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 FEBRUARY 2021
KNOWING WHERE YOU COME FROM VOLUNTEER SHARES FAMILY CONNECTIONS WITH LEVI AND CATHARINE COFFIN STATE HISTORIC SITE
By Marc Allan Shari Petersime needed a postretirement activity. The year was 2014, and she’d just retired after 39 years teaching junior and senior high school special education students at Northeastern High School in Fountain City, Indiana. A friend inquired: How about becoming a volunteer tour guide at the nearby Levi and Catharine Coffin State Historic Site? “And I laughed at her,” Petersime said, “because I thought, ‘OK, a blind person is going to give tours?’” At the time, Petersime, who was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare, inherited degenerative eye disease that causes severe vision impairment, “thought Levi Coffin was this guy who had this house and he hid a few slaves.” Still, she thought she might enjoy taking visitors through one room in the Underground Railroad stop. Then she started reading about the Coffins, who provided safe passage for more than 1,000 escaped slaves on their way to freedom from 1826-1847. She was fascinated. She volunteered to give tours of the three rooms on the lower level of the house.
Soon, she felt comfortable enough to guide visitors upstairs too, to show them the hidden areas where the Coffins provided shelter. Now, seven years later, the 70-year-old Petersime has taken thousands of people through the historic house.
“I enjoy telling the story,” she said. “I feel like it’s partly my story.” Petersime said her ancestors came from Longtown, a community founded by former slaves and free Blacks about 15 miles north of Fountain City that straddles Randolph County in Indiana and Darke County in Ohio. Some of the wagons of slaves that Levi Coffin directed into Ohio went through Longtown. “Some of my ancestors also hid them there,” she said. “Some were slaves and some were also some of the Underground Railroad operators.”
Levi Coffin’s 1876 book, Reminiscences, includes a story about Petersime’s thirdgreat-grandfather, William Thompson, an Underground Railroad conductor who moved to Longtown at Coffin’s suggestion. In the Coffin house is a pair of wooden shoes worn by William Bush, a runaway slave, that were donated by Petersime’s great aunt. Petersime feels a great connection to the house and its history, and that comes through in her tours. “Visitors have noted to me that they appreciate Shari connecting her own family’s story to the history we speak to at the site,” said Joanna Hahn, central regional director for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. “That helps to personalize the experiences of those the Coffins helped and shows how there are people living today that are connected to those stories. It’s great to work with individuals like Shari who are passionate in sharing this history and accommodating our visitors’ questions and curiosity.” Petersime’s favorite part of the tour is continued on next page
when she’s in the dining room telling the story of the Group of 17, who showed up in two wagons and hid in the house one night in the 1840s. “I reread that section of his book just this past year so I could get the details right,” she said. “One of the things I had not been telling was that when those 17 people sat down to breakfast, Levi said to them, ‘You can eat without fear because
you are among friends and you are in a community of abolitionists. No fugitive has ever been recaptured in this town.’ His whole purpose was to get them away, obviously, but make them feel safe.
visitor might ask. She’s also conversant enough to talk about the false-bottom wagon that’s in the barn and vividly describe the treacherous journey that slaves endured.
“It truly was a leap of faith – the people who traveled on the Underground Railroad didn’t know if they could trust these white people. They were able to trust Catherine and Levi.”
She wants visitors to leave the site knowing as much of its history as possible.
Petersime said her vision challenges prevent her from taking guests to the basement of the Coffin house (too dark) or the barn (difficult to navigate the path). Another guide teams up with her for those parts of the tour. But she knows the interior of the house – “There are 13 steps on both stairways” – and she knows what’s in each room well enough to answer most any question a
“I’m a firm believer in history,” she said. “You need to know where you came from. I want to get them excited about history and what happened that got us where we are today. I love the conversations you have when people have questions and you’ll get into a conversation back and forth. It stretches me a little and gives them more insight or some way of looking at history that they hadn’t before.”
STAFF SPOTLIGHT: MEGAN WAGONER Megan Wagoner is the development coordinator for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites. She began working for the museum system in January, 2021. Megan’s duties include managing the day-to-day functions on the fundraising side of the Blackbaud Altru database. She recently moved to downtown Indianapolis and has one very shy and adorable cat, Stevie.
WHAT IS ONE CRAZY GOAL YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE WITHIN YOUR LIFETIME? Read every book on the Penguin Random House 100 Classic Novel List! WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE? "There is never enough time to do all the nothing you want." -Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes
IF YOU COULD PICK UP A NEW SKILL IN AN INSTANT, WHAT WOULD IT BE? Owning/operating a vineyard WHAT IS SOMETHING THAT MIGHT SURPRISE OTHERS ABOUT YOU? I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs/paleontology. I know a dinosaur for every letter of the alphabet!
HAVE YOU EVER MET A CELEBRITY? When I was a special events intern at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., I volunteered during the 2018/19 NewCongressperson Orientation. I had to politely ask Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to not bring her coffee into an exhibit, which she happily agreed to do.
