Summer-Fall Old Salem Magazine by Old Salem Museums & Gardens

F armers M arket • MESDA M oves F orward • S outhern F aces

Summer/Fall 2012

Old Salem Museums & Gardens consists of three museums: The Historic Town of Salem is a restored Moravian congregation town dating back to 1766, with costumed interpreters bringing the late-18th and 19th centuries to life. Restored original buildings, faithful reconstructions,

 South Main Street Winston-Salem, NC 27101 Phone 336-721-7350 | Fax 336-721-7335 www.oldsalem.org

201 2–20 13

and historically accurate gardens and landscapes make the

b oar d of truste e s

Historic Town of Salem one of America’s most authentic

Ms. Judy Lambeth, Chair Mr. Paul Fulton, Vice Chair Mr. F. Hudnall Christopher, Jr., Treasurer Mr. C. Edward Pleasants, Jr., Secretary

history attractions. The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts (MESDA), collects, exhibits, researches, and educates the public about the decorative arts made and used by people living and working in Maryland, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, from the 17th century to the beginning of the Civil War. The Gardens of Salem consist of award-winning restorations that create a landscape reminiscent of early Salem where utility, practicality, and beauty are united.

Summer/Fall 2012 This Publication is produced by Old Salem Museums & Gardens, which is operated by Old Salem Inc., a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit educational corporation organized in 1950 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The Old Salem Museums & Gardens logo and name are registered trademarks, and may not be used by outside parties without permission. © 2012 Old Salem Museums & Gardens Edited by Gary Albert and Betsy Allen Publication Design by Hillhouse Graphic Design, LLC Photography by Wes Stewart, except when noted otherwise

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Dr. Eugene W. Adcock, III Ms. Betsy Annese Dr. Anthony Atala Mr. Nicholas B. Bragg Mr. Robert Brown Mr. Craig D. Cannon Mr. J. Haywood Davis Mr. W. Ted Gossett Mr. Richard Gottlieb Mr. James A. Gray, III Dr. Edward G. Hill Mr. Michael Hough Mr. Henry H. Jordan, II Mr. Stanhope A. Kelly Mrs. Chris Minter-Dowd Mr. Anthony Montag Mr. Christoph Nostitz Mr. L. G. Orr, Jr. Dr. Thomas H. Sears, Jr. Dr. Allston J. Stubbs, III Mrs. Margaret D. Townsend Mr. William Watson Mr. Samuel H. Wauford, Jr. Ex Officio Members: Mr. Franklin C. Kane Ms. Molly A. Leight Dr. Susan Pauly

On The Cover:

Detail from The Powell Boys, circa 1860. By artist Samuel Moore Shaver (1816–1878), Knoxville, Tennessee. For full image see page 26.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

The MESDA collections in The Magazine ANTIQUES ▼ Page 12 Beyond moonlight and magnolias

Summer/Fall 2012

message from the President • 5 Ragan Folan reviews her first six months at Old Salem’s helm. rifle returns to its roots • 6 The life and times of an 1849 George Foltz firearm. america’s Best Farmers markets • 8 Check U.S. News and Report. Old Salem is on the list.

By Laura Beach

the reporter, the President, and the Plaque • 10 Sometimes the most interesting stories from history are the things that didn’t happen.

Beyond moonlight and magnolias • 12 The MESDA collections are featured in one of the world’s most respected publications, The Magazine ANTIQUES.

Page 8 One of America’s Best Farmers Markets is right here in Old Salem. ▼

Volume 7, Number 2

Contents

Good things come in small packages. Miniatures new to the MESDA collections. ▼ Page 22

new to the collections • 22 southern Faces, southern Places Some people think the biggest finds in the MESDA collections are its smallest portraits.

click, view, search • 27 Now you can find the MESDA Journal anywhere. new citizens • 28 The site of America’s first July 4th celebration welcomes our nation’s newest citizens. ▼

Page 30 Don’t miss St. Nicholas, at Old Salem Saturdays in December. Be good!

Summer/Fall 2012

highlighted events • 30 Old Salem steps up the pace for the holiday season. Halloween, Thanksgiving, St. Nicholas, and more.

Farmer Kater and the Apple Tree, just one of the classic puppet shows your family can enjoy. ▼ Page 32

calendar of events • 32 There’s lots to do at Old Salem—especially for holidays! Check the cornucopia of events to enjoy with friends and family. 3

old salem museums & gardens would like to thank

for their sponsorship of

doris kearns

goodwin on the

american presidents We would also like to thank our many friends who purchased tickets, and our

individual sponsors Mr. and Mrs. Leslie M. Baker, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. F. Hudnall Christopher, Jr. Mr. Paul F. Fulton, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. C. Edward Pleasants, Jr. Proceeds from the evening will benefit ongoing programming at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

oldsalem.org

336-721-735o

Dear friends:

old salem museums & gardens administration

of our organization and the national recognition it has been receiving. As you will see in this

Ragan Folan President & CEO

am pleased to write to you for the first time, having just celebrated six months in my new role at Old Salem. Although I served on the museum’s board for years, my new position

enables me to be even more intimately involved in our day-to-day operations. I am so proud issue of the Old Salem Museums & Gardens Magazine, there is much to highlight. Progress continues on our utilization of the Historic Town of Salem and its gorgeous setting to provide a backdrop for special events like the Naturalization Ceremony on the Fourth of July or weekly gatherings such as the Old Salem Cobblestone Farmer’s Market, which has been met with rave reviews. We look forward to our fall and winter seasons and the host of events planned. I am especially excited about our “Saturdays with St. Nicholas,” which we hope will become a regular part of your family holiday traditions.

