Artist contributes to Killbuck Valley Natural History Museum
Medina artist Kathy Kraus donated a watercolor to the Killbuck Valley Natural History Museum depicting Ohio’s Pleistocene Epoch, a time period believed by some to have been about 26 million years ago. The painting shows the now-extinct mammals that roamed the bogs and pine tundra in Holmes County during that period.
Professional artist and historical presenter Kathy Kraus of Medina loves merging history and art, her two passions.
In 1994 Kraus donated a watercolor that was part of her master’s degree in archaeological illustration from Miami University to the Killbuck Valley Natural History Museum. Her project depicts Ohio’s Pleistocene Epoch, a time period believed by some to have been about 26 million years ago until about 11,700 years ago. She created the painting in lieu of a written thesis.
The painting shows the now-extinct mammals that roamed the bogs and pine tundra in Holmes County during that period. These animals include Jefferson ground sloth, woodland muskox, American mastodon, giant short-faced bear and stag-moose.
When the fossilized remains of a mastodon were discovered in a farmer’s field near Berlin, Kraus, along with other students, assisted Dr. Nigel Brush with the excavation. Parts of the mastodon are on display at the museum in Killbuck. A second excavation for a ground sloth in the general area was conducted by the Ohio State University, and those fossilized bones are exhibited in the OSU museum in Columbus.
“These animals would go in the bogs and get stuck. Hunters would kill them and wrap some of the meat in the intestines and sink it in the bogs to preserve it to eat later,” Kraus said.
Kraus had not been to the museum since the painting was donated. Recently, she went with a friend who donated some fossilized ferns and saw the painting had been heavily damaged by a water leak in the roof.
“I don’t know how that happened. The painting was in a place where it should not have been affected,” museum director Bob Porter said.
In less than a week, a replica of the original was finished and installed in a wood frame with glass to protect it from any damage in the future.
“It’s really nice to see the photos of the digs. I had never seen them before,” Kraus said. “The displays are wonderful. You have the pictures with the people doing the excavations, and the mastodon bones underneath the pictures.”
In addition to the local dig near Berlin, Kraus also helped with an excavation at a rock shelter in Holmes County. On yet another project, she was asked by Dr. N-Omi Garber, the leading Native American mounds expert, to draw the location of Native American ceremonial and burial earthworks in the Paint Creek area where the mounds used to be before they were destroyed for farming.
“More projects lead me to Belize, New Mexico and Colorado — real Indiana Jones stuff. I even went to Africa and found the Leaky bone,” Kraus said.
Before Kraus was an archaeological illustrator, she had a 34-year career as an art teacher at Cloverleaf Junior High and Parma and Medina school districts.
“I proved that art touches every subject in school. Then at age 40 I wanted to be an an illustrator in archaeological geology and fell in love with fossils and rocks,” Kraus said. “There was no master’s degree for that subject at Miami University at the time, so I created my own program.
“After my independent study at the digs in Holmes County, I interned at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and painted the mural at the entrance of the geology department. I begged to illustrate for the archaeology department and finally got the chance to paint a 10-by-10-foot mural of the first fossils and first algae for the entrance of the geology hall.”
In addition to the displays of the digs Kraus participated in, visitors to the museum can view the findings from other local excavations conducted at the historical Johnston House and the Mullet Rock Shelter. Former curator David Reed was the lead on these projects, but sadly, he passed away Aug. 18, 2019, leaving a void at the museum that may never be filled.
“We don’t have anyone to replace him. He did all the displays,” Porter said.
The Killbuck Valley Natural History Museum is “the best kept secret in Holmes County.” Because of COVID-19, it’s currently only open on an appointment basis. The collection ranges from local archaeological exhibits to zoology including taxidermied birds and animals.
“It has the best display of archaeology in Ohio outside of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History,” Kraus said.
The museum also features many displays of local history, plus an entire room dedicated to the old Duncan Mill including original mill stones, a miniature replica of the building, and vintage newspaper articles and memorabilia related to the mill.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Porter at 330-763-0133.