I N D I A N A S TAT E M U S E U M A N D H I S T O R I C S I T E S
CROSSROADS EMPLOYEE NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2021
BRING THE FA M I LY
By Marc Allan After years of trying, Janice Arbaugh finally convinced her cousins to take a trip to Fountain City to experience a part of their heritage: the Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site. Arbaugh and her relatives – 13 in all, most of them first cousins and the greatgrandchildren of John Coffin, who was a great-grandson of Bethuel Coffin, uncle to Levi Coffin – spent Wednesday, Aug. 11, touring the house and the interpretive center to learn more about their famous ancestor and the home that became known as the "Grand Central Station of the Underground Railroad.” “It’s emotional for me,” said Arbaugh, who wore a shirt that read, 'Proud to Be Coffin.' “It’s hard to comprehend how he risked everything for what he believed in and acted upon his belief – not just talked about it. It’s an amazing story in our history – and the history of our country. And then you add our family connection to that.” Arbaugh, who lives about 45 miles west of Boise, Idaho, said she got some of the cousins to visit the historic site by flying from Boise to Des Moines, Iowa, renting a van, picking them up and driving them to Indiana. Other cousins made the trip from Michigan and North Carolina for the first family reunion in several decades. Only Arbaugh and one other cousin had visited the house before. For them, the experience provided a deeper
appreciation and immense pride for their family history. Bob Waugh, one of the Iowa cousins, marveled at Levi and Catharine Coffin’s willingness to risk their lives to help more than 1,000 freedomseekers escape slavery from 1826-1847.
“It’s just amazing,” he said. “I understand the conditions and the way they lived back in those days, but realizing the situation he was putting himself and his family in, it’s just amazing what they did.”
The Coffin descendants were lucky too – their guide, Janice McGuire, has been giving tours of the house since 1977. (Her sister Saundra Jackson, who also was along on the tour, has been a volunteer tour guide at the site for nearly 45 years.) “Janice does an outstanding job of portraying it,” Arbaugh said. “She really does.” Arbaugh traces her family lineage for 14 generations over 412 years. The oldest are Tristam and Dionis Coffin, who came to America from England and once owned Nantucket Island off the coast of Massachusetts. The youngest is Everett Overton, her great-grandson, who was born late July. “The community of Fountain City is outstanding and needs to be commended for all they did to preserve this house,” she said. “They cared enough to preserve that building so that someday, that little boy who was born recently will know this story.”
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: CHUCK LOCKMAN Chuck Lockman is the southeast regional program coordinator based at Culbertson Mansion State Historic Site. He began working full time for the museum system in October 2018, but he’s been involved with Culbertson Mansion as a volunteer, intermittent tour guide and in other capacities for 34 years. As program coordinator, his duties include implementing programs at Culbertson Mansion, Corydon and Lanier, scheduling and overseeing facility rentals at Culbertson Mansion, providing tours, assisting with building maintenance and more. He lives in Floyds Knobs. WHAT ARE YOUR HOBBIES, AND HOW DID YOU GET INTO THEM? The Culbertson Mansion has been like a hobby for me. I also enjoy plants and working with flowers, flower arranging, event planning and touring historic homes. IF YOU COULD LEARN TO DO ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Just about anything to do with historic home restoration, time-period costuming and antique furniture restoration. WHAT'S YOUR MOST PRIZED POSSESSION? WHY? While I enjoy the hunt and acquisition of antiques, my dog, Toby, is my best friend and companion.
WHAT IS A PIECE OF ADVICE OR MOTTO YOU LIVE BY? Do whatever it takes to get the job done! You never know when it may lift the world for someone else! WHAT WAS A TRIP THAT CHANGED YOU, AND WHY? Visiting Biltmore House 12 times. It has given me so much more appreciation for historic home restoration, maintenance and artifact care. WHAT'S THE MOST RIDICULOUS FACT YOU KNOW? There are many Culbertson-related ones! There are 86 stairs from the basement to the roof. There are 60 stairs on the main staircase to the top. There are 70 doors in the house.
