The Massena, New York Museum - Part 1

I drove into Massena one sunny day and visited the town museum, newly moved to a former bank building and looking elegant:

I'd been there before but didn't remember the two giant murals. I had to ask about the subject of the paintings. They depicted Jacques Cartier's exploration of the St. Lawrence River in the mid 1500s:

 

Cartier was a French explorer and named Canada by misusing the Iroquois word, "kanata," which meant village or settlement. He met a number of local tribes, and apparently they received him with friendship:

Only half the museum was open when I visited, as the other half was being rearranged for a new exhibit. But there was plenty to see in the open half, like this home spinning equipment:

There was no sign on these handmade dolls and I wish I'd asked about them. I will next time:

I headed down the hallway, which was filled to overflowing with local artifacts:

A Victorian dress, butter churn and milk can:

Victorian doll, baby carriage - an old desk and artifacts from an early church and synagogue:

Lots of hand tools, which I assumed were for kitchen use because those few which I recognized were kitchen tools:

Mohawk baskets, wagon wheels and lots of artifacts from Massena's history:

Farm and fireplace tools:

Tools for barn building and use around the farm:

A Civil War Uniform. There was a lot more to see, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Massena N.Y. Town Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Massena Museum in its beautiful new building (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had begun where the oldest artifacts were displayed. Massena, New York was settled in 1792 by French lumberjacks and the town has a very long history, at least compared to the surrounding area, which some would say was frontier not too long ago:

This old diving helmet surprised me and looked, at first, out of place. But then I read the sign and understood that it was a U.S. Navy diving helmet, worn by a local man (James Bero) when searching for lost boat engines in the St. Lawrence River and cleaning underwater gear as part of his job for the ALCOA plant. Massena was an aluminum town and, to a lesser extent, still is:

One end of the room held old furniture and old clothing, including a military uniform (Civil War? I forgot to check). It had lots of photos, maps, tools and memorabilia from bygone days in Massena:

A woman's dress from long ago:

And a gas street lamp from the 1920s, which once brightened  Andrews Street in Massena:

And a lovely old desk. The display of old time, hand fashioned locks and latches just to the left of the desk was especially fascinating and, when I got home, I regretted not having gotten a closeup of it:

A Victorian Hunzinger/Eastlake style chair, dating back to 1870-1890:

Mother and daughter, out for a stroll. I don't know what era this was from, but it was looking to me like the 1920s or 1930s. Part of what fascinates me about such artifacts is that people kept them in such good condition for such a long time:

An old wheelchair:

I bet you don't know what this is. I don't suppose anyone does these days. It was a bottle capper from the Massena Springs Bottling Co:

Military uniform and a still - which caused me to wonder if they were displayed together for some reason, or just coincidentally. There was an antique sign on the still but I was unable to read the old handwriting:

A recreation of an old time general store.  The counter came from a local store, owned by "Honest John Serabian." But there was still more to see in the Massena Museum, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Massena N.Y. Town Museum - Part 1

I'd been told that the Massena Museum had moved to a beautiful new building so I went to have a look for myself. Indeed, they'd moved to a former bank building right in downtown Massena. I parked and went in to see what had changed:

And it was magnificent, very deluxe. This was certainly not like the old museum!

They had some bronze sculptures and paintings on loan from the Frederic Remington Museum in Ogdensburg and, to my surprise, I remembered all of them from when I toured that museum in 2015. This sculpture was entitled, "Bronco Buster," done in 1895:

I remembered this painting also. It was called "An Old Time Plains Fight," oil on canvas, 1904:

Another bronze sculpture by Frederic Remington, "Trooper Of The Plains," 1868:

"Charge Of The Rough Riders," oil on canvas, 1898:

If you would like to see more of Frederic Remington's art, here are links to my visit to the Remington Museum in Ogdensburg, NY in 2015:
Part 1,     Part 2,     Part 3

I then proceeded into the rooms devoted to Massena History which, I was told, were arranged in approximate historical order. I started with the oldest:

Massena was a pioneer town and had a long rural history as the artifacts indicated:

There were lots of tools from early life in mining, manufacturing, lumbering and farming:

I was particularly taken by these three hand made dolls, displayed in a bushel basket. At least they looked hand made to me, with intricate faces and elaborate costumes. There was no sign to give me an estimated date, but they were among the oldest items in the collection:

This was not a spinning wheel, though it may have been made from one. It was a Quiller, used to fill bobbins for a loom in the early 1800s:

I was stopped in my tracks by this tall, cast iron pillar and was surprised to learn that it was erected in 1842 as a treaty marker to commemorate the Ashburton Treaty, settling the dispute between the U.S. and Canada in the War of 1812. But there was a lot more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Hopkinton, New York Town Museum - Part 2

I was touring the Hopkinton town museum on a rainy Saturday (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had just finished the first floor. I walked upstairs and began in the military room. There were old uniforms, awards, banners, photos, flags and this model airplane. The lighting was bad, though, and this was the only photo from the military room which was usable:

They had an old typewriter and once again I realized that I've become old enough to have used some of the items which are now museum pieces:

The bedroom was typical for the 1800s, including bedpans, long johns and nightshirts, and reminded me of my grandmother's bedroom:


One wall had additional artifacts and some children's clothing:

A baby's crib, dolls and nightclothes:

Yes, this reminded me very much of my grandmother's bedroom:

Another upstairs room had been furnished as an old time schoolroom, complete with desks, globe and picture of George Washington:

I returned downstairs and went to the kitchen to photograph the old fashioned wood stove, once again an item I have used in my childhood:

  A cabinet which perhaps would be called a Hoosier:

The attendant took me out to the Museum Annex which was filled with old tools from around the farm and house:

A fanning mill for grain, a mold for making concrete block, snowshoes, corn planter, scythes, barrels and Adirondack pack baskets:

And a fire department pumper, made in 1897 and used in this town until 1927:

All kinds of tools;

Two old fashioned washing machines, a wringer and logging saws. There was one more building to see but the light was too dim for photography. So I thanked my host and headed for home: