Learning What Books Can't Teach: Part 2

Guest Blog Entry by Emily Reinl

As an intern doing interpretation at Landis Valley Village and Farm Museum this summer, I have been very much enjoying myself. One of my favorite parts of working here – and something that surprised me – is how many people I get to meet from all over the world. In particular, I like getting visitors from Germany; I have taken several years’ worth of German classes and plan on studying abroad in Germany in a couple of years, so I enjoy having the opportunity to speak German with native German speakers. I also often get the impression that the visitors appreciate my attempts to converse with them in their native language, which makes the experience all the more gratifying.

I also love having the opportunity to dress in period costume. Ever since I was little, I have loved historical clothing; this contributed to developing my interest in living history museums. I put together the outfit I wear for my internship over the course of several years, buying some here, making some there. For instance, I made my skirt but then bought the blouse I wear with it. I try to be as historically accurate with my costume as possible, even down to wearing the proper undergarments. I always have to laugh a little to myself when I am in the store and a visitor points out the corset and comments on how uncomfortable he or she thinks it looks – I wear a corset every day I work, and I find it very comfortable. I feel great in my costume, and I love the way wearing it and being at Landis Valley transports me back in time.

Learning What Books Can't Teach: Part 1

Guest Blog Entry by Marian Krick

The Landis Valley internship experience is a truly symbiotic one.  They help us and, in return, they gain valuable experience in their respective fields, whether they be History, English, Museum Studies, Tourism, or even Auto Body Technician.  These interns truly learn from the past at our museum and, in the spirit of sharing, they would like to share some of their experiences with you.

Hello Everyone!  My name is Marian and I am an intern with Landis Valley for the summer.  I am a student at Slippery Rock University studying resort management/tourism.  Here at Landis Valley I am working within the sales department.

One opportunity that I have had has been shadowing during tours.  The experience has refreshed my memory on historical information, and it has also taught me about the guests that choose to come here.  Listening to their questions and their stories during the tour is really interesting.  It reminds me that each guest is different, and will take something different away from their experience at the museum.

An especially exciting tour occurred during the week of the Summer Institute.  As our group went from building to building, guests were sidetracked by displays of traditional crafts and other activities.  One craft, which we were told is called a "whirligig", really caught their attention.  It had them excited and talking for the rest of the morning!

Shadowing tours and other experiences have really taught me a lot.  I look forward to learning more by the end of the summer!

A Tour of Landis Valley's Flowering Trees and Shrubs

Guest Blog Entry by Shayla Carey.

“This is one of the most interesting plants that we have here,” says Dr. Irwin Richman on this exceptionally fine afternoon as we stroll the grounds of Landis Valley. We’ve stopped at the stout bush closest to the path that leads to the back of the Country Store from the parking lot. Burgundy-colored flowers that look like shredded paper teacups decorate an otherwise unremarkable plant. “Its common name is the “Sweet Smelling Shrub” [left] and it is a native of the Carolinas. It was probably introduced up here by the Moravians. “

He takes a branch and bends it my way. I bend over and take a whiff: my nose is almost assaulted by the smell of over-ripe apples. “It has a very nice aroma and an old Pennsylvania German custom was that women would tie it into a handkerchief as a scent.”

“It is sweet,” I say. “Do the young flowers smell better than the older ones?”

“When they’re fresher they have a stronger aroma.”

I lean over and try a younger flower. The apple smell definitely seems younger, more fresh. I like it.

This is one of the many types of flowering trees and shrubs that provide the backdrop for the interpretive buildings, animals, and people here. Enter the museum grounds in the springtime and see flowering cherry and dogwood trees grace the space around the Tavern. Beyond the Tavern, a trumpet vine climbs over the arbor. A tall smoke tree lends visual interest to the Crafts Barn. Walnuts line the pathway to the Log Farm where quinces, lilacs, and chestnuts bloom at different times in Spring. Stately hundred-year-old sycamores dominate the areas around the Brick Farmstead and the Landis Valley Hotel and roses climb fences in between.

We get questions about the plants at Landis Valley all of the time, and, since he is leading the upcoming Summer Institute tour, “Genius at Work: The Wharton Esherick Museum and Chanticleer Estate,” I thought I could tap Dr. Richman’s fountain of horticultural knowledge. And he doesn’t disappoint.

