Secret Lives of Artifacts is a deep dive into the hidden story behind each artifact. What story do these artifacts hold? Featured below are four artifacts found to have secret lives. Stop by and learn about the lives of our artifacts.
Mae was first elected to the position of County Superintendent of schools in 1918, a position she held for over 50 years. In her position of Superintendent of schools, Mae supervised over 70 schools. She tried to visit each school once or twice a year. At first, she traveled to the schools by horse and buggy or sled. Mae's traveling became easier when she started making her trips in a car. Mae was known for driving fast. Once a person followed her and clocked her going almost 90 mph down the middle of the road.
Mae officially retired in 1971; however, she worked two more years without pay, as she felt that there were not enough rural schools left in the county to merit a salary. After she retired, Mae traveled to many different countries around the world. While traveling, Mae took photos and would make slide presentations for schools, nursing home and church events. She would also bring back hats from the countries that she visited.
This radiant silk crepe de chine dress offers us a blend of soft texture and slightly shiny, elegant look. The soft drape is ideal for a flowing, lightweight evening dress. This material was used for high fashion items back in the 1920’s.
The Buckboard Whip was published monthly at Camp Buckboard, Company 2705, CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps). It has short stories about what’s happening in the state and the camp, it had jokes, and advertising when a dentist or a doctor was coming to camp. It was a fun little newspaper to have.
No-dial phones often called ring down phones are early twentieth century communication devices that would connect directly to an operator, requiring no user dialing. This phone was in Walter Krolop’s house.