DONATIONS AS EASY AS A CLICK Did you know you could support the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites each time you make a purchase on Amazon? It’s true! Signing up and shopping with the AmazonSmile program is a simple way for you to support a charitable organization every time you shop – at no cost to you. Prices are the same when shopping through AmazonSmile, but 0.5% of your eligible purchases go to nonprofits, like the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
WAY TO GO! FEBRUARY ANNIVERSARIES KISHA TANDY Collections MICHELE GREENAN Collections JEFF ZAWADZKE
Gene Stratton-Porter
TIFFANY PARKER Gene Stratton-Porter
DUSTIN CHAVEZ
Security
ANITRA HELTON Marketing
BRITTANY MILLER
MARCH ANNIVERSARIES
To shop AmazonSmile, go to smile.amazon.com or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon app on your mobile device. Learn more about AmazonSmile and how to sign up or change your charity here.
19 years
MIKE LINDERMAN Angel Mounds
25 years
19 years
CHARLIE SHOCK Visitor Services
SHOPPING FOR A GREATER GOOD
21 years
9 years
LEIGH ANNE RICE-WEDDLE Experience 18 years
9 years
BETH BREYMIER Facility Rentals
Did you know your Kroger Plus shopper’s card can do more than save money on purchases in store and at Kroger gas stations? It also allows shoppers to give back to organizations like the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites through the Kroger Community Rewards program.
8 years 2 years
Corydon Capitol
1 year
SWATI GUNALE Development
1 year
JON MAYS
9 years
Vincennes
6 years
DAVID DAUM Finance
2 years
DARLENE PIELL Culbertson Mansion
1 year
The Kroger Community Rewards program donates funds annually based on a percentage of your spending. To register, you must have a shopper’s card and a digital account. Learn more about how to link your shopper’s card to a digital account and select your Kroger Community Rewards organization here. It’s an easy way to have your everyday purchases help to make a difference for the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
SECURITY UPDATE SAFETY PREPAREDNESS Each year, millions of dollars are lost through emergencies. Natural disasters like floods, tornadoes and winter storms or manmade disasters like bomb threats, arson and workplace violence cause extensive damage, which can jeopardize the lives of employees and visitors and result in costly work reduction. Because an emergency may occur any time, any place and often without warning, experience has shown that lives and property can be saved if people are properly trained and know what actions to take when it occurs. Our emergency preparedness workshop ensures that the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites are ready to deal with specific emergencies with minimum interruption. Still, in any emergency, common sense must be exercised and must dictate the actions of the employees. Find ISMHS Emergency Safety Preparedness 2021 information here: S:\ISMHS Safety & Security\ISMHS Safety Preparedness Info. The safety preparedness PowerPoint is intended to be a quick reference to allow you to get immediate help in an emergency, prevent injuries, save lives and protect property. We are working to provide Safety Preparedness workshops safely, but if you are unable to attend a future workshop, we ask that you review the PowerPoint. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Tyriee Love or Dustin Chavez.
MEET THE TEAM
Over the last year, the ISMHS security department has made quite a few staff changes. Rebuilding hasn’t been easy, but locating experienced, qualified and professional candidates was exciting. Each new ISMHS security staff member had six weeks of training and was provided extensive information regarding our system-wide operation. This was done to ensure that candidates understood their job duties and had time to decide whether they wanted to be part of the team. With that being said, let’s meet the security team! ASHTON HALL Ashton is currently assigned to third-shift weekends. They are currently enrolled in college studying psychology. They enjoy writing, crocheting and watercolor painting. Ashton’s long-term goal is to become a therapist. AVERY GATCHELL Avery is currently assigned to second shift and is enrolled in college studying criminal justice. Avery’s long-term goal is to graduate from law school. He enjoys being a part of his mock trial team. BORDEN FLEETWOOD Borden has been part of the security team for about three years, and he is our only full-time security specialist. Borden is currently assigned to third shift. He is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps. Borden enjoys leather crafting, martial arts and exercising. COOPER DAVIS Cooper is currently assigned to first-shift weekends. He is a veteran and has worked in law enforcement. Cooper enjoys studying the bible, sharing good news and having a great time.
CRYSTAL MAXEY Crystal is currently assigned to first shift Monday through Thursday. She has primary employment at Eskenazi Hospital as a lead security dispatcher. Crystal enjoys cooking, baking and spending time with her son, Nathan. MICHAEL ABRAM Michael has been part of the security team for more than two years. He is assigned to first shift on Sundays and second shift Monday through Wednesday. Michael has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and has primary employment as a teacher at Ben Davis High School. Michael enjoys art freelancing, sports and family time. SAMUEL KELLER Samuel is currently assigned to first shift and has wanted to be a museum employee since he was young. Samuel is extremely excited to be a part of the team, and he enjoys drawing, welding and playing video games.
D O YOU WANT TO BUI LD
WINNER!
A SNOWMAN?
Jessica Stephens Cate Whetzel Teri Youngman Kady Wilson
Amidst the winter storm that came through Indiana last week, the SRET team challenged employees and their families to a snowman-building competition. Congratulations to the team at T.C. Steele State Historic Site for creating a fanfavorite, T.C. Steele look-alike!
Elizabeth Bostelman Adam DeKemper Erica Montgomery
Leigh-Anne Rice-Weddle
Katie Barbour David Daum Emily Winship
Erica Montgomery
Audrey Miller
Krystle Mangan Rachel McFadden Eric Todd
Enjoy these snowy scenes at our locations across the state.
Angel Mounds
Angel Mounds
Corydon Capitol
Corydon Capitol
Indiana State Museum
Indiana State Museum
Levi and Catharine Coffin
Gene Stratton-Porter
SHARE YOUR STORY IDEAS! Renee Bruck, manager of communication | 317.260.3506 | rbruck@indianamuseum.org