Below is a list of some of the many flowering shrubs and trees you may encounter:

Key:

• *In Flower
• **Already Flowered
• ^ Not Flowered Yet

Millstone Grove:

• Black Walnut**
• Flowering Cherry**
• Dogwood**
• Ginko [right] (not in bloom, but a very interesting tree, as the species is older than the dinosaurs)
• Buckeye** (a relative of the Chinese Chestnut with drooping, white flowers)
• Forsythia**
• Lilac (next to Tinsmith Shop)**
• Bayberry**
• Japanese Lilac**

Courtyard:

• Trumpet Vine^
• Broom Plant (a native of England and Scotland. It is not a bush, but as big as one and with pretty yellow flowers right now)*
• Smoke Tree (an American native)^

Crossroads:

• Maple**
• Sycamore (is just finishing up its bloom, then it’s huge leaves will come)*
• Mulberry (One between the Hotel and the Schoolhouse and one beside the Blacksmith Shop. Will produce tasty fruits later that resemble raspberries)**
• American Boxwoods (behind the Hotel)
• Grapevines (beside the Isaac Landis House)**
• Yucca (beside the Isaac Landis House)*
• White Hydrangea (beside the Isaac Landis House)
• Sweet Smelling Shrub (beside and behind the Country Store)*
• American Holly (in front of the Country Store)^
• Rose of Sharon (behind the Blacksmith Shop)**
• Japanese Red Maple (behind the Heirloom Seed House)**
• Magnolia**
• White Rose [above, right] (behind the Landis Brothers’ House)*
• Pink Rose (At gate to Landis Brothers’ House. Definitely smell this one!)*

Log Farm:

• Quince (a white-flowered tree that bears fruit so sweet early settlers made candy from it)**
• Walnut**
• Chinese Chestnut**
• Apples**
• Wineberry (A vine along the snake rail fence that will bloom later in the summer and provide a wonderfully tasting fruit similar to raspberries. Don’t touch, though, as it is absolutely covered in thorns!)^

Brick Farmstead:

• Sycamore (is just finishing up its bloom, then it’s huge leaves will come)*
• Chinese Chestnut**
• American Persimmon Tree (these flowers resemble the Sweet Smelling Shrub in appearance)*
• Peach (beside the pasture fence)**
• Rose (there are two of these bushes: one beside the Brick Garden and one beside the pasture)* 

I know that I can’t count them as shrubs, but my eye is naturally drawn to the peonies that partially line the old road to Reading. Their pale, cheery blooms hide such a sweet and wonderful fragrance that I can’t help but stop and smell them. Dr. Richman keeps going, though, as he heads to the old rose at the corner of the fence surrounding the Federal Barn’s pasture. This rose is the quintessential rose--headier than any rose I’ve ever smelled before and an absolute joy to be around. I can even share it with the bees that normally send me running.

Our feet take us to trees that have already flowered, too, with baby apples, walnuts, and grapes peeking out from nests of leaves. Quinces, apples and mulberries will provide fruit for hungry birds and small mammals.

“Actually,” Dr. Richman says as we leave the quince tree, “There was a time when quinces were more commonly grown than apples in America.”

“When did that change?” I ask.

“The changeover occurred in the late 18th and early 19th century,” he says. “It was discovered that apples could keep longer and, more importantly, they could be made into cider—hard cider.”

Later, Dr. Richman shows me the mulberry tree and sagely says with a smile, “It should be a chestnut.” He then quotes from “The Village Blacksmith” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:

Under the spreading chestnut tree

The village smithy stands;

The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands;

And the muscles of his brawny arms

Are strong as iron bands.

A tour with Dr. Richman is always enlightening and, with him, I’m starting to appreciate Landis Valley’s incredible scenery anew. It’ll never be just a background again.

The Mennonites of Landis Valley: An Interview with Museum Curator Jennifer Royer

A panel from the new exhibit,
"The Mennonite Faith in Landis Valley"

Perhaps you’ve noticed it as you’ve approached Landis Valley’s entrance:  the large brick building and picturesque cemetery neighboring the Visitor Center.  That is the Mennonite church at Landis Valley, today known as Landis Valley Christian Fellowship, and is the only house of worship ever built here.  Its history is closely intertwined with our museum’s:  Henry L. Landis, grandfather of the museum’s founders, helped get the land surveyed for the meetinghouse; the Landis family is buried there; land and buildings have been exchanged between the church and the museum; and the church makes and sells its famous chicken corn noodle soup every year at Herb and Garden Faire and Harvest Days.

