Protecting Family Heirlooms and How It Relates to Museums

The words Family Heirloom bring to mind many of our family treasures, which can be found in numerous museums all around the world or as close to home as in the closet or attic never on display. One of the most priceless family heirlooms are family photograph collections. Photographs are very important not only to museums, institutions, but also family researchers. A photograph opens up a new world to explore for a researcher or a writer. I have really enjoyed my course this semester Your Family in History at Pittsburg State University. Our instructor builds his curriculum for the course to get you out of normal habits of viewing family history and pushing you to think deeper and pursue more than just the bare minimum details of writing and organizing your family history.

Family Histories are an excellent additions to any museum. They open up so much possibilities for exhibitions and research. I have been working on my family history since 2007. It has been an excellent experience for me to step back and organize who I am and where I come from?

We have been learning how to compile stories this semester and collecting the information to build those stories into family treasures that future generations will treasure for years to come. I have had great inspiration and resources to build my stories. I was fortunate to know my great-great grandmother, Rosa Ann (HULL) Logue, five great-grandparents: Ezra Everett and Nella Lorean (Moppin) Boyd, Jay Edison and Loraine Lucille (NEAL) Logue, and Marjorie Ernestine (ENGLAND) Brock, and my grandparents: Howard Lee and Joyce Ann (LOGUE) Boyd and Arthur A. and M. Fayrene (BROCK) Morgan. I have had my parents: Stephen Howard and Susan Elaine (MORGAN) Boyd and sister and brother-in-law: Antonio and Holly L. (BOYD) Martinez My great-grandparents: Frank Edgar and Alma America (WRIGHT) Morgan and John Herman "Pete" Brock passed away before I was born, but have been a great inspiration for me in my writing and compiling of my family history.

I have a few of my family photographs included in this blog:

My great-grandparents: Ezra Everett and Nella Lorean (Moppin) Boyd at their home in Wesley, Ark. Taken around 2002. We were visiting them from Oklahoma. 

My great-grandparents: John Herman "Pete" and Marjorie E. (England) Brock at their home in Afton, OK. Taken around 1977. 

My grandparents: Arthur A. and M. Fayrene (Brock) Morgan on their wedding day at First Baptist Church in Afton, OK. on January 24, 1954. They just celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in January 2014. 

My great-grandmother: Loraine Lucille (Neal) Logue. This was her Senior Portrait Picture. She graduated with the Huntsville (Ark.) High School Class of 1942. 

My great-great-great grandparents: David and Martha Susan (ELKINS) McCarver at their home in Wesley, Ark. Taken c. 1920s. 

Afton Poultry Swap at Afton, OK. My family has owned and operated the Poultry Swap with three generations of my family. We opened the swap on May 20, 1987 and has grown immensely since that day. Shoppers, Buyers, and Sellers from all around the OK-MO-KS-AR Four State Area enjoy traveling to the swap on Third Weekends and Holiday Weekends. 

Family Holiday picture taken last year with my parents Stephen and Susan (Morgan) Boyd and my sister and brother-in-law: Antonio and Holly (Boyd) Martinez and Jordan Boyd. From Left to Right: Stephen, Susan, Holly, Jordan, and Antonio. We were at the Phoenix Zoo for the Zoo Lights Display the night of Thanksgiving. 

My great-great grandparents Grover Cleveland and Bessie Ottie (Nash) England at a Gilpin Family Reunion that was Grandma Bessie's mother's family, Annie Elizabeth (Gilpin) Nash. The photo was taken at my great-grandparent's home at Afton ,Ok in 1980. 

Jordan Boyd, Betty (Claypool) Logue, Derrel Beard and Ruth (Logue) Beard. Taken at Derrel and Ruth's home at Springdale, Arkansas in May 2011. Betty was visiting from California. Betty was married to Dewey Logue who was  a brother to my great-grandpa Jay Logue and Ruth is Uncle Dewey and Papaw Jay's sister. They also had three other brothers: Nolan, Ray, and Kenneth. 

