Shane Clarke

In my last few weeks at the museum I have started a research project, helped with various mailings, and helped with various research tasks.

The project I am working on is the history of transportation in Salem and how it has affected the town.  As of now I have completed the bulk of my research and I will be working on this throughout the semester.  I believe that once I am finished it will either be included in the monthly newsletter or a on the Facebook page.

I also aided with filling the envelopes for the monthly newsletter.  Nothing too interesting but it is a vital part of keeping the museum running.  I have also aided with other various tasks regarding the mail.

The other research I completed was a general overview of any information about the Old Hinchee Country Store that was once located in Hanging Rock.  On a typical day at the museum I was given the task of finding any and all information on the store; a reporter from the paper wanted to do an article on the store.  I spent roughly an hour scrounging through the archives and I was able to find a little information that I was able to send on to the reporter.  I’m not really sure why the reporter did this but I also got a mention in the article itself!

While the last weeks of my time at the museum are coming to a close I am still trying to learn all that I can.  The previous three months have been a great learning experience that I will always remember fondly.

It’s been a very busy time the past few weeks here at the Salem Museum: we premiered a new exhibit, we held a camp for young historians, and I’ve also began and completed a couple of projects!

The premiere for the Grace Smyth exhibit was a great success.  We had a huge turnout and everyone enjoyed her art and what it meant to them.  Many of the people present personally knew Ms. Smyth and spent the night talking about the great times they had with her.  Apparently she was a great influence in the community by getting kids involved in the arts as well as using her travels, she enjoyed travelling the world, to educate people on other cultures.

After this we held a Young Historian’s camp for the week.  From Monday until Friday we taught twelve kids some of the basics of being a historian as well as other fun activities.  We were also lucky enough to have some Civil War reenactors come down and teach the kids about the life of a soldier.  The kids also learned skills that I didn’t even learn until college.  We taught them the difference between primary and secondary sources as well as how to write with a quill pen.  The kids even brought in some personal belongings in order to to create their own museum exhibit; unfortunately I forgot to snap a picture of it.  It was a great experience for the kids and the museum and hopefully the camp will continue next year.

Other than that I have been assisting with various things around the museum.  I have cataloged various newsletters that the museum has received, deconstructed and labelled old picture frames, and several other small tasks.  Overall I am extremely happy to be interning with the museum.

Much has happened over the past few weeks at the museum.  Over the course of these two weeks I have helped set up a floors worth of exhibits, learned to catalog items, and assisted in various other tasks for the museum.

The exhibit I helped set up is that of Grace Smyth, a prominent artist born in Salem.  A majority of the works on display were given on loan from various citizens of the town.  We also had quite the break as Ms. Smyth’s niece and her husband drove down from Kentucky in order to drop off several pieces of work.  They brought in several paintings, ceramic sculptures, and even a replica Japanese house.  One of these ceramic sculptures was that of a teenage black girl.  While examining this piece we were able to find the identity of the girl.  While the person whose likeness was used has since passed on we were able to find her younger sister who came into the museum to view it (pictured below).  It was a moving experience to witness someone connect to her past such as this; she even stated that it looked exactly as her sister had.

I also learned how to access and enter information into the museum database.  I never realized how much information is required for even the smallest of objects.  I have also learned to appreciate the organization that the database provides when looking for materials; it beats aimlessly looking for something.

I have also completed other various tasks around the museum: I helped organize costumes for the kids that will be attending the camp that the museum is hosting, I learned how to do minor repairs to picture frames, and I also had the prestigious honor of labeling and filling the envelopes for our monthly newsletter.

Overall I am really enjoying my time at the Salem Museum.  It feels how a town museum should, friendly and warm.  The people who visit museum are also a great part of the experience as they are always friendly.  I am extremely pleased with learning the basics of public history while helping out this great museum.

 

I began my time at the Salem Museum on the 1st and I have been enjoying every moment.  Since I’ve began I have not really started any major projects although I have begun minor ones.  I have been working on creating spreadsheets for a collection of papers of former Virginia Speaker of the House J. Sinclair Brown as well as beginning to transcribe an old civil war diary.  Other than that I generally help with setting up the displays.

I really enjoying working here as it is my first experience in public history.  While I have always had an interest in museums my course load has made it difficult for me to explore these interests the previous three years; this serves as an excellent opportunity.  While I am currently working on the projects I’ve described above i also have a few more potential projects to work on; as well as a summer camp to aid the museum with.  I look forward to what the future holds.