Now the symbiotic relationship is on display in Landis Valley’s newest exhibit, “The Mennonite Faith in Landis Valley.”  Recently, Landis Valley curator Jennifer Royer sat down for an interview with the Valley Gazette, the museum's newsletter, to give visitors a taste of what to expect from this newest permanent exhibit, to be housed in half of the former “Sexton’s House” behind the Visitor Center.

Valley Gazette:  What sparked the idea for this particular exhibit?

Jennifer Royer:  There is a natural curiosity by visitors regarding the Mennonite faith and the Landis Valley Mennonite Church, which has been so important to the community.  The exhibit gives a brief overview of both areas and encourages further research and study if visitors are interested in more in-depth information.  Hopefully, this exhibit will answer some of the questions that visitors have and also encourage them to visit the cemetery and learn more about the church.

VG:  How long has the Mennonite Church been in Landis Valley? 

Royer:  In 1847 the church, then known at the Reading Road Mennonite Church, built the first central meetinghouse and cemetery in Landis Valley.  This church stood on the same side of the road as the cemetery.  A larger church was built in 1884 on the opposite side of the street.  The current church was built in 1928.

VG:  What customs particular to the Mennonite faith will the exhibit highlight?

Royer:  The exhibit will discuss the differences between the Amish and Mennonite faiths with regard to clothing, education, and technology.

VG:  How are Amish and Mennonites different from other groups of PA Germans? 

Royer:  I think the question is really how are the Amish and Mennonites different from each other, not other groups of Pennsylvania Germans.  It is assumed that all of the Amish and the Mennonites are the same, act the same way, and believe the same things.  This is not true.  The Mennonites are protestant Christians that share a belief system that is very similar to the Amish.  However, how each group interprets these beliefs and how they believe that they should be carried out is very different.  For instance, most people associate the Amish with their clothing.  The Amish have strict guidelines on clothing that encourage humility and ensures that clothing does not accentuate physical characteristics.  Mennonite clothing varies depending on how conservative a particular group is.  Some groups wear clothing similar to the Amish.  Mennonites of less conservative groups can wear anything that they wish.  You would not be able to pinpoint them as Mennonite based on their clothing.  This is just one difference between the Amish and the Mennonites.  They are a number of other ones.  Some of the differences are highlighted in the exhibit.

VG:  The Sexton’s House is really old.  Have we ever been able to date it?

Royer:  No one knows how old the original Sexton’s House, now the Harness Shop, is.  The building, however, is a German log house with timber frame facade, built in the tradition of a common Pennsylvania German dwelling.

In addition to seeing the exhibit, visitors are encouraged to wander around the adjacent cemetery and search for the Landis brothers and their family, among other notable Landis Valley residents such as Jacob Landis Sr., who was buried there in 1848. “The Mennonite Faith in Landis Valley” opened on Charter Day, March 10. 

Check out this video interview of Landis Valley Museum Director Jim Lewars, who talks about the exhibit opening on Charter Day.  Courtesy of Blue Ridge Cable News.

Dutch Ovens: Great For More Than Just Comfort Food

Guest blog entry by Shayla Carey

A pie is like any other animal: make it comfortable and, most of the time, it will do what you want it to do. I had always thought that in order to make a great pie, it should be in either a modern oven or a bake oven. Turns out, a pie can turn out just as good in a Dutch oven, too. One just has to know how to make it comfortable.

“Start off by making a good bed of coals for your oven to rest on,” says Susan Kelleher, one of Landis Valley’s interpretive staff, as she arranges a pile of wood in the far corner of the Tavern’s fireplace. She and fellow interpreter Tom Martin prefer sycamore and cherry, as they give off a nice smell. Walnut and elm are frowned upon, as they smoke. Tom strongly opposes the use of charcoal briquettes, as they give off an odor that blocks the taste of the food.