Eric Hoyle Vice President Administration & CFO Tom Connors Vice President Development John Larson Vice President Restoration Robert Leath Vice President Collections & Research Paula Locklair Vice President Education

The exciting changes at MESDA have attracted much attention from across the country. The museum has recently completed a number of gallery renovations and is featured in the September/October issue of The Magazine ANTIQUES, which has graciously allowed us to reprint their article for you in our magazine. We are grateful to the many MESDA donors who have made these renovations possible. MESDA is a renowned source of information about American material culture. The museum’s research programs have spawned countless books, articles, exhibits, and lectures by noted curators and scholars across the country. This summer MESDA’s academic journal was launched as a completely online publication, dramatically expanding its audience and incorporating powerful digital technologies. I am so delighted with the work being done here in the Historic Town of Salem, MESDA, and the Gardens at Old Salem. I’m looking forward to seeing you during the fall and holiday seasons. Best regards,

Ragan Folan, President & CEO Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Summer/Fall 2012

Rifle Returns to its roots by Johanna Brown

on 29 september 1849, David Reich turned twelve years old. It was a special birthday for the young man, highlighted by a memorable present. David lived with his family on a farm in the Moravian settlement of West Salem, Illinois. David’s gift was a handsome rifle from his Aunt Verona and Uncle George, a gunsmith who lived and worked in Salem, North Carolina. In this age of smartphones and video games, it is easy to forget that in the eighteenth century a rifle was an important tool for hunting and protection as well as sport. Imagine how thrilled young David must have been with his present. Not only was the rifle useful, it also represented a rite of passage that he was considered old enough to have a rifle of one’s own. Accompanying the rifle were a leather pouch, sometimes called a possibles bag, a bullet mold, and a powder horn, all the necessary accoutrements for a serious hunter. We can only speculate about whether David’s parents, Solomon and Sarah Reich, commissioned the rifle for their son or whether the rifle was a gift from Solomon’s sister, Verona, and her husband George. Regardless of who decided it was time for David to have his own rifle, family history suggests that it was not long before the young man became quite a marksman with his brass-mounted rifle. One story credits him 6

Rifle by George Foltz with leather possibles bag, bullet molds, and powder horn. with shooting a destructive crow between the eyes from a distance of more than three hundred feet. David Reich would later serve with the Union forces during the Civil War. Then he returned to Illinois to live for the rest of his life. He married Nancy Baird in 1866. The couple had seven children. David Reich died in 1908. His oldest son, Ollie A. Reich, inherited the birthday rifle. Ollie, in turn, passed it on to his son, Theodore. In 1945, when Charles Reich, David’s great-great grandson, was eleven years old, he found the rifle in his father’s closet. According to Charles: Dad [Theodore Reich] never liked guns… I wanted a real gun…which my father disallowed. Both my parents were working at the time in a World War II factory and I was left home during summer school vacation to fend for myself… I secretly dug out the old rifle and the possibles bag. I discovered the powder horn was almost filled with black powder and the percussion caps, bullet patches, grease and bullet mold were in the bag but no bullets. Old Salem Museums & Gardens

I went to the corner gas station and bought a Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and was apprenjunk car battery for 25 cents and broke it open ticed to Christopher Vogler on May 1, 1816. to get the lead plates. I then melted the plates After his apprenticeship, it seems George in my mother’s skillet and scooped out the worked with Salem gunsmith Timothy lead with a teaspoon into the mold and made Vogler. In the late 1830s they filed a joint Foltz shop sign, ca. 1860-1865. up a bunch of round bullets. newspaper advertisement looking to purFor the test shot I tied the rifle to the roof of chase “maple plank… for gunstocks.” my doghouse with clothesline and then tied a string around the As we acquire objects for Old Salem and MESDA, we also trigger and pulled it from inside the house, just to be safe. The collect their stories. Often it is the stories about the objects, as gun boomed, the smoke made a large cloud, and my first shot much as their historical and aesthetic value, that make them was a success. The shot caused the gun to go sideways and shot a significant. The Foltz rifle, donated by Charles Reich in memhole through our outhouse door. ory of his ancestors Matthaes Reich and George and Verona Foltz, is a valuable addition to the Old Salem collection. It Although he never discussed using the rifle with his father, is an excellent, well-preserved example of the work of Salem once he decided it was safe to use, Charles used it to secretly gunsmith George Foltz that exhibits the technical skill and hunt rabbits and pheasants. Ultimately, he inherited the rifle decorative style associated with the Foltz shop. The fact that it from his father. comes to the collection with its original accoutrements makes Charles recognized the importance of the George Foltz rifle it even more noteworthy; however, the stories that came with that had been passed down in his family and decided it was the rifle and its accessories make what was once a wondertime for it to come back to Salem where it was made. Last ful birthday present to a young Moravian boy an exceptional year he generously donated the family’s Foltz rifle, the posgift to the Moravian collections at Old Salem Museums & sibles bag, the bullet mold, and the powder horn to Old Salem Gardens. m Museums & Gardens. Remarkably, all of the objects have survived in excellent condition. Johanna Brown is Director of Collections and Curator of George Foltz was born in 1798. According to Gunsmiths Moravian Decorative Arts at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. of the Carolinas, 1660–1870, he was a “bricklayer, carpenter and gunsmith from 1819–43, at the Moravian Community Below: Details, Rifle by George Foltz, 1849, Salem, NC; near Wachovia, North Carolina.” Foltz came to Salem from LOA: 56-9/16". Acc. 5680.1

