The next meeting of the Nesquehoning Historical Society will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday,at Maple Shade Meadows Senior Living, 50 E. Locust St.

Tom and Betty Lou McBride will be the guest speakers. They have titled their talk: "Be Proud of Your Town's History and Save it!"They will be sharing the story of their personal experiences in helping to preserve local history in the downtown area of Jim Thorpe.Tom grew up in Junedale.After high school, he worked as a plumber in Hazleton. He then had a two-year stint in the Army, where he was stationed in Germany during the Korean conflict.After the Army, Tom attended Bethlehem Business School.He moved to Florida, where he worked as a Fuller Brush salesman for three years then took a job in real estate and eventually he started his own real estate office.Betty Lou and Tom met in Florida and they spent another 13 years there while raising three daughters.In 1980 they decided to come back to Tom's roots and settled in the Jim Thorpe area.They saw the beauty and craftsmanship in the old architecture of Jim Thorpe and determined to dedicate themselves to restoring several buildings.They began by buying and restoring the old Eagles Building, which is now known as the Treasure Shop. The Treasure Shop is currently owned and operated by their daughter.Tom also started the Jim Thorpe Civic Association, which later became the Chamber of Commerce and is currently known as the Jim Thorpe Tourism Agency.Tom and Betty Lou just finished restoring their fifth building in downtown Jim Thorpe. One these projects was the historic Mauch Chunk Jail.Since finishing the restoration work at the jail 21 years ago, they have been operating it as a museum.All three daughters became business owners of their own. They each started out their careers in business by working in the Treasure Shop. They also got to learn about construction by help their dad on his many restoration projects.Betty Lou did the paperwork for the business since she had training as a legal secretary. This February, Tom and Betty Lou will be celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary.Everyone is invited to attend the event. Light refreshments will also be served.