A LOOK BACK The dirty, clear glass milk bottle in our collection is not something one would likely take a second look at — until the embossed letters of Miller Dairy Farm are revealed with the fascinating story …
Inven-stories By Mark Macrides, School Archivist I was pleased to have some time this summer to reconnect with our history. The archives’ collections, which, for the past several years have been stored in various locations, were finally brought together in one space. This work, with the help of a summer intern, included quite a bit of packing, moving, unpacking, cataloging, inventorying, and of course much reminiscing and the inevitable storytelling that is at the heart and soul of any
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historical archives. After several weeks of this, I decided I could
revealed with the fascinating story about dairy farming on
do without the packing and moving and unpacking, but there
Ponus Ridge connected to the school’s owned and operated
was definitely something very refreshing about the inventorying.
dairy farm in the late 1930s. The nondescript photo album
Refreshing, not in the sense of the musty smell attached to many
covered in a dated floral wallpaper would be passed completely
of these things, but refreshing in the sense of the grounding the
by unless one knew that it contained photographs and articles
stories around these historical artifacts provide.
about a Country School program called Project BOOST, devel-
The word artifact is defined as something that is “made by a
oped in 1964 by NCCS faculty including Peg Brown, George
human being, typically an item of cultural or historical interest.”
Stevens and Polly Olsen, who eventually became its director.
The act of inventorying artifacts involves examination, preserva-
Project BOOST, designed to be “a flexible academic enrichment
tion and making lists or catalogs. The process of inventorying as
program to serve disadvantaged public school children” would
described above sounds quite mundane, and in fact would be,
ultimately reinvent itself into what we know today as Horizons.
except for one key unmentioned element of the process: the
Our little “armory” of silver spray-painted wooden lances and
stories. It is impossible to pick up an artifact and not ask, What
swords would raise many legitimate questions without the
is it? Why is it? Where Did it come from? And what is its value?
context of years of Medieval study in the fifth and sixth grades
Inventorying answers all of these questions quite efficiently
culminating in a full-scale Medieval Faire complete with simula-
using databases where information can easily be entered and
tions of jousting and sword fighting. These artifacts are simply
saved. This, in my mind, has always been just a small part of the
points of inspiration for reminiscing and storytelling.
full process. It is the act of what I like to call “inven-storying”
Storytelling is indeed the primary role of the archives in
that extends the process and reveals the main point of the
institutions such as our own school. The thoughtful weaving
definition of artifacts — the cultural or historical interest.
together of these stories is what helps create our culture and
Historical or cultural artifacts themselves often do not jump
history. Our work this summer reminded me of that fact and
out in bright lights and declare their value and place in the
of the importance of the archives in schools, as well as our
world. In fact, they more often get buried in closets or base-
good fortune in employing Emma Thurton, Evelyn Liotard, Nick
ments underneath objects with more perceived relevance. It is
Thacher and others who understood that point and created
the stories attached to the artifacts that provide the context,
time and space for this work. It is no accident that NCCS has
the meaning, the entertainment and the reason for creating
such an extensive and preserved collection of artifacts. As a
elaborate systems and facilities for housing these otherwise
result of the work of these visionary individuals, I carry their
overlooked objects. The dirty, clear glass milk bottle in our
torch and jump back into the black hole of inventorying eager
collection is not something one would likely take a second
to transition, for whatever brief time I am granted, into the
look at — until the embossed letters of Miller Dairy Farm are
world of inven-storying.
NEW CANAAN COUNTRY SCHOOL BULLETIN • Winter 2022