Summer/Fall 2012

U.S. News & World Report

americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best

farmers markets

by bill cissna with photography by virginia weiler

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Cobblestone Farmers Market Brings Local Produce and Goods Back to Salem

ombining history with a growing shopping trend has put Old Salem on the national stage. This summer, U.S. News & World Report ranked the Cobblestone Farmers Market at Old Salem as one of America’s best farmers’ markets. Each Saturday morning shoppers will find more than twenty farms and other vendors offering local produce, coffee, and baked goods. The vendors at Cobblestone range widely in their specialties but have one thing in common: “All of the produce is 100 percent from the vendors’ farms,” said Maggie New, who works at the market’s information tent. “We have a committee that visits and reviews each farm. You won’t see products from far away. These foods are locally produced, prepared and sold.” Farmers markets are a growing trend across the country, meeting consumer demand to buy fresh produce from known sources. Cheryl Ferguson, co-owner of Plum Granny Farm, sees multiple reasons for the trend. “There’s a concern among many shoppers about food coming from further and further away,” she said. “How many hands have touched this food? How fresh is it? What’s the carbon impact of transporting it here? And then, food safety: how was it grown and fertilized? Was it washed properly? In short, how safe is it?” Jeff Tucker, of Sugar Creek Farm, agreed. “Ten years ago, when I first got interested in sustainable farming, the buzz word was ‘organic.’ I was told that ‘local’ was the next big movement in agriculture, and that has proven to be true.” Not all of the sellers at Cobblestone are fully organic, but many are. The main point is

Summer/Fall 2012

freshness, whether it’s pork, beef, wine, vegetables, fruit, eggs, spices, or specialties such as Shiitake mushrooms and heirloom tomatoes. “More people are shopping locally, and also finding out that food bought directly from the grower is fresher and tastes better,” Tucker noted. “I truly believe local foods are here to stay for the foreseeable future.” “It’s very exciting to be doing what we’re doing now. It would have been harder 20 to 30 years ago; there was a much lower understanding of local and organic then. We’ve become better-educated consumers,” Ferguson added. The Cobblestone Farmers Market is thriving in its location behind T.Bagge: Merchant and along West Street, just a few steps away from Salem’s original Market House on Main Street. “I think the market setting is perfect,” said Dana Hernandez of Meadows Family Farms. “It allows the customers to shop in the shade while listening to live musicians.” Stop by Saturday mornings and take home something fresh grown or made nearby. The Cobblestone Farmers Market opens every Saturday morning at 9 a.m. and is open until noon. The market will run through November 17. For more information visit www.oldsalem. org/farmersmarket.html. m Bill Cissna is a freelance writer, playwright, and novelist living in Kernersville, North Carolina.

by Betsy allen

his year’s Fourth of July at Old Salem included an unexpected subplot. Along with the historically accurate activities to celebrate the day, such as the reading of the Declaration of Independence and musket firings by the militia, many of our visitors heard a quirky little story about a bit of Salem history that didn’t happen. The setting for the story takes place forty-six years ago. On a Monday. The cast of characters includes a Winston-Salem newspaper reporter, the President of the United States, and a bronze plaque about the size of a manhole cover. To be fair, the story really begins 229 years ago. On a Friday. Alone among the other states in the country, North Carolina declared Friday, July 4, 1783 to be a day of thanksgiving for the ending of the American Revolution. As far as can be told, the Moravians in Salem were first people to honor that proclamation, and as a result became the first community to officially celebrate the Fourth of July in the United States of America.

The sounds of trombones greeted the day, and the Moravians immersed themselves in religious services to reflect on the return of peace after years of war. Salem’s records reveal that at eight o’clock in the evening, the congregation gathered at the Gemein Haus on the square to form a procession through “the main street of the town, with music an the antiphonal song of two choirs.” The street was illuminated with torch, lantern, and candle. After the procession returned to the Gemein Haus, the congregation received blessings and was dismissed to rest. A little over two centuries later, in 1966, the town of Salem was marking the bicentennial of its founding. As part of the year-long celebration, a plaque recognizing Salem as the site of the first official Fourth of July celebration in the country was to be placed at the center of Salem Square. The President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, was scheduled to personally unveil the plaque on Monday, July 4, 1966. The plaque was designed with appropriate commemorative wording, including the fact President Johnson had unveiled the plaque. It was cast in bronze. And after months of planning and preparation the plaque was delivered to Salem and ready to be unveiled on that momentous Monday morning. Everything was set. The President was a no show. With time’s perspective it is easier to understand why President Johnson did not appear. In 1966, the United States was in the early stages of its escalation in Vietnam. President Johnson was tired. He wanted to go to his ranch in Texas to rest over the holiday. There were a lot of disappointed planners and participants in Salem that day. And the bronze plaque was quietly removed before a hastily modified program began. Several days later, Winston-Salem Journal reporter Arlene Edwards, whose regular beat included covering events at Old Salem, wrote a story about the event and President’s absence. She surmised that the Johnson plaque might be “melted down into a 50-pound puddle of bronze.” Little did she know that one day she would inherit it! GOOGLE IMAGES

