Huntington's Historical Checks

This week Huntington Bank brought their collection of 16 historical checks signed by Presidents for display here!

We've gotten some great newspaper coverage about it (click here for the Repository's article, click here for the Akron Beacon Journal's article). This is truly a one-of-a-kind collection, and we're THRILLED to have them here.

When the checks arrived on Wednesday, I was guarding the box while the delivery men went back out to their truck to get the cases. I reached down to pick one up, and as I looked at it, I could hardly believe what I was holding.

A check from 1799, signed by GEORGE WASHINGTON.

Amazing! I mean, honestly, AMAZING.



There aren't very many people who have the opportunity to hold something George Washington touched! (Even if the check was framed)

It reminded me of how privileged I am to work in a museum. I get to see things close up that most people have to view through the glass or from behind the ropes. I get to handle unique artifacts every day in my line of work. Some are attached to famous people, but others are just as impressive because they are beautiful, or very old, or rare.

It is humbling to think of my career in that context. I am the caretaker of history, for the future. It is an incredible responsibility, and is not something I take lightly. But on the other hand, I am bewildered at the opportunities I have to experience history first-hand.

Back to the checks.

The following Presidents are represented in the exhibition:

• William McKinley
• John Q Adams
• James Garfield
• U.S. Grant
• Warren G Harding
• Benjamin Harrison
• William Henry Harrison
• Andrew Jackson
• Thomas Jefferson
• Abraham Lincoln
• James Madison
• James Monroe
• Franklin Delano Roosevelt
• Theodore Roosevelt
• William Howard Taft
• George Washington

The checks are on display in Gallery B of The Stark County Story, near the 1950s kitchen.

They will only be on view for a limited time, so be sure to stop in soon! They will be leaving on February 28.

I'm back!

As you can see from my previous post, the computer issues that were preventing me from posting photos have mysteriously disappeared!!

I'M BACK!

I had grown so frustrated with not being able to post how I wanted to, I have been terrible at updating the blog. Now that I can do what I want to do again, you'll be hearing from me a lot more often!

That's Entertainment! exhibit

Restored Laff in the Dark cart from Meyers Lake!

We had a FANTASTIC exhibit opening for That's Entertainment on Friday February 10! It was a record crowd for us, with many new faces!

The exhibit explores what we did for fun over the past 200 years, including restaurants, shopping, hotels, sports, the 1955 Sesquicentennial, Meyers Lake, Mother Gooseland, theaters, opera houses, the circus, and more!

Dresses, coats, hats and purses from Stern & Mann, O’Neils, and Polsky’s are on display. Visitors can view Frank Lahm’s flight journal documenting the first balloon ascension of the Aero Club of Ohio, and sterling silver pieces from the Onesto and St. Francis hotels. Local artist Su Nimon’s prints of Canton’s “hot spots” are also be featured.

Perhaps the biggest draw is the restored Laff in the Dark cart from Meyers Lake, on loan to us from Dave Thomas.

Come in and see the exhibit -- you'll LOVE IT!

Here are some highlights (which can never compare to seeing the REAL THING!):


Bells / bottle openers from Bender's


Shoes purchased at Stern & Mann


Su Nimon's print "The Palace at Night"


American Legion baseball uniform

Unwrapping the Holidays

We are working hard behind-the-scenes to bring you the next Keller Gallery exhibition Unwrapping the Holidays: The History and Traditions of the Yuletide Season!

The exhibit includes many vintage Christmas decorations from our collection, including hand blown Christmas bulbs, Santa figurines, and a Precious Moments Christmas Village called Sugar Town!

We are also including history of Hanukkah traditions, Kwanzaa and the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha. We have lots of interesting programming coming up too, including a Soup at Six on November 17, Day After Thanksgiving activities, Holiday Open House on December 2, and the Open Hearth Dinner on December 9.

We hope to see you at the Museum this holiday season!

Long time, no blog!

I've been very good at updating the museum's Facebook page, but I've been neglecting Curator's Corner this year!

Here's what's been going on this summer:

I am currently obsessed with the flu. Our next Soup at Six program on October 6 will explore the 1918 Influenza Pandemic. It has been utterly fascinating to learn about this horrible disease, and how scientists finally cracked its genetic code 80 years later. If your interest is piqued, sign up for the Soup!

I have been catching up on collections work too. I've processed lots and lots of Deeds of Gift. I have also photographed all of the artifacts my volunteers have been diligently cataloging. It feels good to reduce the backlog a bit, but there is still so much more to do!

The marketing committee has been working hard to plan our fall fundraiser on September 23 -- "Meyers Lake: A Night Under the Stars." It promises to be a very special evening. Tickets are $55 per person and will include dinner from Carolina BBQ, a midway with games and prizes, and dancing to live recordings from the Moonlight Gardens and Moonlight Ballroom that originally aired on WHBC.

Green Revolution continues to be popular with our summer guests. This Keller Gallery exhibition closes the first Sunday in November. Come in and learn about how you can make the planet a better place! There are many small things we can all do to help.

Our Director Joyce Yut has been working with the Canton Fire Department for a special commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on our grounds. It will be a very moving ceremony.

We were all saddened when Randy, our rabbit in Discover World, had to be put to sleep this week. But we have adopted a new bunny! Look for a naming contest soon down in DW.

This fall will be very busy with our regular special events (Halloween, Holiday Open House, Holiday Hearth Dinner, Fall Fundraiser) plus a new exhibit in the Keller Gallery exploring the history of Christmas and other winter holidays. Work will begin on that soon!

I hope to begin posting regularly again soon. In the meantime, please check out our Facebook page for the latest tidbits on what's going on here!

Another great car show!

We had a record-breaking number of cars at the 10th Annual Cruisin' Thru History CAR SHOW this past Saturday!

Thank you to everyone who came out with their classic rides, and to the many spectators who came to enjoy the cars. It was a great day.

This is just one of the 150+ cars we had on the grounds!

Catching up!

Now that Green Revolution is up, I've got a lot of collections work to do!

This year has been so busy, I am quite behind in getting my Deeds of Gift out in a timely fashion. I prefer to process them in batches, which means sometimes there is a 4-6 week wait. But I've gone from one major project to the next in 2011, so I haven't had a chance to work on my collections backlog. If you've donated something this year, your paper will go out this week!