White House Pets closes

Believe it or not, it is already time to close White House Pets!

It has been a fun exhibit, and I think people have enjoyed it.

This morning Steve and I are going to pack it up for its trip to Teddy Roosevelt's museum in New York. Ironic that it would go from McKinley to Roosevelt, isn't it?

I try to have at least one presidential themed exhibit every year. Here's a quick look back:

• In 2006 we hosted the Smithsonian traveling exhibit Diana Walker: Photojournalist. That was blast! We invited Diana Walker for a program and book signing of Public & Private that was packed. Many of her photos in the exhibit are included in her book. It is well worth it, if you want to pick up a copy.
• In 2007, Chris guest curated an exhibit on the 100th anniversary of the McKinley National Memorial, based on his book The McKinley Monument: A Tribute to a Fallen Hero. We had a community-wide art contest and got some fabulous entries from children and adults!

So what's coming up?

• Next year, in 2009, we are hosting the Smithsonian traveling exhibit The Working White House. The exhibit explores the people who have kept the President's home running over the past two centuries.
• In 2010, we will be hosting another Smithsonian traveling exhibit called The White House Garden. We will host that exhibit in the winter, to give visitors a pick-me-up during the cold Ohio winter!
  
• In 2011, we will host White House Christmas from the White House Historical Association. This is an exhibit of paintings depicting Christmas decorations at the White House.
  
• In 2012, White House Horses will be on view, also from the White House Historical Association. Horses were a vital part of the White House in years past. This exhibit explores the roles horses have played in White House history.
  
• In 2013, we will open White House Impressions, another White House Historical Association exhibit. This exhibit is full of exquisite paintings, showing the White House, past and present, through an artist's eye.
  

So I am very excited about our exhibition plans for the future! Sprinkled in between will be exhibits featuring the museum's collection.

Next will be A Doll's World, featuring our extensive doll collection. That opens on October 24.

Hope to see you soon!

Still playing with pins...

I have been able to identify SOME of the hat pins, but there are still quite a few without numbers.

This was my plan of attack.

First, I did a search in the database for hat pins and printed it out. Then I separated the pins that were numbered from the unknown pins and checked off the numbers on my list.

Then I went back through the list, reading the descriptions and comparing them to the pins that were left.

I was able to identify several of them, because of their unique design -- fleur de lys, set blue glass stone, four leaf clover, etc.

But now I am down to the non-descript pins and terribly generic database descriptions. There is no way I can identify "seven hat pins," for example, without SOME kind of clue!!

In this case, I will number the remaining hat pins with a "Found in Collection" number. That way they will be entered into the database and will be "findable" in the future for exhibit purposes. If they aren't in the database, it is as if the artifact doesn't exist.

Incidentally, a "Found in Collection" number is made up of three numbers, like all accession numbers. First is the year, second is a ZERO, and third is the next consecutive number available.

So the first FIC hat pin will have the number 2008.0.8, because I have already found 7 things in the collection this year that weren't numbered. The next pin will be 2008.0.9, and so on. IF we are ever able to figure out its real number in the future, we would remove the 2008.0 number and re-tag it with its original number.

For a regular donation, the ZERO would be replaced with a NUMBER. Currently, we are on 2008.26, meaning 26 donors have given something to the museum this year. Each item within the donor's donation is numbered. So the first thing would be 2008.26.1, then 2008.26.2, and so on. We use letters to identify a set of items, like a pair of shoes for example. They would each get the same number, but one shoe would have an "A" at the end and the other a "B."

But back to the hat pin project (now that you are thoroughly confused about the accession numbering system!).

I need to find a better way to label the pins, because many of them are too small to physically number (which is preferred, because the number stays on the artifact). But we are in this mess, I assume, because tags slip right off a straight pin!

One of our volunteers suggested sliding the pin into a small piece of foam core, which won't slide off easily. Then I can number the foam core accordingly. I think I will tackle that today. And of course, since we are now photographing the collection, it will be much easier to identify pins in the future, if the numbers are separated.

Oh, and I think I will tackle more paperwork today too. We have gotten quite a few donations recently, so it is time to send out another batch!

DeHoff Library and Rowland Cemetery

A treestone, which is part of the Victorian rusticity movement, and often marks the grave of a member of the Woodmen of the World.