the reporter, the President, and the Plaque

Photo, above left: Arlene Edwards Thompson poses with the bronze plaque commemorating history that never happened. Center: President Lyndon B. Johnson. Old Salem Museums & Gardens

He left nearly 25,000 single-spaced pages of notes about his home state, typed on a now nearly historical manual typewriter. The bronze plaque, however, is probably the most whimsical of his bequests. And it is certainly the heaviest. Roy and Arlene thought about displaying the plaque in their house, but there didn’t seem to be an appropriate spot that was structurally substantial enough to support it. Consequently it lived in their carport for over thirty years. Arlene said she has felt all along that the plaque ought to be back at Old Salem. Before she gave it back, though, she wanted to be sure that it wouldn’t be melted down. She hoped the museum would “keep it and have fun with it.” Earlier this year, after talking it over with John Larson, Old Salem’s Vice President of Restoration, Arlene decided to officially donate the plaque. In a thank-you note to Arlene, John wrote: “The history of L.B.J.’s almost visit here and the creation of this marker is one of those wonderfully quirky stories that make the past so very interesting.” John enlisted Old Salem’s President & CEO Ragan Folan and Director of Facilities Robbie King to accompany him to visit Arlene, thank her, and bring the plaque home. During its years in the carport, the plaque had suffered some indignities such as spider decorations, snail trails, and a neighborhood dog mistaking it for a fire hydrant. Robbie cleaned it and rubbed it with linseed oil, restoring its lovely patina. (Later, when Arlene saw the cleaned plaque, she declared that if Robbie’s linseed oil rub down can remove that much wear and tear, she wants one too!) The plaque was put on display in the Visitor Center for its first, but likely not last, appearance at Old Salem’s annual Fourth of July celebration. And that is the peculiar little story about a bit of Salem history that didn’t happen. m FORSYTH COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION.

A dozen or so years after the event, the bronze plaque, which had somehow been saved from the melting pot, was given intact to another Journal reporter and columnist, Roy Thompson, Arlene’s husband. The anonymous donor—who asked the two reporters not to reveal their name—may have chosen Roy as the recipient partly because of Roy’s series of stories he wrote for the Journal celebrating the nation’s bicentennial in 1976. Roy loved North Carolina and the characters who peopled its history. He wrote about a lot of them in his newspaper stories, which were later made into a book entitled Before Liberty. Roy died in 2007. In his “deceasement” (aka, obituary), it was said that the books Roy didn’t write might be his greatest contribution to the preservation of North Carolina’s history.

Betsy Allen is Editorial Associate at Old Salem Museums & Gardens. Photo, above: Arlene Edwards Thompson in 1966 placing a bow on the Coffee Pot in Old Salem for Christmas. Left: Re-enacting the 1783 torchlight procession during and Old Salem Fourth of July celebration from 1969. 11

Beyond moonlight and magnolias By Laura Beach

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

The Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts moves forward and looks westward

“When I met Frank Horton and saw the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts in 1976, I put down the Confederate flag and picked up a chair leg. How much better to see the South through its art, to understand its identity through its achievements rather than through the sacrifice of war. Here was an integrated statement about the South, its beginnings and expansion, its ethnic and historical richness.” Dale L. Couch Fig. 1. Detail of the press in Fig. 10.

Summer/Fall 2012

Fig. 2. MESDA showcases its recent work on the decorative arts of interior North Carolina in its reinstalled Piedmont Room. The paint-decorated yellow pine blanket chest of 1800–1820 is attributed to Henry Anthony (d. 1833) or Jacob Anthony (d. 1862) and is from Alamance County. Above the Chatham County hickory and oak armchair of c. 1780– 1800 is an ink and watercolor on paper fraktur birth record for Sarah Zimmerman (b. 1777) of Rowan County by the Ehre Vater Artist. On loan to MESDA from Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Spaugh, it dates to 1790–1795. The walnut, cherry, yellow pine, and poplar cupboard of 1820–1825 is by John Swisegood (1796– 1874). Above the hearth, which now displays decorated North Carolina stoneware, is an 1836 long rifle by John Eagle (b. 1813) that descended in the Craig family of Rowan County. The room’s woodwork is from Guilford County and 13 dates to 1766. 13

urator of decorative arts at the Georgia Museum of Art in Athens, Dale Couch sory board that is helping to revitalize MESDA, part of Old Salem Museums and Gardens in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Moving away sharply from traditional period-room displays, MESDA is reinstalling its galleries, expanding its collections, and revamping its in uential research and publishing programs—all in time for its e most dramatic changes are to MESDA’s collections. In 2007 the institution moved its dateline forward to 1861 and began closing gaps in its holdings. are from the southern backcountry, which the western regions of Maryland, Virginia, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

