skill of a historian is the ability to organize and communicate the collected information in an accessible and interesting form. This can result in diverse products such as books, brochures, articles, videos, reports, photography, exhibits, historical markers, memorials, visual timelines, lectures, seminars or events. The latest scanning, layout and printing equipment is used to produce coffee-table display books, booklets or reference books.

Do you need a historian? "Giving a future to our past" is our motto at Heritage Associates.

Heritage Associates: Genealogy

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:49:00 +0000

Book of Births, Colmar France

Heritage Associates has helped scores of families and individuals put their legacy into historical context, underscoring how it was shaped and influenced by larger events.

Millions of people are engaged in The Roots Phenomenon. A person searches for his roots in order to find his own place in time; how the unique lives of his ancestors have affected his. Genealogy is more than just gathering names, dates and places. Serious family history is undertaken to put lives in context with events. Civil unrest, family scandals, job opportunities, health concerns, religious beliefs and other conditions have worked together to create a family's heritage. The stories are fascinating glimpses into true experiences.

Genealogy and public history are intrinsically linked. It is personal study using public historical domains: state genealogical and historical societies, national patriotic societies, such as the Sons/Daughters of the American Revolution, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, and cemetery or parish records. Heritage Associates will utilize available sources, and produce a book compiling stories, history, photos and images that will be a treasure to members of your family.

Heritage Associates: Contact Us

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 20:42:00 +0000

Contact Information

Heritage Associates, LLC
8 East Broadway, Suite 212
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
801.532.2561 - phone
801.532.0996 - facsimile

email - wdh@heritageassociates.com

website - heritageassociates.com
blog - heritageassociates.blogspot.com

Located in Salt Lake City with easy access to the LDS Family History Library, Utah State Historical Archives, University of Utah and Brigham Young University.

Research Locations

martyhalverson@comcast.net (Travelin'Oma) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 19:54:00 +0000

Cemetery in Petersham, MA

Heritage Associates has proficiency in research on location. Even with modern technology local libraries and archives are often the only source for period maps, regional history, newspapers, property records and authentic photographs. Family and business documents, oral histories, letters and diaries have been discovered, adding important pieces to the puzzle of the past.

Dee Halverson has conducted research throughout the United States, Canada, the British Isles and Europe. Extensive fieldwork has been done in:

United States:
Brandywine, Pennsylvania
San Francisco, California;
Nauvoo, Illinois
New England
Ohio
Simpsonville, Kentucky
Las Vegas, Nevada
Idaho
Detroit, Michigan
Leadville, Colorado
Seattle, Washington
Washington, D.C.

Canada:
Newfoundland
Nova Scotia
Labrador
Toronto
Kingston
Ottawa
Ontario
Alberta

British Isles:
Lancashire
Yorkshire
Shropshire
Worchestershire
Herefordshire
London
South Wales
Isle of Man
Scotland

Europe:
Vienna, Austria
Salzburg, Austria
Tabor, Czech Republic
Krakow, Poland
Paris, France
Colmar, Alsace, France
Rhineland, Germany
Zurich, Switzerland
Interlaken, Switzerland