“Sometimes,”
Neal says, “the stuff is just left out
front in paper bags,” and the history
gals, these museum “detectives,” have
to take it out, sort it out and figure
it out before they can put it out on
the museum floor in the form of an integrated
exhibit that can be appreciated by the
public. Sometimes this involves a good
deal of research, because often donated
items come to them without explanation
or documentation.
According
to Simpson, there are many reasons why
the community shares its memory wares
with the museum, but the most prevalent
is probably the desire to preserve history.
“For
instance, at the closing of an estate,”
Simpson says, “the kids donate everything
because it’s the history of this area
and they know we can preserve it for
future generations.”
A
good example of that is the Samuel R.
Jones Family Exhibit that will be the
showpiece of the museum’s season opening.
“This
is one of the most interesting exhibits
we’ve ever done,” says Neal, who has
been working with the museum for 10
years. And she’s not alone, Johnson
and Simpson also agree with that assessment.
“This,”says
Simpson, “is why we spend the long hot
summers doing the exhibits–for one like
this. And it just dropped into our laps
last summer.”
Simpson
explains that Jones’ son’s wife’s
cousin dropped off a big box that
was apparently left over from Jones’
estate. It turned out to be a treasure
trove of local historical significance
which the committee is now painstakingly
working from to fashion an exhibition
that faithfully brings to life the
narrative of the Jones family’s contribution
to Cave Creek.
“We
spent at least three weeks just sorting
it out,” Simpson says.
According
to Neal, one of the reasons the museum
is so excited about this exhibit is
that in 1946, Jones bought 120 acres
of desert land on Cave Creek that
included the Military Road Remount
Station which was used by the U.S.
Calvary in the 1870s. Just last year
the museum established a permanent
exhibit on the Remount Station from
its collections and the Jones exhibit
offers a new perspective for museum‑goers.
Upon
acquiring his Cave Creek land, Jones
started a chicken ranch where, according
to Simpson, thousands of chickens
provided the family’s livelihood.
Records indicate that the chicken
ranch delivered to more than 300 local
customers.
But
there was more to the Jones family
than just the chicken and the egg.
Jones
and his son Middleton were also pioneers
in the field of medical equipment
for neurological surgery in the 1940s.
They were awarded four patents for
their inventions–a headlock and a
headrest. Prototypes of these apparatuses
in chrome and red vinyl are included
in the museum’s exhibition.
“He
called himself a gadgeteer,” Simpson
says. “And sure enough, the patents
were right there in the box.”
Not
to be outdone, Jones’ wife Helen,
writing under her maiden name Helen
Terrell at the age of 83, published
a book in 1976 titled “Sex and the
Zodiac,” which the dust jacket promises
to feature some pretty racy material.
Another
new exhibit that committee members
are almost finished preparing will
feature women’s fashions from 1860
to 1910.
“This
exhibit is showcasing our collection
of apparel from the community,” Johnson
says. “At least 85 percent of our
collection comes from community members.”
And
when Johnson’s detectives discover
a piece missing, as they did when
creating this fashion show, they again
turn to the natural place–the community.
One of the dresses on display was
missing its parasol, so Neal turned
to a friend of hers who agreed to
help out.
“We
try to put together exhibits from
our collections, but when we know
of someone who has something that
can enhance an exhibit,” Neal says,
“we sometimes look to them.”
In
this case, she called on her friend
Romaine Ausman of Carefree, a member
of the museum and sometime docent.
Ausman, Neal says, made a pink parasol
to match the dress.
But
missing pieces aren’t the only problem
they run up against. There are also
extra inches.
“One
of the biggest challenges in building
a vintage fashion exhibit,” Johnson
says, “is that mannequins these days
are considerably larger. Most of the
dresses we’re working with have 17
or 18‑inch waists, and the mannequins
we have are much bigger.”
Sometimes
the fit is so tight that drastic measures
need to be taken and the mannequin
dispensed with altogether–as with
one purple dress in the show which
will be stuffed with fiberfill.
At
the end of the day, whether these
history gals are stuffing dresses,
emptying boxes, cataloguing cowbells
or just telling their own tales, one
thing’s for sure: for the work they
do and the olden days they give new
life, the least they deserve is a
kind word, a pat on the back and,
oh yes, the price of a ticket.
Cave
Creek Museum is located at 6140 Skyline
Dr. in Cave Creek. Hours are Wed.,
Thurs., Sat. and Sun. from 1 to 4:30
p.m., and Fri. from 10 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. For more information, call (480)
488‑2764 or visit www.cavecreekmuseum.org
