Small Town Museums

ASOTIN COUNTY MUSEUM

     Visiting small town museums has nothing much to do with writing, unless there is a local museum in the area where your true life characters lived.  I have visited many small town museums over the years and have seen some wonderful examples of preserved history.

     The Asotin County Museum let me step back into the time of Maryette Swikert's childhood when she lived in Anatone, WA.  They have preserved artifacts, pictures, newspapers, an early school room and even a complete early telephone operators switchboard office.

SHERMAN COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

     One of the best museums I have visited was Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro, Oregon.  You will miss this small town if you blink your eyes.  I do not believe it even sports a traffic light.  If you have reason to be traveling south on Hwy 97 from the Columbia River Gorge, you will want to plan an hour to two stop at this wonderful place.  There is even a lovely park for a picnic right next door.  I rate this place #1 for the small museums I have visited.  Be ready to experience a wonderful step back in history with a massive amount of items to see and learn about.  What an education for your children, or in my case a 68 year old lady.  Superb stop.

GARFIELD COUNTY MUSEUM

     Pomeroy, Washington is the home to the Garfield County Museum.  Their hours of operation are limited so you will want to check before planning a trip to Pomeroy.  This museum has a enormous collection of antique wedding dresses.  I was not in the market, but I was fascinated with all the styles and years of usage of each dress.   

     This museum held the golden egg to my Grass Widow Wives book.  I was thrilled and tentative with the opportunity I had to hold a certain yet to be revealed object in my hands.  They were also gracious enough to send me a high resolution photo of an exciting event that takes place in the book.

      HAGERMAN VALLEY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

     The Hagerman Valley Historical Museum provided a peek into my families' past, including a very large picture of my Grandfather, Wilbur Schooler, riding his horse down the main street of Hagerman in 1907.

YAKIMA VALLEY MUSEUM

   Yakima Valley Museum in Yakima, WA contains delightful examples of antique carriages and wagons from the time prior to the horseless carriage.  This museum contains many local artifact pieces that let you glimpse into the time before you lived in the Yakima Valley.

      Even if you are not interested in the genealogical aspect of ancestors, your children need to look into the past for an understanding of how our society functioned before their grandparents lived here.

     These places are a great place to take day trips with the family, and gain a little bit of education in  addition to spending time as a family.

     Make plans for your next great adventure by visiting a small town museum close to you.

Steps Into the Past

     During the research process for Grass Widow Wives, I made two trips to the Asotin County Courthouse in search of documents that would verify my story. 

     This courthouse is not as large, or as old as some I have visited. This courthouse is in the Old Ayer’s Hotel which was built in 1905.  One half of the building is a newer annex that was added more recently.    The bowels of the building hold its treasures.

    When I inquired to look at the marriage, and land records for the county I was directed down the stairs and into a vault in the basement. 

     The large old steel door was locked to protect the secrets within.  After the assistant turns the key, it requires both hands to gain entry to the cavern of darkness.   The single bare light which extends from the ceiling exposes the dusty ancient treasures.  My nostrils are greeted with the odor of old, musty books, while my eyes gaze upon dust and cobweb covered volumes that have, for a long time been neglected and forgotten.  Some volumes in the room are damage from water, bearing the evidence of a flood or plumbing leak.  The mold and water damage are eating away at the writing on the inside.  The neglect makes my heart and mind ache with the knowledge that these treasures should be saved and protected so that other stories can someday be told.

    The room is a perfect square, eight feet by eight feet.  A double sided row of shelves run across the room and the back wall holds a shelf likewise loaded with volumes.  The county worker tells us the oldest volumes which would be the ones we desire are on the backside of the center row of shelves. She then leaves us to explore the room’s riches.  While standing at the back row I struggle to read the writing on the spine, looking for the books that hold the information I am seeking.  Once I find something of interest I must carry to book to a stack of volumes in boxes on the floor and gingerly open the book to expose the information.

(This is NOT taken at the Asotin Courthouse. It does however very closely resemble the room.)

    Just once in your life you must take the opportunity to enter one of these treasure rooms.  Hold the heavy, large time worn books in your hands and expose history before your eyes.   Expose the long ago script and information which brings to life the time of those that created what we so innocently enjoy.

Charles birthday gift.

     Maryette is employed as a housekeeper by Charles soon after they meet.  She becomes smitten with him and wishes to give him a surprise for his birthday.  Here is a another small example of the innocent parts of the story.

The glow of the lantern through the window cries hospitality to my weary soul. As I reach the door and push it open my nostrils are greeted with the scent of toasted peaches and sugar. A meal is spread on the table along with a plate holding a warm peach upside down cake. Under the edge of the plate is a slip of paper. I retrieve the paper and read what is written in the small fine script of Maryette.

“Charles, Happy Birthday! This cake is my gift to you,“ Maryette

The story is told in the voice of four individuals.  Maryette, Charles, Anna, and Charles Jr.  This piece is from Charles perspective.