Louisiana Museum To Celebrate 25 Years Of Keeping History Alive
Martha Sue Smith has been part of the history she’s spent a lifetime preserving.
The only president the Louisiana Area Historical Museum has had in its 25-year history is stepping aside as the facility prepares to celebrate its silver anniversary.
A public reception is planned from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 27, at the museum, 304 Georgia Street. It will include the new, permanent display of a Confederate battle flag once owned by a Pike County Civil War soldier.
Smith, a 77-year-old grandmother who works as a broadcast journalist at WBBA Radio in Pittsfield, Ill., learned at an early age about the importance of the past. She fell in love with history as a girl growing up in Louisiana amid the fruit trees, limestone bluffs and Mississippi River hollows that define the landscape, and she uses a possessive term when talking about her town.
“I just didn’t realize then, but I do now, how amazing our Louisiana is,” she said. “I look around today and realize that many of these people, places, things, businesses, parks, historic homes, landmarks and on and on I took for granted because that was how it was. So many of those things are still here and are a part of ‘life in Louisiana’”
The museum got its start in 1992 with a handful of history buffs and a tiny room behind the Chamber of Commerce at 107 S. Third.
Smith, Leone Cadwallader, Sally Cropp, Ned Glenn, Debbie Lombardino, Jeanne Lovell, Anita Ludwig, Becky Prince and Jane Thurier organized the museum. Smith, Glenn and Cropp are still serving as board members.
Experts such as former Mark Twain Boyhood Home curator Henry Sweets and Jim Millan, who was instrumental in the restoration of Champ Clark’s Bowling Green home, Honey Shuck, were called in to offer advice on policies and displays. One codicil wasn’t exactly followed very closely.
“When my first two years were up and our by-laws stated that my term limit had arrived, the board changed those by-laws and convinced me to stay,” Smith said. “Really, no one wanted the job – things were so new to all of us. I tried over the years to pass the gavel, but to no avail.”
Financial contributions helped keep the lights on. Various local non-for-profit organizations each volunteered to pay one month of expenses until the museum could hold a fundraiser to pay its own way. Artifacts began pouring in. The volume became so great that within two years of opening, the museum was moved to 304 Georgia.
The building was originally two former retail stores, one that had made and sold hats and another that had offered shoes. And while it was a cousin of nearby structures that dated to the late 1800s, the building wasn’t in the greatest condition.
The museum board once considered a proposal to build a new facility away from the downtown, but just didn’t have the heart to do it. Donations were used several years ago to stabilize the structure, replace one of the original entrances and put in a centerpiece stairway. Extensive interior renovations have been made over the winter by board member Trent Meyers.
The collection has now become so vast that displays must be rotated – just as in big-city museums — and the thousands of items are not all typical small-town fare.
Fascinating collection
The museum has been the beneficiary of many interesting treasures that came from a variety of donors all over the United States.
People who are familiar with the museum realize what a wonderful job that’s done in preserving the heritage of this area and so they contribute their own items for the enjoyment of visitors and to preserve history for future generations.
Did you attend Field School? The Museum has its school bell. Did you ever attend the Clark movie theater? The Museum has its change maker. Did you attend Louisiana High School? The Museum has a collection of old ALAMO yearbooks, as well as a band uniform and cheerleader uniform.
Are you interested in fashion? There are many pieces of clothing from days gone by, from baby clothing to a wedding dress to ladies hats, to military uniforms.
Know the Buffum name from their line of tools and their roots in LaCrosse Lumber Company? There are many items given to the museum by descendants of that family.
Interested in trains? There is quite a collection of items preserving the history of the Burlington Northern Railroad.
Interested in quilts? The museum has on display several well-loved and well-used quilts with historic connections to our area.
Are you fascinated by old musical instruments? There are many on hand, with a recent acquisition being a hammered dulcimer over 200 years old.
One item of special interest to those involved in the current Louisiana Alumni and Friends Association is information about an alumni reunion held in the year 1879! A cookbook printed in 1894 is literally falling apart, but is still legible.
One section of the museum features items from the military, from Civil War days through World War II. Matchbooks, calendars, ashtrays, menus, theater playbills, and hundreds of other items that reflect the businesses serve as a representation of advertising.
Postcards are another way of documenting the way things looked over the decades as collections or individual cards have been donated showing buildings, businesses, the river, commerce, and people from all over Pike County.
It is fascinating to look at the old black-and-white photographs that have withstood the test of time and still serve as a remarkable documentary of life from a long span of time. There are photographs on display from elementary school classes, special events around town (such as the sesquicentennial in 1968), famous residents, special landmarks and too many others to list.
With an entire room dedicated to the history of Stark Bros. Nurseries and Orchards and another room containing a great deal of information about the Hercules chemical plant, people realize what a valuable addition they can provide if they have something from either of those businesses to donate. Sometimes an alert visitor to a garage sale or thrift shop will spot an item that they know has historical significance.
More than just the items on display are the fascinating stories that often come with them. The recent donation of an old whiskey jug came with the details that it was taken out of the flood waters south of Louisiana in 1947. Another details the story of an old powder flask owned by a local resident who used it to load his muzzle-loading shotgun in order to hunt ducks.
The road ahead
Smith is confident that the museum will continue to be a popular Louisiana attraction, thanks to the dedication of the board and volunteers.
Judy Schmidt, a retired educator who was instrumental in research and preservation of the Confederate flag, is stepping into the president’s role.
“Not only do I think Judy will do a great job, but I know she will,” Smith emphasized.
Smith isn’t exactly headed for retirement. She still has the radio gig, and is, or has been, a part of just about every organization in Louisiana.
“If and as I’m needed, of course I will help,” Smith said. “As involved as I’ve been for as long as I have, I couldn’t turn it off — like turning off a water faucet — even if I wanted.”
Smith does have advice for anyone interested in joining the museum’s efforts.
“I would definitely tell them to jump right in,” she said. “It’s like going on a trip and seeing and learning new things along the way. It certainly is rewarding and it’s wonderful working with others who have similar interests. It certainly is educational, and I’ve made lots of new friends and appreciate all my friends, some I’ve known all my life. I’ve gained even more respect for our Louisiana and areas nearby.”