HAVE YOU EVER RECEIVED A COMPLIMENT THAT YOU STILL THINK ABOUT TODAY? WHAT WAS IT? There are many “thank you” comments from satisfied guests at the mansion. Knowing I have made someone’s event better or provided an excellent tour experience means so much. WHAT'S A WORK-RELATED ACCOMPLISHMENT THAT YOU'RE PROUD OF? That I’m still here. Learning patience and flexibility. It has made the difference at the sites!
SEPTEMBER ANNIVERSARIES JOHN SEGNER Experience
9 years
COOKY GRAPHMAN Visitor Services
3 years
MATT ANDERSON Visitor Services 8 years
EMILY WINSHIP
BRIAN JOHNSON Experience 7 years
ABBIE HOLDORF Angel Mounds 1 year
ELIZABETH BOSTELMAN Angel Mounds 5 years
DEVIN ROBINSON Lanier Mansion 1 year
ERIN CRAMER
GWEN DIETER T.C. Steele 1 year
Visitor Services 4 years
MARCY DODSON Education
3 years
Marketing & Communication
MARC ALLAN
2 years
Marketing & Communication 1 year
SECURITY UPDATE THE
DO'S & DON'TS OF CPR
Do you know the Do’s and Don'ts of CPR? Enroll in either the September or October class to be on your way to becoming CPR/First-Aid certified. Please contact Dustin Chavez if interested. As a reminder for those already certified – or those who are curious about learning more – here are some CPR facts.
IS THE SCENE SAFE? Remember to check that your area is safe before administering CPR. HOW MANY COMPRESSIONS AND BREATHS? Remember to always give 30 compressions and 2 breaths and repeat this until either an AED or medical professional arrives on the scene. PROPER TECHNIQUE. Push hard, push fast. Place your hands, one on top of the other, in the middle of the chest. Use your body weight to help you administer compressions that are at least 2 inches deep and delivered at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute. DO ASK FOR PERMISSION. Good Samaritan laws require consent. Most countries have Good Samaritan laws that offer legal protection to bystanders who provide voluntary life-saving assistance. To qualify for protection, the provider must ask permission. (If the victim cannot reply, consent is implied.)
DON’T BEND YOUR ELBOWS WHEN PERFORMING CPR. You’ll waste precious energy. Performing CPR using only your arm muscles is exhausting. By keeping your arms straight, you engage your back and shoulder muscles and leverage your body weight. DON’T ROCK BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN CHEST COMPRESSIONS. It’s tiresome and less effective. Providing life-saving chest compressions isn’t difficult, but it can be tiring. During your CPR/First-Aid certification class, you’ll practice on a speecially designed mannequin, receive tips from your instructor on how to conserve energy while performing CPR, plus learn how to use an AED and other first-aid tips.
CPR/FIRST-AID CERTIFICATION CLASSES SEPTEMBER 13 AND/OR SEPTEMBER 14 Online Three-hour Blended Learning Course
OCTOBER 18 AND/OR OCTOBER 19 Online Three-hour Blended Learning Course
SEPTEMBER 16 In-person Certifcation class at Indiana State Museum
OCTOBER 21 In-person Certifcation class at Indiana State Museum
CONTRACTOR POLICY REMINDER Please remember all contractors must sign in through the security control office or wherever site managers have deemed contractors to sign in at state historic site locations. The contractor log sheet allows security staff to keep a record of names of all contractors working at all sites. Using this log will help with overall organization and keep things running smoothly by outlining who has arrived and who has left the site. These logs can be helpful during an emergency when it comes to accounting for those who are not normally on site. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Tyriee Love at tlove@indianamuseum.org or Dustin Chavez at dchavez@ indianamuseum.org.
COLONIAL FRENCH DAY Visitors discovered the sights and sounds of colonial French Vincennes during Colonial French Day at Vincennes State Historic Site on August 14. They toured the Old French House, explored old French gardening techniques and learned about the daily lives of a French fur trader, merchant and soldier.
SHARE YOUR STORY IDEAS! Renee Bruck, manager of communication | 317.260.3506 | rbruck@indianamuseum.org