Salem’s president and CEO since February 2012, and Robert A. Leath, a native North Carolinian plucked from Colonial Williamsburg in 2006 to be Old Salem’s vice president of collections and research and chief curator. Pride propelled the southern decorative arts movement, whose start is often associated with the 1931 publication of Southern Antiques by burg Antiques Forum in 1949 drew attention to the paucity of scholarship on southern decorative arts and is said to have spurred the pivotal exhibition Furniture of the Old South: 1640–1820 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts three years Winston-Salem collections, chosen by Helen Comstock of and Frank L. Horton (1918–2004), a local antiques dealer turned museum professional who supervised Old Salem’s restoration between 1950 and 1972.1 “What interests me is how many pieces in the 1952 show came from Winston-Salem collections

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

and, in particular, were from the collection of Ralph P. Hanes (1898–1973),” says Daniel K. Ackermann, who was named associate curator of the MESDA collection in 2007. A textiles executive who began collecting in the 1920s, Hanes was the first of his set to combine traditional American connoisseurship with the decorative arts of the southern backcountry.2 Hanes influenced other Winston-Salem collectors, among them Frank Horton and his mother, Theodosia Taliaferro (1891–1971). Their initial gift of several hundred documented examples of southern decorative arts, interiors, and an operating endowment formed the basis of MESDA, which they founded in 1965. The collection has since grown to roughly twenty-five hundred artifacts. MESDA initially displayed its collections in a chronological progression of sixteen period rooms arranged in colonial revivalinspired domestic settings and four galleries. MESDA officially limited its scope to work made prior to 1820 in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, Kentucky, and Tennessee. In practice, the museum emphasized high-style objects made by urban craftsmen in Baltimore, Charleston, Williamsburg, and other coastal style centers. Horton’s most innovative and, arguably, most influential contribution to the study of American decorative arts is MESDA’s documentary and field research programs, which since 1972 have identified nearly twenty thousand objects and eighty thousand artists and artisans working in 127 different trades in the early South. In its first decade, MESDA researchers scoured records and field investigators combed the countryside in search of objects with documented histories in southern families, creating a descriptive and photographic record of their finds. “We would have lost so much in the way of regional history and artifacts had MESDA not undertaken this project when it did,” observes Maryland dealer Milly McGehee, MESDA’s first field representative. The survey’s empirical approach resulted in a race-blind, class-blind, gender-neutral archive that remains the cornerstone of decorative arts studies throughout the South and a model for field research elsewhere.3 “All that cumulative information has really changed southerners’ perceptions of themselves and the world’s perception of the South,” says Virginia antiques dealer Sumpter Priddy III. Frank Horton’s death in 2004 coincided with a period of institutional decline. MESDA cut back on new acquisitions and slowed its research

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

Fig. 3. New York designer Ralph Harvard enlivened MESDA’s galleries with new cork floors and arresting paint colors. The emerald-hued Catawba Gallery features recent acquisitions from Tennessee, Kentucky, and backcountry Virginia, areas of major interest for MESDA since 2007. The Wythe County, Virginia, paint-decorated blanket chest, center, is made of poplar and dates to 1810–1820. It descended in the Umberger and Tilson families. The cherry desk-and-bookcase behind it is by Isaac Evans (1777– 1822), Mason County, Kentucky, 1800–1810. Boys of the Powell Family, an oil on canvas portrait by Samuel Moore Shaver (1816– 1878), 1850–1860, Knox County, Tennessee, hangs above an East Tennessee walnut and poplar sugar box of 1820–1840. The painting is on loan from Mary Jo Case. The walnut corner cupboard at the right is by a cabinetmaker of Scots-Irish descent and was made between 1790 and 1800 in Knox County, Tennessee. At the far left is a cherry Mason County, Kentucky, sugar desk, 1790–1810, a loan from Andy Anderson. Fig. 4. Jar by Chester Webster (1779–1882), Randolph County, North Carolina, 1850. Salt-glazed stoneware; height 15 ⅛, diameter 8 ½ inches. Born in Connecticut, Webster moved to North Carolina, where he worked in Randolph County for the Craven family of potters. His work features whimsical incised decorations, such as this bird holding a banner inscribed “1850.” Fig. 5. Corner cupboard made by Christopher Slusher (1757–1845), probably for Anna Maria Weddle (1751–1834), Floyd County, Virginia, 1800–1810. Walnut and yellow pine; height 91 ⅞, width 52 ½ inches. Robert Leath recently identified cabinetmaker Christopher Slusher, who was born in Pennsylvania and migrated down the Great Wagon Road through Maryland to Floyd County. The inlay decoration exemplifies the best of German craftsmanship in the Virginia backcountry. A related example is in the Yale University Art Gallery.

