Denise What part of Iowa do you live in? I 'm interested in some of your material. The recommendation to scan the photos should be expanded to "scan everything you can run through a scanner". In other words, do all the documents, as well. Oh, and take photographs of any objects. Even old milk cans and eggbeaters are interesting to some of us. ;>)
Also, the library and archives of the State Historical Society in Des Moines maintains an archive of papers, pictures, etc. I've dug into their materials every time I've gone back to Iowa to do research. The Historical Society also maintains a museum in the same complex. Contact information: State of Iowa Historical Museum State of Iowa Historical Building (Des Moines) 600 East Locust Des Moines, Iowa, 50319 515-281-5111 State Historical Museum 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday - Saturday Noon - 4:30 p.m. Sunday Closed Monday and official state holidays Admission is free State Historical Society Library and Archives 12:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday - Friday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.Saturday Closed Sunday, Monday and official state holidays and on any Saturday which precedes a Monday or follows a Friday holiday. Archives, photograph, and manuscript collections are closed Saturdays, unless arrangements are made in advance. Arrangements can be made to use archival material on Saturdays by requesting the needed material from an archives staff member prior to noon on the preceding Friday. The Iowa Museum Store 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday Closed Sunday, Monday and official state holidays Ginni Morgan Iowan by birth (with relatives darn near everywhere) costumer, genealogist, historical researcher >>> Land of Oz <[email protected]> 4/27/11 12:09 PM >>> I inherited a crapton of stuff from my grandmother's house. It's been stored dry, but not clean, in my brother's barn for about 10 years until I brought it home last weekend. There was a lot more than I brought, but I try not to think about that. The only interesting textiles I've found so far are a veil/scarf of some kind - extremely fine black lace. It was wadded up in a wood box (like for cigars, only it says candy on the lid) and a bag of hexagon quilt pieces that I haven't looked at closely. I don't know if the lace is nylon or silk - it weighs next to nothing and is fairly fragile. it's about 15" x 50" or so and looks like it would have been for church or funerals. Oh - and a tanned mink skin in a breadbag. The photos, however are a treasure. I have one large rubbermaid tote full of albums going back to the 1870s - most of the people are identified, and there is at least one photo of a child in a coffin. O.o There aren't too many dates on the actual photos, however. There is a story inscribed on the flyleaf about how that album was the only thing rescued from a house fire when the dad broke a window from outside and reached in to get it off a bookstand. There are two books inscribed to my grandfather in 1919 several years before he graduated highschool. Both are military in nature and full of photographs. I've looked them up on Amazon and they all seem to be in the same condition as mine and are priced from $9 to $900. lol There are some great photos of military uniforms of all kinds, and everyday wear of people in Croatia, England and Germany (and prob. others). I also have my great grandfather's wood bound school slate and another one from someone with the same last name (sibling?) and a tiny pair of leather baby shoes with my dad's name on the bottom. What does a person do with this kind of stuff? I don't have infinite storage. My brother kept it all, but didn't do anything with it either. I doubt much of it has a lot of value to people who aren't related to the family in some way. Denise Iowa _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication with its contents may contain confidential and/or legally privileged information. It is solely for the use of the intended recipient(s). Unauthorized interception, review, use or disclosure is prohibited and may violate applicable laws including the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender and destroy all copies of the communication. _______________________________________________ h-costume mailing list [email protected] http://mail.indra.com/mailman/listinfo/h-costume