My great-grandparents: Frank Edgar and Alma America (Wright) Morgan at their home. 

My great-grandparents: Jay Edison and Loraine Lucille (Neal) Logue with their son Loy C. Logue. This picture was taken in 1973 for the 100th Anniversary of the Drakes Creek Baptist Church at Drakestown, Ark. 

These are just an assortment of some of the pictures that make up my collection. I have thousands of photographs. It is important to scan and protect all photographs in some type of archival sleeve or book, that does not omit gasses or acid residue. Polypropylene or Polyethylene are preferable products to use. A great measure is to always have different sets of back up for your collections. An important step to work towards scanning your collections and preserving the originals. 

My next blog will cover more on how to preserve and care for artifacts. 

This Blog Post is in Memory of My Great-Grandparents: 

Ezra Everett Boyd (1918-2011) 

Nella Lorean (MOPPIN) Boyd (1924-2007) 

Jay Edison Logue (1923-1994) 

Loraine Lucille (NEAL) Logue (1923-2009) 

Frank Edgar Morgan (1909-1983) 

Alma America (WRIGHT) Morgan (1912-1983) 

John Herman "Pete" Brock (1911-1979) 

Marjorie Ernestine (ENGLAND) Brock (1915-2003) 

My Great-Great Grandparents: 

Howard Douglas Boyd (1890-1960) 

Delphia Mae (WORLEY) Boyd (1892-1955) 

Charles Wilmoth Moppin (1885-1945) 

Bertha Maheley (WHITE) Moppin (1891-1975) 

Elliott Oliver Logue (1892-1977) 

Rosa Ann (HULL) Logue (1900-1994) 

Rosco Floyd Neal (1888-1971) 

Beulah Lee (McCarver) Neal (1892-1972) 

Arthur Edgar Morgan (1874-1938) 

Elsie Agnus (Wilcox) Morgan (1893-1971) 

Albert Sidney Wright (1870-1955) 

Laura Lee (POE) Wright (1879-1950) 

William Franklin "Bill" Brock (1873-1940) 

Cassie Ann (TANNER) Brock (1874-1950) 

Grover Cleveland England (1893-1981) 

Bessie Ottie (NASH) England (1894-1983) 

They have given me great inspiration to collect their stories and preserve our family history to share with future generations. 

Special Exhibits

Special Exhibits are another way museums can connect to their patrons. One example is recently a collection was put up at the Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas by a local JFK collector. Mr. Louis Nicoletti had been a collector of JFK memorabilia for many decades and was very excited to have his collection on display at Franklin right down the road from where he grew up in Arma, Kansas. Special Exhibits do not have to meet the mission always for a museum. The reason being they are usually loaned to a museum on a temporary basis. The Miners Hall Museum is a museum which works to preserve the rich mining history of Southeast Kansas. Mr. Nicoletti's family was involved in mining and he had a some items to donate to the mining section of the museum. It was a wonderful collection for the museum to display with the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy approaching on November 22, 2013. Mr. Louis Nicoletti was tragically taken from us on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 as the result of a traffic accident, but his legend will live on in Southeast Kansas. We are so very fortunate to have known Louie while he was here. Anyone wishing to see the collection of President John F. Kennedy will still be able to view it through the end of the year.   

 Items of Louis Nicoletti's on display at Miners Hall Museum. 

A hat on display at Miners Hall Museum. It belonged to Louie's Father-in-law, Ted Skahan, who meet Kennedy at the Joplin Airport and handed him this hat in 1962. 

 Area residents have also contributed other items on display at the museum for the week of JFK celebration in late November to compliment Mr. Nicoletti's collection. 

I know all of the board members and staff at the Miners Hall Museum are very blessed to have known Mr. Louis Nicoletti. He was truly an asset to our museum and leaves behind numerous family members and friends who loved him dearly. All thoughts and prayers go out to the Nicoletti family. 

This blog post is in Memory of Louis Nicoletti (1923-2013). 

