Museum Memo

Hello from the Great Bend Museum in Ravenswood!

We were founded in 1972 by the Jackson County Historical Society to share the history of our county and the Ohio River’s Great Bend region with objects, photographs, and archives. In 2020, the Historical Society gave the museum and collection to the City of Ravenswood to carry on its mission of preserving and promoting county history.

In February, our Oral History Training shared the tools and techniques for collecting oral histories. If you know someone with a remarkable story that needs sharing, contact us for a FREE Oral History Kit and help us preserve our collective history! We also hosted a free Photo Scanning Day. We’re very grateful to Christine Carter for sharing her family photos of the Lockheart area. On April 6, we partnered with Main Street Ripley to host a History Alive portrayal of Frances Perkins, the first female cabinet secretary and longest-serving Secretary of Labor, who was instrumental in FDR’s New Deal programming. Our Facebook serial continues to track the Civil War diary entries of Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr, daughter of Ravenswood’s town founders. If you want to follow Henrietta’s experiences throughout the War, follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/greatbendmuseum.

We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to the eleven volunteers who helped us prepare the museum for last week’s flood: Kip and Greg Price, John Peyton, Buddy Jones, Janie and Gary Singleton, Brandy Strobbe, Brad McCoy, and Jess, Juliet, Jazzy, and Jeremy Wooten. Our basement is a vital work area and where we store many artifacts, archives, and records. In a busy two hours, we moved the contents of three rooms upstairs to safety. Fortunately, the water never reached the museum, but we were ready for it, and we’ll be even more prepared next time. Thank you to everyone who came to help out and those who offered future assistance: your dedication, hard work, and selflessness are truly remarkable, and we are so grateful for your support.

We’re hosting a Mother’s Day Tea on Saturday, May 5, at the Riverfront Park shelter by the Museum. Treat your mom to a lovely springtime tea in the park, with delicious catering by Ravenswood’s Magnolia Bakery and Café. We’ll even have a special demonstration by costume historian Jeanette Watts: “What’s Under There? Demystifying Victorian Fashion.” The $25 ticket covers refreshments, the presentation, and a behind-the-scenes tour of the museum’s Victorian clothing collection. You can purchase tickets online at https://bit.ly/GBM-mothers-day-tea.

Thank you to everyone who donated items to the museum last month!

Philip Miles gave a Kaiser Aluminum can from the 1989 “Can and Can End” Seminar. The sons of Janet Kestner Ball gave a 1960s Ripley City Hotel register. Charla Haynes Cobb gave two photos of the Ohio

River frozen over in 1939. Phyllis Fox loaned a framed certificate of the Ohio Valley College of Commerce for scanning, given to Jesse Agnes Brown in 1902. If you have anything you’d like to donate, reach out! We collect all kinds of things — objects, photos, and archives — from all over Jackson County.

We are seeking archives relating to Kaiser Aluminum for a documentary about Kaiser’s impact and legacy here. We are also looking for information and photos relating to the old Jackson County Poor Farm at the current County Fairgrounds. Lastly, we are seeking items, pictures, or memories of Clara Weisheit (1885-1965). She was an avid Ravenswood photographer between about 1918 and 1940. Her photos meticulously document her activities, community, and extensive travels, offering wonderful insights into Ravenswood at that time. We are planning an exhibit about her extraordinary life, but we need your help to make it happen! Please reach out if you have anything to share.

Our object of the month is a plate from the 1954 $5 Banquet, which hosted B&O Railroad President Howard E. Simpson as speaker. The $5 Banquet emerged in 1948 as a novel solution to fundraise for Ravenswood’s struggling schools. It charged $5 per participant, whether attendee, cook, waiter, or speaker – about $65 today! The event’s success was remarkable, funding various school needs and attracting attention from influential figures like Howard Simpson, Governor Okey Patterson, and Henry J. Kaiser. Ravenswood’s Trenle Blake China Co. produced custom dishes for the event, which participants took home as souvenirs.

We hope this column has inspired you to explore, learn, and appreciate the beauty of our museum’s offerings. We are a museum of all of Jackson County, for all of Jackson County. Please share your experiences with us, bring your friends, and help us spread the magic of our history.

Located at 220 Riverfront Park, the museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Follow it on Facebook, visit www.cityofravenswood/museum, call 304-273-1999, or email museum@cityofravenswood.com.