Rural Missouri - October 2022 - 19

by Jack Wax | info@ruralmissouri.coop
photos by Zach Smith | zsmith@ruralmissouri.coop
hat shoebox full of letters handed down from your
parents or grandparents, those handwritten recipes
from your great-aunt, those ticket stubs to a
Beatles concert from 1966 - don't feel guilty about
keeping them. They may seem like junk that other family
members won't ever care about, but county, specialty and
state historical societies might welcome them to their collections
when you are done with them.
" Seldom a week goes by that we don't receive at least
one box of donations, " says Nancy Lewis, museum director
of the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society in Fulton.
" Sometimes, so much comes in we can hardly process it. "
Recently, she received a metal trunk, its surfaces
painted a faded military green. When its latches are
released and it is turned on end, a flat panel extends,
turning it into a sturdy desk. " It's a World War II field desk
that my father-in-law, Ralph Musbach, had for years and
years, " says John Gray of Fulton. John and his wife, Mary,
donated the desk along with the suitcase and leather
shaving case that Ralph brought with him to Marine basic
training in the early days of World War II. The Grays aren't
sure where in the world the field desk has traveled, but
they knew that none of their children wanted it.
Missouri has 87 county and specialty historical societies,
not to mention a slew of preservation groups and
historical homes. Because these nonprofits depend on limited
funding, donations from the public are an extremely
important way for them to be able to add to their collections.
But most people who are downsizing, decluttering or
cleaning the home of a relative who has either passed away
or moved into assisted living don't think of them. " People
don't really consider that their own lives or the material
collected around their lives are important, " says Laura Jolley,
archivist at The State Historical Society of Missouri.
Not every family keepsake is destined to be displayed
in a county museum, but historical societies are likely
to preserve, catalog and store just about anything that
helps tell the stories of everyday Missouri families and
local businesses. For Missourians wanting to explore their
family roots, nothing beats the thousands of files county
historical societies organize and maintain on local families.
In addition to the photographs, diaries and scrapbooks,
probate cases and census records are indexed by
some societies. " Probate records are considered a primary
source, " says Barbara Huddleston, director of the Kingdom
of Callaway Historical Society. " A story passed on in your
family may or may not be true, so you need to do research
with documents to verify it. "
Each of the items at county historical societies and
local museums has a story of its own worth telling. Take
the 70 colorful quilt squares that Lynne Geweke donated
to the Missouri Quilt Museum, in Hamilton. The pieces
originated with the grandmother of Ruth Stephens, forT
merly
of Mexico, who was born in 1836. Although experts
at the Missouri Quilt Museum haven't determined the age
of the pieces, Lynne believes they were made from silk and
other fabrics popular in women's clothing around the time
of the Civil War. " When I donated them to the museum
they looked pretty astonished. They said they would not
try to piece it together because it's so old, " says Lynne.
Businesses also contribute to the storied histories of
Missouri communities. When the Kirksville Daily Express
moved to a smaller office, the company gave 30 years'
worth of archived photos to the Adair County Historical
Society. Many are clearly labeled, which is exactly what
archivists want.
" For the ones with no identification, we'll call in old-time
community people, pass the photos around a table and see
if anybody knows the people in the pictures, " says Blytha
Ellis, the society's director. She and other archivists have
a tough time with photos of people who aren't identified.
They may end up being sold to raise funds or given away.
Although most historical society donations can fit in a
box or a room, there's always the exceptionally large item,
such as the Audrain Country School that sits behind the
Graceland Mansion of the Audrain County Historical Society
and Museums. The one-room schoolhouse, originally
built in 1903, arrived at its current location in one piece
on a huge truck bed, recalls Melody Azdell Farnen, whose
parents, Elaine and Ned Azdell, donated the schoolhouse
back in 1988. Her great-grandparents had attended the
school, and her parents bought it in 1972 for $25. The
outhouse that sits behind the schoolhouse wasn't the original
one, and no one knows who donated it. " It just showed
up one day and the historical society was glad it did, " says
Molly Shellabarger, longtime volunteer with the society.
Whether preserving history or just cleaning out an
attic, donors are the backbone of every local historical
society. Lori Pratt, director of the Audrain County Historical
Society and Museums, appreciates it when anyone
chooses to donate rather than sell an item on eBay.
" Money is fleeting, " says Pratt. " It comes and goes, but
donated items and the memory they bring can last forever, "
she says.
What's true for Missouri historical societies also holds
true for the more than 4,500 historical societies in the U.S.
and Canada. But before anyone calls a historical society
or donates, Courtney Chartier, president of the Society of
American Archivists, recommends that families first talk
things out. " It's important to have a conversation with your
family, your kids, your grandkids, and to decide how you
feel about your family history and what you want to see
happen to it. A lot of the time when somebody passes, the
house gets cleaned out and everything goes into the trash
- and that's a tragedy, " she says.
To find a local historical society, visit www.countyoffice.
org/mo-historical-society. Be sure to email or call before
arriving at their doorsteps with materials to donate.
Clockwise from top left: A group of items recall everyday, mid-20th-century life in Fulton. Lori Pratt greets visitors at the old Audrain County
School in Mexico. A Mexico resident's dolls pay tribute to Aunt Polly and Tom Sawyer. The storied history of Missouri show horses has its own
museum within the museum in Mexico. Nancy Lewis shows the World War II field desk of veteran Ralph Musbach at the Kingdom of Callaway
Historical Society. A display in the Fulton museum highlights the artwork of late resident Jesse Howard.
OCTOBER 2022 | RURALMISSOURI.COOP 19

http://www.countyoffice.org/mo-historical-society http://www.countyoffice.org/mo-historical-society http://www.RURALMISSOURI.COOP

Rural Missouri - October 2022

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