Spring has finally arrived. I find spring to be a good reminder of how far we have come, and of new things on the horizon. Our Researcher, Barb Cessna, recently found an article in a newspaper from 1977 about flower bulbs that were stored in the basement of the Fenton History Center. At that time the City was short on funds, and using the basement of the Fenton Mansion to winter over their spring flower bulbs. The volunteers at the museum felt that this practice was hindering the growth and development of new displays in the Fenton Mansion. I’ve included a photo from the newspaper article that shows the flower bulbs. In the article it states that the bulbs were hindering the installation of our basement exhibits. If you have been to the Fenton since then you can no doubt guess that something was done about these bulbs, as the basement is full of exhibits. This year promises to be another exciting one of new events, featured exhibits and displays. The first new display, of artifacts from the Archaeological dig will open May 4th, in the area that once housed these bulbs.
This month we are excited to bring back our annual Brown Bag Lecture series. We will be having these talks live and in-person again, as well as virtually over Zoom and on our Facebook page. Our first one is Wednesday April 20th, presented by Sara Reale, the former Fenton History Center Education Director. She will be presenting on the Ringling Legacy: The Circus and Beyond. The Brown Bag Lecture Series will continue from May through October on the 2nd Wednesday of each month with more exciting local history topics.
We are excited to be celebrating the 198th Birthday of Mrs. Elizabeth Scudder Fenton on May 4th 2022. We will be unveiling and dedicating our new interpretive signs about the Walnut Grove Archaeology project, our ongoing archaeological dig on site. Dedication of the signs will take place at Noon. Light refreshments to follow. There will be displays in the museum featuring some never before displayed Fenton family artifacts and some interesting findings from the dig. There may even be a visit from Mrs. Fenton herself! This event is free and open to the public.