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Fig. 6. MESDA’s newly installed Georgia Gallery features the arts of the Savannah River valley of Georgia and South Carolina. Among the objects pictured are, from the left: an inlaid birch and walnut table by Thomas J. Maxwell (1804–1869) of Elbert County, Georgia; an oil on canvas portrait of Dr. Robert Grant (1762–1843) by Samuel Lovett Waldo (1783–1861), St. Simons Island, Georgia, 1805–1815; a painted corner cupboard of yellow pine from Oglethorpe County, Georgia, 1830–1850, part of the original furnishings of White Oak plantation, built by Augustus Dozier (1807–1902) in the 1840s; and a birch and yellow pine Savannah River valley chest of drawers from Georgia or South Carolina, 1800–1820. Above this last hangs Mistipee, Yoholo-Micco’s Son by Charles Bird King (1785–1862) of 1825; King painted father and son when they were in Washington, D.C., to finalize a peace treaty between the Creek Indians and the United States. The woodwork is from Warrenton Hall, built in Warrenton, Georgia, c. 1790.

and publications programs. “The institution went through a period of mourning,” says Leath, who spent his first year in Winston-Salem planning MESDA’s exhibition at the 2007 Winter Antiques Show in New York. Later that year, he and his colleagues convened a think tank to chart a new direction for the institution, the results of which are seen here. “It seemed obvious that MESDA had to move beyond Frank’s original vision. Craftsmen didn’t die out after 1820, they moved west,” says novelist Robert Hicks, an original MESDA advisor and an early advocate for the chronological and geographical expansion of its collections. Born and raised in Florida, Hicks moved to Tennessee in 1974. He lives in an eighteenth-century cabin near Leiper’s Fork and is leading the campaign to reclaim and preserve Franklin, a Civil War battlefield threatened by development. MESDA’s new focus reflects its view that, away from the coast, traditions of handcraftsmanship survived well into the 1850s, undisrupted until the Civil War. Its expanded scope has revitalized the institution and stimulated a wave of research and collecting that has put MESDA and the southern backcountry at the forefront of American 128 16

decorative arts studies over the past several years. Most visibly, MESDAs’ groundbreaking exhibition Art in Clay: Masterworks of North Carolina Earthenware, organized by Luke Beckerdite, Robert Hunter, and Johanna Brown, will have been seen at five institutions by the time it closes in 2013. ollowing the think tank, MESDA’s first major acquisition, in 2008, was a walnut, poplar, and yellow pine corner cupboard made in Knox County, Tennessee (see Fig. 3). Independent scholar Tracey Parks will reveal the identity of its Scots-Irish maker, thought to be the state’s earliest known cabinetmaker, at MESDA’s October conference on American material culture. Another milestone was MESDA’s purchase of eight examples of Georgia decorative arts—including a corner cupboard from White Oak plantation, a worktable by Thomas J. Maxwell, and a George Abbott watercolor—at Brunk Auctions’ landmark sale of the Florence and William Griffin collection in May 2009. Georgia collectors Linda and David Chesnut subsequently donated the accompanying sideboard from White Oak, the Dozier family plantation in Oglethorpe County. New objects from the southern backcountry fill

ANTIQUES

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Fig. 7. Detail of a hand-painted wallpaper, 1830–1850. Height 71 ⅜ inches. The paper was removed in the 1920s from the Griffin family plantation in Columbia County, Georgia, and installed in the Winston-Salem house of Ralph P. and Dewitt Chatham Hanes. It is from a group of hand-painted wallpapers and murals found along the Savannah River in Georgia and South Carolina. MESDA curator Daniel Ackermann has identified the maker as “Van Patton,” a New York-born artist who worked with Dr. John Perkins Barratt (1795–1859) of Abbeville, South Carolina, in the second quarter of the nineteenth century. Gift of Mrs. Ralph P. Hanes.

the museum’s Piedmont Room and Catawba and Georgia Galleries, along with galleries devoted to ceramics, silver, textiles, and maps. Dedicated Kentucky and Tennessee galleries are in the works. New approaches to interpretation and display accompany the acquisitions. In the past two years, MESDA has revamped thirteen of its thirty galleries. “We changed the lighting, refreshed the floors and varied the texture and color from room to room,” says Ralph Harvard, a New York designer specializing in historic structures who consulted on the project. Architectural woodwork was restored to its original appearance based on recent findings by Susan L. Buck, a Williamsburg, Virginia, conservator. Natalie Larson, also of Williamsburg, advised on historic textile treatments. What MESDA used to call its period rooms are now galleries. In one striking change, a James City County, Virginia, court cupboard made between 1650 and 1660—one of only two known southern examples of the form—has been placed on a pedestal in the center of Criss Cross, a gallery devoted to MESDA’s unsurpassed collection of seventeenth-century southern furniture (Fig. 11). The updated display allows visitors to study construction details in the round. MESDA now treats architectural woodwork as the largest objects in these displays, rather than as backdrops for domestic vignettes. “There are two reasons why this is brilliant,” says Couch. “With very few exceptions, you cannot use the best quality objects to convey historical truths about daily life. People were leaving MESDA with the idea SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2012

Summer/Fall 2012

Fig. 8. A fraktur birth record for Maria Margaretha Hausihl (1787– 1871) of Newberry County, South Carolina, made by the Ehre Vater Artist, 1787. Ink and watercolor on paper, 15 ¾ by 12 ½ inches. Only a half-dozen fraktur by artists of German descent have surfaced in western South Carolina. Collection of Timothy J. Houseal and family, on loan to MESDA.