Maintaining Museum Galleries and Artifacts

There are numerous tasks, that go into maintaining a museum and the collections within it. The work is continuing with acquiring new collections, exhibiting collections, storing collections, and preserving collections. There are many questions to be asked when a museum acquires a new collection. Does this collection represent our mission? Do we have space and resources to properly care for this collection? Is it damaged? Is there more items to be collected, which could compliment or enhance this collection?

Most museums do have Collections Committee to oversee the incoming of artifacts and collections, which is where most of the initial questions are asked to see if this fits the museums mission and ability to care for the collection. It goes through a final process before it officially becomes property of the museum, which is being approved by the Board of Directors. Once a museum or institution owns a collection there are some areas of preservation that need to dealt with by the Preservation or Collections Care Committee.

These are some steps and processes that are dealt with by the Preservation/Collections Care Committee:
1) Condition of Collection Overall and piece by piece
2) Environmental Controls (Temperature/Lighting)
3) Proper Documentation and Paperwork of the Collection.
4) Storage Capacity

Porcelain Decanter donated to Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas. 

Books donated to Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas. 

Diploma donated to Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas. 

The items above just show a variety of items that have been donated in the past few months to the Miners Hall Museum in Franklin, Kansas.

The first step to take into account is the overall time spent if something needs restored or conditioned for a collection. I am not talking about physically changing the artifact, but making sure it is able to withstand and hold up for future exhibition/storage. Museums should not always have items on display either. It does more damage than good to the artifacts within a collection. There are also needs to be a rotation within a museum of how collections and exhibits move from storage to display. The patrons visiting the museums want to see new displays and most recent collections. Some artifacts deteriorate with constant exposure to light and air. It is preferable to keep temperature within a museum between 68 and 72 degrees. There needs to as minimal fluctuation in temperature as possible to reduce in damage to an artifact. It is just like the human body adjusts to temperatures, so do artifacts. Anything like fabric, books, tools, furniture, etc. it compress in cold weather/air and expand in hot weather/air. It is extremely important to monitor controls in galleries or storage spaces. If you have a priceless, old family bible,  family photo albums, Grandpa's fiddle, or any other family heirloom; you may want to think about where you store it. It will eventually deteriorate over time if it is left in an attic, storage shed (with temperature/humidity controls), or basements all year round. Another important condition is to keep artifacts away from any contact with direct sunlight as it will harm and fade artifacts over time if not with a matter of hours depending on the artifact.

A museum cannot always accommodate all donors collections into their facilities collections. All museums run into the continuing issue of collections storage. This is why it crucial for the Collections Committee to ask do we have enough space to appropriately care for this collection? This is why so many museums truly benefit from the generosity of donors. Museums always have to be focused on the future and scoping how much they accession (items acquired to their permanent collection) in a given year or time period. It is crucial for them to assess the storage facilities they could possibly need to care properly for all collections. No one item is the same and ever category of item differs on how to care for the items properly. A book needs total different care than a quilt. There are also tools and containers used by museums to properly store artifacts in the best manner possible for future generations to enjoy. Many museums budgets do not allow them to properly buy all they need to operate their museums, which is why donor fund are always greatly appreciated, so museums may be enjoyed for future generations.

There is also special considerations for museums which accept items for outdoor displays. Museums have to take many conditions into consideration when trying to accept items for outdoor display. There needs be a level place outside for the artifact(s) or item(s) to be permanently placed, how will be protected from weather, and what maintenance costs will there be overtime.

A Miner's House was donated to Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas in November 2012. 

Miners Hall Museum at Franklin, Kansas

The Miners Hall Museum Foundation was founded in 2011 and the museum held its grand opening on May 1, 2012. The museum has vastly grown since that day with a massive collection and has hosted numerous temporary exhibits in its first couple years of operation at the Franklin Community Center in Franklin, Kansas. The small community of Franklin was struck by an EF4 tornado at 5:13 p.m. on May 4, 2003. Anytime a natural disaster strikes a community it takes awhile to get the community back and operational, but the community Franklin bounced back that a lot of larger cities who have been through natural disaster. Franklin, Kansas is quite a community with strong love and support and show anything is possible if you believe and put your time and effort into the project. In ten years after this natural disaster I don't think the town would ever imagine what happened to them next. In 2011, the Miners Hall Museum Foundation received notification they would be hosting a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit in 2013. From May 11-June 23, 2013, the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit: The Way We Worked was on site with a companion exhibit from the Big Brutus Museum at West Mineral, Kansas. The museum had over 6,000 visitors in 6 weeks from 38 states and 5 countries!!