As I’ve taken the Open Hearth Cooking class at Summer Institute before, Susan trusts that I know how to make a pie from scratch (we did this a lot during the class and, I can say with all honesty, I am very comfortable with transferring the dough to the dish now). Visitors have just come in so she sends me to the back room to prepare my pie. I’m making a pumpkin pie today based on the recipe on the back of the Libby’s® solid pack pumpkin can; my only change is that I use pumpkin that I’ve baked and run through the food mill first, so I decrease the amount of condensed milk in the recipe. I prepare both filling and dough, roll said dough flat, and then, as I have just finished rolling my pie dough onto my pin, I stop. What type of dish do I put the pie in?

It turns out that I was right to question this part of the procedure; I should have questioned it before this point, though, to save me the hassle of keeping the dough from dropping off the pin as I dig out a dish. Susan points out that a clay or glass dish works best—do not use metal pie tins in the Dutch oven because your pie will scorch on the bottom. Good to note.

My pie is ready to bake at this point and I carefully bring it out in a beautiful redware dish. I can smell the spices and I can just imagine how it will taste when it’s done. Turns out, I should not have thought so far ahead. Susan smiles, stifles a laugh, and points out that I should have placed the dish into the oven before I poured the filling in. Also good to note for next time.

“Oh, well. It’s just all part of this cooking adventure,” I say to myself as I realize that I forgot to bring my oven mitts. Susan hands me a pair of leather squares like many tavern keepers used before oven mitts.

The Dutch oven, a 10-inch-wide cast-iron pot sitting on an iron trivet, rests on a bed of coals little wider than its bottom. It has a flat top to accommodate another layer of coals.

Carefully, I lift the Dutch oven from its bed and bring it away from the hot fireplace. Even more carefully, I slowly lower my pumpkin pie into the oven. I’m proud of myself. I only spilled a tiny bit and I didn’t burn myself. I replace the lid, pick up the oven, and set it back on the bed; it looks so comfy there.

“Now, put some coals on top,” Susan instructs. As I dig into her carefully tended fire, she says, “You keep the fire in the corner, pull some embers to put over and under the oven, and it cooks in much the same amount of time as a modern oven.” Okay, so it should be about 45 minutes for a pie this size.

“The coals on top help circulate the heat,” Susan says. “Pies need a high heat at first, so the embers on top help, but if you’re making a cake, don’t put a lot on top right away, or it won’t cook right.”

My pie rests comfortably on its bed of coals and so I can rest for a while, too. Susan informs me that this was a popular baking method, especially in colder weather when the heat used to bake would also heat the house a bit. Nowadays, the method is popular with campers, re-enactors, and the Boy Scouts of America.

As we talk, my eyes wander to the coals. Are they too cold? As if reading my thoughts and sensing that I’m getting overly eager, Susan cautions me to resist the urge to pull the embers away and replace them. They should be ready to change when not only do they not glow, but they also look dusty. Even that is not a perfect sign of cool embers, though, and Susan points out that it takes practice to be able to spot a bunch of dead coals.

Eventually, my patience pays off. Roughly 40 minutes later, I push the coals off the lid, lift it, and behold a beautiful little pie. Susan leans over and gently touches the top of the pie to test for doneness, feels resistance, and then gives me the go-ahead to take it out. This is much easier than putting it in, as I just reach in with my leather pot lifters and lift out my pie. It’s best to let it rest for a few hours before cutting it, so it will be ready to eat by tonight’s dinner. After wrapping the pie in a towel, I thank Susan profusely and then really thank her by cleaning up after myself before I leave.

Outside the Tavern, I lift the warm pie to my nose and savor this experience; it’s not every day your meal brings its own story to the table.

With the right fireplace or campfire and the right tools, anyone can do Dutch oven cooking. Both Susan and Tom recommend baking in a Dutch oven between 10” and 12” equipped with a flat top, a handle, and a trivet on the bottom. You can get them from the following Lancaster County retailers:

Leacock Coleman Center - Old Leacock Road, Ronks, PA 17572

Reading China & Glass - Rockvale Square Outlets, 35 S Willowdale Dr., Lancaster, PA 17602

Or from the following online retailers:

L.L. Bean

Camp Chef

Lodge

Redware pie plates are available at the Weathervane Museum Store. They are made by local craftspeople and are coated with a non-toxic finish, which makes them ideal for baking.

Baking pies in the Dutch oven opens up a whole new world of baking fun. For more information on Dutch oven cooking, check out the article, “Seven Secrets of Dutch Oven Cooking,” by Roger L. Beattie. Landis Valley’s Open Hearth Cooking class is coming up, too. For those who’ve taken the introductory course at Summer Institute, there are still some spaces left for the advanced course during Winter Institute. Click here for more information.