Today I did a unique program!

Miss Jackson, the wonderful librarian at the DeHoff Library, asked me come do my "Unlocking the Secrets of the Cemetery" program for her teen club. Afterwards we went into Rowland Cemetery, behind the library, to see what we could find.

The kids were great! They listened to my program, which honestly is geared more toward adults. But they were very respectful and paid attention as I showed them photos of symbols I have seen over the years.

When we went into the cemetery, they were very interested in finding things. A member of the cemetery's board came with us, and was able to point out the largest stone, oldest stone, etc.

It was a great program, and I was thrilled to show the kids a different perspective of the cemetery. First, it is nothing to be afraid of. And second, it is not something to vandalize. I bet not one of those kids would tip over a stone, now that they've learned about what cemeteries mean. And I think they would stop their friends from doing it too.

Here are some pictures I took today:


Teens looking at the back of the Roos grave, which lists TEN of their children who had died.


The side listing the 10 kids.


A cylindrical stone with a palm on it.


An excellent example of calla lilies!


Tulips, which I haven't seen before.

Afterwards, we went back to the library and of course the kids didn't have any questions (teens are notoriously silent!). I asked them to think about what symbols would best represent them. Miss Jackson said a book, which was perfect for a librarian! None of the kids spoke up, but you could tell they were thinking about it!

I just love wandering in old cemeteries. I hope that the kids saw my enthusiasm about it, and maybe they will gain a new respect for our country's burial grounds.

Hat pin nightmares

As you may already be aware, my volunteers and I are taking photos of the ENTIRE collection -- soup to nuts (or should I say, campaign buttons to wedding dresses? toys to furniture? china to...well...you get the point!!). I did the math yesterday and we are 45% done. Woo hoo!

Anyway, today I have a big challenge in front of me. Figuring out the hat pin collection!!!!

Many of them are not numbered, and some records are so generic it is laughable -- such as "10 assorted hat pins."

Um, OK. That's VERY helpful!

So today I am going to compare the well cataloged hat pins to the ones in storage, to try to figure out the rest through the process of elimination. I worked on it some last week and was able to figure out exactly ONE. It was an easy one too -- the only painted porcelain head with initials on it!

The rest aren't going to be so kind to me.

So, for the remainder of this week, I just might be having hat pin nightmares during the day, and perhaps even at night while I sleep!!!

Short story "Stealing Memories"

My short story "Stealing Memories," about my grandmother's death from Alzheimer's, was published in the Summer Solstice issue of the literary magazine Mused, which came out over the weekend.

Click here to read it.

I will warn you, it is pretty sad, but it was a catharsis for me at the time I wrote it, which was about 3 years ago now. I decided not to change anything when I submitted it a few months ago, because it was a slice of life for me at that time. Since then, my grandfather has also passed away.

I have a few more short stories already written that I will be submitting for future issues of Mused. If they make the cut, I'll let you know when they come out!

I am having a lot of fun focusing on a different kind of writing right now. I write history all the time, and I still love that! But it is fun experimenting with different styles, and seeing them get published is quite a thrill!

7th Annual Cruisin' Thru History CAR SHOW!!

Another great show!

The weather held off for us, so we had another beautiful day. Seven years in a row!!! We had a few more cars than last year, so we're still growing too!!

Thank you to the volunteers for working so hard selling tickets, staffing the registration table, and making countless hamburgers and hot dogs. You guys are TERRIFIC!!

Chris did a great job again this year, and I'm not prejudiced as his wife because it was independently confirmed by many in attendance. :-)

There are always so many beautiful cars at our show! I took lots of photos, and here are some of them (in 2 flipbooks):

AND....A FEW MORE OF MY FAVORITES!! (that aren't related to the car show!)

All set for the car show

Everything is on carts, ready to be hauled outside in the morning!

After 7 years of doing this, it runs like a well-oiled machine. Stephanie has all her food ready to go. Chris has all the details of the show worked out -- packets are made, trophies are picked up, sign posts have been pounded into the ground (and LOTS of other details completed!). Steve even came in from his vacation to make sure all the set-ups are done correctly.

The weather forecast has been changed to SUN, so we are all breathing a sigh of relief over that.

I'm sure it will be another great show. Will post pictures next week!