"The Way We Worked" Exhibit at Miners Hall Museum 

The United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Union Hall in Franklin, Kansas sat were the Miners Hall Museum is today. The Union Hall has been gone for many years now. This land has a lot of history to tell as it is not only important to Franklin, but Crawford County, Southeast Kansas, the State of Kansas, and the United States. The location of the Union Hall in Franklin was where the Amazon Army organized in December 1921. This was a group of women who were daughters, mothers, wives, cousins, grandmothers, sweethearts, fiancés, friends... of coal miners who joined in the protests against the unfair labor practices and laws being implemented in the Southeast Kansas coalfields. They made newspapers all across the state and the nation.

Photograph Union Hall at Franklin, Kansas 

North Side of Miners Hall Museum Main Gallery 

West Side of Miners Hall Museum Main Gallery

This museum has quite a story to tell and what a story it is for all patrons to enjoy and many spend hours in our gallery admiring the artwork, artifacts, research library, and stories of the miners and their families who made their lives and homes in Crawford and Cherokee Counties in Southeast Kansas. We have two recently donated coal buckets, which one you see in the picture above. These coal buckets from the SEK Art Fest, which lined downtown Pittsburg and where auctioned over Labor Day Weekend. We are very proud to have these coal buckets to add to our collection. Many talented artists expressed their creativity in the SEK Art Fest. The coal buckets lined the streets of Broadway in Pittsburg, Kansas from June 1-September 1, 2013.

The following artwork was donated on May 10, 2013 to the Miners Hall Museum at the opening of the Smithsonian Traveling Exhibit by Antonio and Holly Martinez of Phoenix, Arizona. They own Sinfin Studio in Phoenix and truly captured the lifestyle and story of Southeast Kansas mining. I am also proud to say they are my sister and brother-in-law. Their pieces have made a wonderful addition to the museum.



Antonio Martinez. Working for the Man. Charcoal. 2013

This artwork embraces the entrance of Miners Hall Museum. 

Holly Boyd-Martinez. Outspoken Persistence. Acrylic. 2013



Holly Boyd-Martinez. Outspoken Persistence. Acrylic. 2013

The 6 Panels that make up Outspoken Persistence tell the story of mining in Southeast Kansas and include some key figures in the changes in the Southeast Kansas coalfields. 

Miners Hall Museum is open Monday-Saturday from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Check us out on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Check out our Quarterly Exhibits on display July-September 2013: The American Civil War: A Nation Divided and October-December 2013 Slovenian Heritage. We also have a John F. Kennedy Collection, that will be coming soon to be temporarily on display at the museum.

Big Brutus at West Mineral, Kansas

Big Brutus was operational in Southeast Kansas from 1963-1974. It was the second largest coal stripping electric shovel during the 1960s and 1970s. It cost $6.5 million in 1962. The final resting place and museum for Big Brutus was dedicated on July 13, 1985 at West Mineral, Kansas 

Big Brutus in West Mineral, Kansas 

This is a great museum and memorial to visit any time of the year as this facility is open all year round. They have displays dedicated to the rich mining history of Southeast Kansas with indoor and outdoor exhibits. The main reason why I enjoy this museum so much as it shows numerous pieces of equipment that was used during the coal mining days as you walk down the road towards Big Brutus from the museum. This museum provides the image of how miners worked every day with their variety of equipment within the museum's collection. I would definitely recommend this museum to anyone who has never been before. You are also able to go up inside Big Brutus. It is extremely interesting to see the interior of Brutus and the ability this machine had in the coalfields of Southeast Kansas.