Permanent Collection opens at Wayne County Historical Society

Permanent Collection opens at Wayne County Historical Society
Rachel Dugan Wood

Elegant Coxon-Belleek china, once judged by the U.S. government to be the finest china in the world, was produced by a 1920s-era Wooster company whose wares can still be seen in WCHS’s Permanent Collection.

                        

Who knew 19th-century Wooster had an opera house where Mark Twain once gave a lecture? Or that Wooster’s own Coxon-Belleek fine china was once judged by the U.S. government to be the best in the world?

These are just a few of the secrets of Wooster’s past that one can discover at the recently opened Permanent Collection at the Wayne County Historical Society. Thousands of items that had been in storage are now on display for the first time in an exhibit that is open for its first summer season.

The Permanent Collection exhibit was officially dedicated on Sept. 30, 2018, following the completion of a years-long construction project aimed to expand available display space. Part of the project involved renovating the basements under eight of the buildings on the historical society campus and connecting them via a tunnel.

Co-chair of the Permanent Collection and docent David Broehl explained, “We always had a dream [to create such an underground display area], and when we got to the point where we could finally accomplish the construction of the tunnel, we talked with the contractor and gladly discovered that we had the amount of space we needed.”

Previously the limited basement space was mostly used as storage for the society’s overabundant collection. “It was floor-to-ceiling jam-packed. It was terrifically confused down there,” Broehl said.

Now, however, he said the fact that they built that tunnel probably tripled their display space in the basement, enabling them to finally display many of the long-stored items.

According to Broehl, of 62 categories of items possessed by the society, only 14 were formerly available to public view. Now the remaining 48 are finally visible in the Permanent Collection exhibit, which was completed with locally made cases, safety-proof glass and specialized lighting that will ensure the protection of the artifacts.

The newly displayed Permanent Collection is an important contribution to WCHS’s mission, explained former president Bob Everett. “The society’s main two goals are preservation of our history and education about our history. This project enables much more of our collection to be on display, which helps both of those goals,” he said.

The unpacking process, which lasted six months, was an education even for WCHS members. Many items had never been unearthed since they went into storage in 1954 when the Carnegie Library that formerly housed WCHS was replaced.

The longest-stored items were a collection of taxidermy birds and animals purchased at the St. Louis World Fair in 1904, some of which had never been opened since. The entire taxidermy collection, which includes a golden eagle and over a dozen species of hummingbirds, was cleaned and restored in preparation for display.

The Permanent Collection promises new discoveries for visitors as its artifacts reveal many long-forgotten stories of Wooster and Wayne County history. For example visitors can view the paintings of 19th-century Wooster resident Michael Nachtrieb including one of a series of three identical Lincoln portraits, the other two of which are in the Smithsonian museum and the Lincoln homestead in Springfield, Illinois.

Another exhibit features Toy Kraft Toys, a 1950s-era Wooster company that once shipped out over 1 million wooden toys a year.

One room of the exhibit enables participants to experience the past yet more authentically by recreating Wooster’s original 1904 historical society museum. The 1904 Room even includes windows that approximate the view from the old museum, located on the second floor of the Carnegie Library.

WCHS President Sandi Keim said, “When you come visit our campus, you can step back in time and relive some of your family history.”

Other notable artifacts in the Permanent Collection include one of Wooster’s earliest television sets, ancient Native American arrowheads found in the area and the flag under which Wayne County soldiers marched into the Civil War.

“There are items to interest people of every age and background,” Everett said.

Having spent years completing the Permanent Collection project and various other renovations, Broehl said the historical society is entering a new era as it turns its focus toward sharing its collections with the public. This past April and May, the society gave its first full season of school tours and is currently working to expand its website and social media presence.

Visitors wishing to explore the new Permanent Collection — as well as the featured textile exhibit and the eight historic buildings on site — can take a tour of the historical society campus on 546 E. Bowman St. in Wooster.

Tours are offered on Fridays and Saturdays with $5 general admission and no charge to members and children under 14.

Those with further inquiries, including interest in membership or volunteering, can call the society at 330-264-8856 between 1-4 p.m. on Tuesday and Friday or visit www.waynehistoricalohio.org.


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