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This past week at the museum I have continued to accesion new items into the archives. The collection that I have been processing was from a famous Artist/Naturalist from Salem named Grace Smyth. Within this collection there is a plethora of different pieces such as artwork, but also a large amount of rocks and other pieces of nature. However because this collection is so big, the museum is considering the possibility of sending some items to the Museum of Natural History in Roanoke. This collection is important to Salem largely because she would coordinate school programs to come to her house in order to see the rare rocks and other pieces of nature that otherwise most students would never see as there wasn’t a museum that had this in the area as the head director of the museum, Fran has told me.

Another piece that I found quite interesting that has come into the museum, is a set of maps that a map maker from Salem gifted to the Museum. These maps were originally surveyed in 1892 however reprinted in the 1920s, one of the coolest things I found is that you can put them side by side and it will eventually show all of Virginia as a whole and the height and topography of the land. These maps will go into the libraries’s archives but I hope we may work with the older maps once again. As for skills that I have learned this past week I believe it isn’t exactly new to me but more or less a refresher as I haven’t read a map since in high school.

 

 

 

After the past few weeks at Salem Museum, I can still say that I am happy with the experience thus far. As for the staff and my interactions with them individually I can say that I have gotten to know them very well, as well as learned new knowledge from them.

One of the most recent task that I have been given is correcting the present exhibits that are in the museum. These corrections and edits consist of checking for spelling, as well as possibly lowering a picture or raising it in order to insure that those who come through the museum can take the exhibits in throughly.

Another task that I have been practicing is the continuation of accessioning new items into the museums archives. One piece of knowledge that I have gained from this task is to always be sure what the item is that I am accessioning. That meaning that even if it takes longer to put the item into the museums system, it is better to be sure of the exact history of the items.

 

 

 

 

After these first two or three weeks at the Salem Museum I couldn’t be happier with the skills and knowledge that I have obtained. However on an even greater note the exhibit that Alex and myself have been working on was completed and is now open to the public (see attached pictures of the exhibit opening). The exhibits main objective is to give an overview of the history of oldest homes in Salem. One being Old Castle which is no longer standing after a horrendous fire, the other is Preston Place which is the oldest home in Salem.

The family history that comes with the Old Castle exhibit is very vast, and quite amazing to myself that the museum was able to obtain some of the pieces from the house. The Griffith family was one that reaches back very far into Salem history, however one of my favorite portions of the history is the fighting Griffiths which consisted of the four of the nine children during the Civil War era. The brothers were all in different regiments however when they all went to fight for the confederacy they all brought back different stories. Charles Griffith’s calvary sword as well as a black powder pistol that he was said to have taken from the battle field are also featured in the exhibit which may be my favorite case.

As for Preston’s Place the houses history reaches all the way back to the “Great Road” which went all throughout the new states in the 1800s. It is said that some very important players in the establishment of the states had stayed at the house however it is hard to clarify if true or not. As for the future of Preston’s Place it will be leased to a business from Botetourt called the White Oak Tea Tavern, which I actually have close ties with considering the owner is a close friend of my family. What a small world right?

In the coming days I will continue to work on the PastPerfect software and the accessioning of historical pieces.

 

The start of my internship has been a productive one thus far. My supervisor is Alex Burke and so far he has taught me a gargantuan amount skills, such as using the PastPerfect archival software. The PastPerfect software is used by many different museums as it is possibly one of the most effective so I am told. Although a majority of it is is on the computer, one must fill out 2 or 3 separate sheets that give detail as to what the object is and its characteristics. I found it to be difficult sometimes because often people drop off items without giving details, which makes it more difficult to construct an accurate accession.

Another task that I have been fulfilling is helping create and exhibit on some of the oldest houses in Salem. One of the houses known as Preston Place is the 4th known oldest building in the Roanoke Valley. With this house I have researched the line of people that have lived in the house as well as owned the property. Another house that I have been doing research on is called Old Castle, which was one of the most ornate houses in Salem that contained so much history. Unfortunately Old Castle burned down in a freak accident in the mid 20th century, however there is a plethora of artifacts that were saved from the fire which the museum has been fortunate enough to have obtained. Some of the artifacts were such things as a mirror as well as a Union Calvary sword as well as a Black Powder revolver, which were given on loan from a member of the Salem Historical society.

As for my first weeks at the Salem Museum, I have really enjoyed the time that I have spent thus far there. I mostly enjoy it because I am so use to the history of my hometown, so learning a deeper history of Salem is essentially a whole new world. I look forward to continuing the internship for the rest of the semester.