Think Spring at "Victorian Landscapes" Workshop

“Victorian Landscapes,” the third workshop of the 2010 Winter Preservation Workshop Series, will take place on Tuesday, March 2 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, 200 Wallace Avenue in Crawfordsville.
Meg Storrow, Principal Landscape Architect at Storrow Kinsella Associates, will explore historic landscapes, designs for modern properties, and plants, fencings, and other decorative elements that complement an historic house.

Plan to attend this fascinating seminar, held at the Carriage House Interpretive Center at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. Cost for this workshop will be $15 for members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society or Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, and $25 for non-members. Registration will be open until the workshop; contact the Museum at 765-362-5769 or study@ben-hur.com for information.

One Case Down!

The 2010 exhibit, Sanctuary: Preserving the Legacy of Lew Wallace, is taking shape! Amanda McGuire and Deb are working diligently with white gloves and power tools to get everything in place. The first case done centers on Wallace's legacy through his best-selling novel Ben-Hur, including some rarely-seen ephemera, and the finished exhibit will open to the public Saturday, March 6.

Sneak Preview

The 2010 exhibit opens in just a few weeks and we are furiously working on displays, exhibits and interactive activities.

Lew Wallace's workbench, replicated by a local woodworker, will be the setting of the 'hands on' display. One of the activities planned is a block puzzle representing the Study. Handcrafted by volunteer Dave Alber, a magical woodworker himself, the puzzle consists of wood blocks in various shapes and sizes. Children and adults can 'build' the Study

Stained glass windows, porthole windows, faces from the Study's frieze are just some of the embellishments that can be added to the Study.

More 'hands on' activities are planned for the exhibit as well as programs throughout the year!

New Classes for 2010 Winter Preservation Workshop Series

The General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, continuing the tradition of advocating for historic materials that helped them win the 2008 National Medal for Museum Service, is reinstating its popular Winter Preservation Workshop Series after a one-year break. The first of four workshops, focusing on safeguarding family photos and personal papers, will take place on Tuesday, February 9, 2010 with “Pictures and Papers” from 7:00-9:00 p.m., led by Beth Swift from the Ramsay Archives at Wabash College.

The Winter Preservation Workshop Series, co-hosted by Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana and the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, offers a wealth of easily-applicable information for people interested in preserving historic buildings as well as personal effects. The four workshops, which will be held on Tuesday evenings in the Carriage House Interpretive Center at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum, will provide instruction on a variety of topics, from roofing matters to Victorian landscapes.

“We’re branching out from buildings this year to cover something that everyone has thought about: how to keep personal papers and photographs in the best condition,” said Amanda Wesselmann, Associate Director of the Museum. “Beth Swift has a lot of good information about easy, inexpensive things that people can do right now keep their documents in good shape.”

“Pictures and Papers” will introduce participants to products and practices used to keep family heirloom documents in the best possible condition for future generations. Beth Swift, the facilitator of this workshop, is the Archivist at the Ramsay Archives at Wabash College and author of the “Dear Old Wabash” history blog. Swift has also been instrumental in guiding the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum in their efforts to properly pack and preserve General Wallace’s personal artifacts as crucial repair work is done to the roof of his iconic Study.

The second workshop of the series, “Historic Roofing”, will provide an overview of historic roofing materials and acceptable replacements, as well as discussing maintenance strategies that can help prevent unneeded repairs. Representatives from Henry C. Smither Roofing Company in Indianapolis will lead the presentation, on Tuesday, February 16, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

“Victorian Landscapes” will be presented by Meg Storrow, Principal Landscape Architect at Storrow Kinsella Associates, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 2. This workshop will cover historic landscapes, designs for modern properties, and plants, fencings, and other decorative elements that complement an historic house.

Can preserving a historic building be good for the environment as well? The final workshop of the series, “Green Design in Preservation”, will present ways to incorporate green concepts like solar and geothermal power, water collection systems, and energy-saving products for historic buildings. The workshop, led by Jim Kienle of Moody Nolan’s Historic Preservation Studio, will take place on Tuesday, March 16 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.

Homeowners, business owners and those interested in historic preservation and landscape architecture are invited to attend these important workshops at the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum. Members of the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society or Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana can attend for $15 a session or $55 for the series. Non-members can attend for $25 a workshop or $90 for the entire series. Inquiries about memberships to the Lew Wallace Study Preservation Society can be made at 765-362-5769.
To register for the Winter Preservation Workshop Series or for individual workshops, contact the General Lew Wallace Study and Museum at 765-362-5769 or email study@ben-hur.com. Information/registration brochures are available at the Museum or can be mailed upon request. Registration is limited to 15 participants per session.

Moving Lew

Boxes of Lew Wallace's books and other large artifacts await the arrival of Red Ball Superior Moving and Storage to take them to the off-site storage location.

Grounds Manager Deb King watches her step carrying a chair out of the Study. This is the first time these artifacts have left the Study since Lew moved them in 1897!

Movers wait for the elevator to bring Lew's desk to its temporary home. They got quite an education from Collections Manager Amanda McGuire on how to pack and carry historic furniture. We were so grateful for their careful professionalism!

Boxes and artifacts rest in their temporary residence. It only took 2 hours to move the books and furniture, clearing space in the Study to pack other artifacts.

After the long morning, we enjoyed a celebratory post-move lunch. What a relief to have the first part of the move done!

Winter or Spring?

The winter of 2010 has been a chaotic mix of snow, sleet, wind and extreme cold. Mother Nature has thrown a wide range of different weather patterns to central Indiana. October was one of the wettest months in history and the first 15 days of 2010 never saw the temperatures rise above freezing.

Temperatures hovering just above zero in January and over 7 inches of snow in one storm, has the grounds of the Museum looking like a winter wonderland. Concerns about pipes freezing had the faucets kept to a slow trickle for days on end.

Even though the winter has seemed long, gloomy and never ending, Spring is on the doorstep (wishful thinking?) The blanket of snow on the ground for weeks, has now melted and surprise! Daffodils are emerging! In the past, daffodils have emerged towards the end of February. Emerging now puts them a full month ahead of schedule. I suspect that they will 'hibernate' until the proper time to bloom. Time will tell.

Siberian squill (scilla) has also sprouted. Scilla, a bright royal blue, usually shows some color the first of February. Spring cannot be far off, can it?

An Unwelcome Visitor

Grounds Manager Deb King releases a bat she found lying on the floor of the Study Monday afternoon.

We're not exactly sure how it got in, but by the time Deb found it, it was either sick or injured and didn't last long. This is one visitor that is NOT welcome!