Memories of the Belsnickel

Of all of the merry Pennsylvania Christmas traditions, the Belsnickel is an oddity.  Literally “Nicholas in furs,” the character was an ill-tempered man who roamed the countryside, dressed in old clothes and furs, and terrorized the children in all houses he came across.  His personality and habits varied from region to region and, in some parts of Pennsylvania, he was many people at once as groups of Belsnickels would “trick or treat” amongst their neighbors, begging for some of the Christmas cookies baked in massive batches and playing tricks if not satisfied.

A few first-person accounts of Belsnickeling survive, mostly published as nostalgia pieces in newspapers or other publications in the early 20^th century.  One, in particular, is by Matthias Mengel, age 65 in 1895, and was first published on December 15, 1951, in “The Pennsylvania Dutchman,” Lancaster, PA.

“Particularly vivid in my memory is a Christmas eve when I was one of three or four lads who started out to act the “Belsnickel.”  Well, each of us boys carried a switch in his hand.  We dressed in the clothing we could find at home, tied handkerchiefs over our faces and filled our pockets with chestnuts and hickorynuts.  We went to the house of a neighbor where there were children, and expected to have some fun by frightening the children by our singular appearance, throwing the nuts on the floor, and belsing the children if they should pick up any of the nuts.  We tinkled our bells, entered the house and began jumping about and throwing nuts, when the head of the family, who was an old Amish, said very sternly, ‘I don’t believe in such foolishness, clear out!’ and we cleared.  You see that was an English and Amish neighborhood.  The English did not observe the German customs of Christmas and the Amish were a very plain people like the Quakers and had not festive occasions as had the Germans or other denominations in other sections of Berks, where Christmas especially was a season of feasting, merriment and general rejoicing.  We knew nothing of Santa Claus, rosy and plump, with twinkling eyes and furry dress making his aerial visitations in a sleigh drawn by reindeers at dead of night and silently, excepting the tinkling of his bells, which children are never awake at that time, for he comes only when they are asleep.”

Another account comes from pages 126-7 of volume one of The Passing Scene, a collection of books first published in 1982 that chronicle the history of Berks County.  “The Rev. Jacob Fry, D.D., a former pastor of Reading’s Trinity Lutheran Church, observed in an interview conducted some 70 years ago that when he was a boy living in the village of Trappe (Montgomery County) a Belsnickel, outfitted in ragamuffin clothes and an unpleasant mask, made his rounds on Christmas, tossing nuts and sweets within the reach of assembled youngsters.

“When the children attempted to gather them up, he’d rap their knuckles and “other parts” with a switch.  This character, common to many sections of Berks prior to 1900, was regarded with mixed emotions by the young folk—for obvious reasons.  Older kids, wise to the situation, took the whole routine good-naturedly,” the pastor continued.

photo courtesy of appalachianhistory.net

Belsnickeling traveled around the mid-atlantic region of the United States, with versions of the Belsnickel turning up in Baltimore, MD, and as far away as Indiana, where it seemed to morph into trick or treating in reverse.  According to the December 11, 1909 edition of the Jasper Weekly Courier, as quoted by Ruth Reichman in the Indiana German Heritage Society Newsletter, “Saturday night was ‘Belschnickle’ night and was observed by a large number of Jasper youngsters, who with their masks and odd makeups furnished amusement for those at home who did not venture out.  This is an ancient custom of the ‘old country’ but is still observed annually by the little folks in Jasper, who have great fun on this occasion.  Jasper is probably one of a very few places in which this custom is still observed.”

This early precursor to the custom of trick or treating is recorded by Hon. A. G. Seyfert in the December 25, 1932 edition of the Lancaster Sunday News, in his article, “A Rural Christmas Many Years Ago.”

“Belsnickel is the Pennsylvania German for Kris Kringle, or Santa Claus.  I do not know if he still exists as a character feature of Christmas time, as he did when I was a lad, or not.  Two or three young chaps dressed in the most disreputable garments, with their faces blacked, a big stick in their handle, and with pockets full of nuts and candy, would roam from house to house on Christmas eve.

