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.

Last weekend, we hosted a new History Alive character — Thomas Ingles. Thomas was the son of Mary Ingles, made famous by the novel “Follow the River.” When Mary escaped captivity, Thomas stayed behind and was raised as a Shawnee boy. As a teenager, he returned to his white family and later participated in several frontier skirmishes, including the Battle of Point Pleasant. With over 40 attendees, this performance had a record attendance!

This summer, we’ll have several hands-on historical activities at the Sayre Log House. On June 15, learn how looms work and weave your own potholder. On June 29, we will be churning butter, and on July 20, we will make ice cream! These activities are best for kids six and up. The Log House will be open Saturday afternoons all summer.

Our Facebook serial continues to share the Civil War diary entries of Henrietta Fitzhugh Barr, daughter of Ravenswood’s town founders. To follow Henrietta’s experiences throughout the War, visit us on Facebook at facebook.com/greatbendmuseum.

Thank you to everyone who donated items to the museum last month! Janey and Gary Singleton offered a board from the flatboat on which the DeBussey family arrived near Sherman in the 1830s. Judy Harris Walker gave some vintage commemorative advertising fans. 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.

Our Object of the Month is an 1895 wedding dress. Anna Stairs (1870-1958) married Elmer McKinley (1863-1939) in an elaborate, expensive wedding in Ravenswood on June 5, 1895. Anna was the granddaughter of the influential Judge Robert Shelley Brown, and Elmer was a clerk at the McKinley Security Company Bank. They had two daughters and lived together until February 1915. Then, they separated due to Elmer’s well-known struggle with alcohol. His bank also closed that spring “on account of certain irregularities,” and he was soon after committed to the Spencer Asylum, where he later died. A divorce was granted on April 7, 1923, and Anna retained all her assets, having signed a prenuptial agreement prior to the wedding. She never remarried and raised their two daughters on her own.

We are seeking information about other items of historical clothing in our collection. Many of the old records for hundreds of clothing items are lost/missing, and we need information to tell these items’ stories. If you or someone you know gave an article of clothing or an accessory to the museum at some point, please reach out to us so we can verify our information and update our records. We have so many stunning dresses, accessories, and uniforms that deserve to be displayed and have their wearers’ stories told.

We’ll have a booth for the first time at the Mountain State Art and Craft Fair this year, but we desperately need volunteers to help us run it! It will be located inside (with AC and handicap accessibility) and we’ll provide admission, food, and training. The booth will have several items from our collection to show, including the recently restored 1796 map of this region. We’re so excited to share our history with Fair visitors this year, but we can’t do it without your help!

We are also 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, photos, 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, and offer 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.

We hope this column has inspired you to explore, learn, and appreciate the beauty of our museum’s offerings. We are a museum for all of Jackson County. 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 on Facebook, visit www.cityofravenswood/museum, call 304-273-1999, or email museum@cityofravenswood.com.