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Fig. 9. Based on analysis by Susan L. Buck, a conservator of painted surfaces, the woodwork in the Pocomoke Room has been restored to its original color. It dates from 1700–1725 and is from the Powell house in Somerset County, Maryland. The gallery has been reinstalled with eighteenth-century objects from the Chesapeake region of Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. The eastern Maryland gateleg table, center, is primarily walnut and dates to 1740– 1760. Flanking it are (left) an armchair from Pasquotank County, North Carolina, c. 1710–1740, and (right) a maple armchair of 1720–1740 that descended in the Goldsborough family of Talbot County, Maryland. Under the window is a Norfolk, Virginia, walnut dressing table of 1745–1760. The Tubal Furnace in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, cast the iron fireback in 1725, probably for Mann Page (1691–1730) of Rosewell plantation in Gloucester County, Virginia.

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that this is how people lived rather than with the more accurate notion that this is the best that people produced. The second is that when you restrict objects to their functional use in a display you prevent the accumulation of like objects for comparison. To perceive objects and artifacts is by nature a comparative endeavor,” he says. MESDA’s updated interpretation is embracing difficult issues that are central to southern history, foremost among them race and ethnicity. In February, it introduced a forty-five-minute tour exploring objects created by African American craftsmen, including North Carolina cabinetmaker Thomas Day, South Carolina potter David Drake, and Maryland painter Joshua Johnson. ake Forest University history professor Anthony Parent is helping MESDA reinterpret its Edenton, North Carolina, rooms. Parent recently discovered that Harriet Jacobs, author of the 1861 autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, resided in the house from which the parlor’s woodwork is drawn. Her searing account of her experience there is a story that MESDA plans to share with visitors. Conscious that its archives—much of it housed in battered metal file cabinets in the basement of the Frank L. Horton Museum Center—are not easily accessed, MESDA entered a partnership in

ANTIQUES

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Facing page:

This page:

Fig. 10. Press, Tennessee, 1830–1840. Cherry, cherry veneer, and poplar; height 91, width 41 ½, depth 20 inches. Unique to Tennessee, this form, often called a Jackson press, is distinguished by drawers overhanging a pair of doors. This example descended in the Trobaugh family of Jefferson County. Partial gift of Mary Jo Case.

Fig. 11. MESDA’s new interpretative strategies are on display in the Criss Cross Gallery, which presents selections from its unsurpassed holdings of seventeenth-century southern furniture. The gift of Frank L. Horton, the oak, yellow pine and walnut court cupboard, one of only two known examples, is now displayed on a pedestal and in the round so that visitors may inspect construction details. It is from James City County, Virginia, c. 1650–1660, and descended in the family of Mary Peirsey Hill Bushrod (1613–1661). In the hearth, a walnut blanket chest of 1690 – 1720 from Chowan County, North Carolina, replaces a vignette with cookware. At right, furniture from the Tidewater region of Virginia includes a walnut clothespress, c. 1680 –1700, and an armchair of c. 1690 –1720 made of cherry, hickory and/or white oak. The architectural woodwork is reproduced from a c. 1690 house in New Kent County Virginia.

Fig. 12. Surveyor’s compass made by Jonathan Simpson (1797–1863), Bardstown, Kentucky, 1819. Brass, steel, silver, glass, wood, iron; length 14 ⅝, width 6 ⅝ inches. This beautifully engraved compass was originally owned by James Kerr McGoodwin (1793–1875).

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Fig. 13. Based on the findings of conservator Susan Buck, the Meherrin Room, which is dedicated to the arts of Charleston, has been repainted a vibrant saffron color. Natalie Larson fashioned new textile treatments, including bright blue festoon curtains. Flanking the mahogany desk-and-bookcase with carving attributed to Henry Burnett (active 1750–1761) are oil on canvas portraits of John Beale (c. 1735– 1807) and Mary Ross Beale (d. 1771) by John Wollaston (active 1742–1775), 1765–1767. Above the hearth is Thomas Leitch’s 1774 oil on canvas view of Charleston. To the right is a mahogany and cypress side chair, 1740–1755, originally owned by John Blake (1752–1810). The mahogany tea table in the center dates to 1755–1775.

This article appears in the September/October 2012 issue of The Magazine ANTIQUES, available at newsstands now. Old Salem thanks writer Laura Beach and editor Elizabeth Pochoda for allowing us to reproduce the article here. For more information or to subscribe to The Magazine ANTIQUES, please visit themagazineantiques.com.