“They were the terror of the children and the dogs, and their mischievous fun-making was not a welcome Christmas eve entertainment in many house-holds.  Their unannounced calls were made in a rude manner many times, and the irate housewife would brush them out with a broom.  This was great fun for the ‘Belsnickel,’ and he usually thought it a joke, unless hit hard enough to make a mark by which he was identified as one of the mischief-makers.”

Neither Henry Landis (father or son) left a written record of Christmas traditions in their household, which is a shame, but it does give Landis Valley the leeway to represent the Belsnickel in a more general way that gives our visitors a good idea of the Belsnickel custom.

Your family can meet the Belsnickel at our Country Christmas Village, to be held on Saturdays, December 1 & 8, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays, December 2 & 9, from noon to 4 p.m.  He has a mean word for everyone and scares villagers with his switch, but his cold heart melts for children and he has candy especially for them.  The tavern-keepers buy him off with cookies, which they also share with visitors, along with hot cocoa.

The Belsnickel also makes an appearance at our “Days of the Belsnickel” lunch and dinner tours.  Back by popular demand, these tours give you the chance to tour the decorated village, learn about the Pennsylvania German Christmas customs from costumed guides, shop for unique Christmas gifts at our Weathervane Museum Store, and have a turkey dinner with all the trimmings in our historic 1856 Landis Valley House Hotel.

Dinner:
Wednesday, December 5
5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost for event: $36.50 per person (inclusive).

Lunch:
Saturday, December 8
11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost for event: $32.50 per person (inclusive).

Pre-registration is required. To make a reservation for individuals for either of the two dates of Dec 5th or 8th (lunch program), please contact Jamie at 581-0590 or c-jschurin@pa.gov, Tuesday – Friday.

Restoration VS Conservation

Finally, the banjo is back!

My banjo, my circa-1796 violin, and a western-themed painting stored in my house were the last items that were conserved with insurance money from a 1993 fire that damaged my family home. Set by an arsonist, the fire started outside the library, burned the back of the clapboard building and spread up the second floor to the attic. It caused an estimated $80,000 to $100,000 worth of damage.

Thankfully, the firefighters who rescued the house were very sensitive to the history of the structure, keeping damage to a minimum and carrying artifacts stored in the upstairs rooms out before they could burn as well. Repairs to the house were extensive and ongoing until 2001, when it was re-opened to the public. Some of the smoke damage can be seen upstairs today (right).

The objects’ return raises another question, though. The building was restored and the objects were conserved. What is the difference?

“Conservation focuses on stabilizing and preserving historic artifacts,” says curator Jennifer Royer. “Conservators take preventative measures to inhibit ongoing or future deterioration. They use methods and materials that do not adversely affect the original materials.”



The banjo before conservation.  Notice that strings are broken
and the bridge is missing.



My banjo’s finish remained intact, though a few of the strings and the bridge needed to be replaced, the tears in the skin head part needed to be mended, and corrosion needed to be removed. What makes this conservation versus restoration is that these changes can be undone or re-done, if the need arises. The changes bring the piece, with all of the customizations it’s undergone over the years, back to a better condition that makes it exhibit-able—though not necessarily play-able. Because the bridge sits on skin that has been repaired and not replaced, when the banjo is in storage, the bridge will rest on its side, relieving the pressure on the torn skin and the pegs that the strings are attached to. When it is exhibited, it will look like it did on the last day I set it down--scuff marks and all.



The banjo after its conservation.
Notice the bridge resting on its side to relieve tension
and pressure on the strings and the skin.

 Restoration, though, is another story.

“Restoration focuses on returning an object to its original state,” says Royer. “Restorers are not concerned with changes that have occurred over the years.”

For example, Rick’s Restorations, a family-owned shop featured on the television show, “American Restoration,” will take a bicycle and sand-blast all of the old paint and finish off of it, bang any dents out, re-spoke it, and then paint it to look like new. The owner can then ride the bicycle around town and not worry about destroying it.

This is the type of thing that my house needed. Obviously, the building could not withstand the effects of weather and time without being restored, so it had to be done. New lathes, plaster, siding, wallpaper and paint will ensure that the building will be around for a long time to come.



The conserved circa-1796 violin


To those who know the house inside and out, it’s not like the fire never happened. Some good did come of it, though, as it allowed the museum to conserve valuable artifacts that might otherwise have had to wait for funds and/or opportunity to come along. My museum is in good hands and I’m just glad that my banjo is safe at home at last.