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2009 with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to digitize its databases and make them available through a jointly-sponsored portal specializing in southern decorative arts. Recently relaunched online at mesdajournal.org, the museum’s scholarly Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts contains links to every article published since 1975, plus a preview of coming editions. The centerpiece of MESDA’s new initiative for scholars is the Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray Library and MESDA Research Center, which opens in May 2013 in space that formerly housed the Old Salem Toy Museum, whose contents were auctioned in 2010. The Winterthur-trained collector Tom Gray is funding the project, named in part after his mother.“I’m fulfilling Frank’s last wish for a research library,” says Gray, who is working with the specialist dealers William Reese, Clarence Wolf, Catherine Barnes, and Joseph Rubinfine to assemble a collection of North Carolina books, manuscripts, autographs, and colonial currency

dating from 1590 to 1865. The collection’s secondary focus is rare books and manuscripts from Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and South Carolina. Gray’s collection will eventually join Old Salem’s unrivaled archives on the history of North Carolina Moravians in the new facility. ince 2007 MESDA has staked out uncharted territory, pursuing new initiatives in collecting, research, interpretation, presentation, and publication that are stimulating the larger fields of American decorative arts and material culture. But where does the study of the South ultimately end? “Personally, I would take the vision all the way,” Robert Hicks says. “It wasn’t easy to see beyond Frank Horton’s original mission, but MESDA should encompass the entire South up to the Civil War, all the way west to Indian Territory, New Mexico, and Arizona,” he adds, fixing his gaze on the frontier, to the place where East meets West and the nation’s outline as a whole begins to take shape.“The new goal for southern decorative arts is not to prove that

ANTIQUES

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Fig. 14. Elizabeth Paisley Gibson (1785–1846), one of four Gibson family portraits attributed to the Guilford Limner, 1827. Watercolor and ink on paper, 15 ½ by 13 inches. Recent research by Sally Gant of MESDA reveals that the socalled Guilford Limner worked in Kentucky and possibly Virginia and South Carolina as well as in Guilford County, North Carolina. Collection of Alice Fitzgibbon, on loan to MESDA.

we made beautiful things. That battle has been won. The goal is to see that southern decorative arts are integrated into the bigger history of American art. We’re working on it,” Couch adds. 1 A report on the first Colonial Williamsburg Antiques Forum published in The Magazine ANTIQUES, April 1949, noted that several speakers called attention to the “lack of information about craftsmanship in the south” and concluded, “It seems clear that we don’t yet know the whole story.” Horton’s life is chronicled by Penelope Niven in “Frank Horton and The Roads to MESDA,” Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, vol. 27, no. 1 (Summer 2001), pp. 1–150; and in Luke Beckerdite, “The Life and Legacy of Frank L. Horton: A Personal Recollection,” American Furniture 2006, pp. 2–27. 2 See Daniel Kurt Ackermann, “60 Years Later: Furniture of the Old South,” Old Salem Museum and Gardens Biannual Magazine, Winter–Spring 2012, pp. 17–21, for a discussion of Furniture of the Old South: 1640– 1820 at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, January 17 to March 2, 1952, and for insight into the collecting activities and influence of Ralph P. Hanes. 3 Bradford L. Rauschenberg describes the genesis of MESDA’s field research program in his introduction to Rauschenberg and John Bivins Jr., The Furniture of Charleston, 1680– 1820 (Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts, Winston-Salem, N. C., 2003), vol. 1, pp. xxxi-xxxiv.

MAY/JUNE 2012

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New to the Collections

Southern Faces, Southern by Robert A. Leath

n recent years, MESDA has acquired ten portraits that tell an expanded story about southern art from the colonial period to the Civil War. These include works by important artists, such as Mary Roberts and Charles Fraser, and others less well known, like Samuel Shaver and Benjamin Bynum. Together, these images present a diversity of southern faces that highlight the different ages, genders, classes, and sub-regions that defined the early South. They include four young boys fishing in a creek; three young women at the time of their betrothals; two aristocratic brothers entering manhood, one departing on a European Grand Tour; two craftsmen—a cooper and a cabinetmaker—at their peaks of productivity; and a stonemason’s widow in her final years. MESDA is grateful to the collectors and dealers who have been critical to these acquisitions: Mary Jo Case of Kingsport, Tennessee; Davida Deutsch of New York City; Christopher Jones of Alexandria; and Elle Shushan of Philadelphia.

Joseph Yates and Sketch Edward Greene Malbone (1777–1807) Charleston, South Carolina 1801–1802 Watercolor on ivory HOA: 2-11/16"; WOA: 2-3/16" MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5678)

Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Edward Greene Malbone was America’s first native-born miniaturist. He enjoyed success traveling the East Coast painting miniatures for wealthy clients. At the age of thirty, Malbone contracted tuberculosis and died in Savannah, Georgia. This is one of Malbone’s three known portraits of Joseph Yates (1775–1822), a Charleston cooper. His painting indicates the wealth that could be attained by slave-owning craftsmen in Charleston—Yates died with an estate that included an elegantly furnished townhouse on Meeting Street, a small farm outside of town, and forty-one slaves (twelve of whom worked as coopers in his shop at Beale’s Wharf on East Bay Street). The miniature’s original leather case contains an intriguing sketch of a Palmetto tree and the political phrase coined by South Carolina congressman Robert Goodloe Harper during the 1798 XYZ affair: “millions for defense, not a cent for tribute.”

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Places Young and Old, Large and Small While most portraits are of wealthy planters or merchants and their wives and children, this image provides a rare glimpse into a face from the artisan middle class. It depicts Agnes Balderstone Wyse (1741–died before 1810), who was born in Falkirk, Scotland, and married Ninian Wyse (1742–1807), a brickmaker and stonemason. In the 1770s, she migrated to Virginia with her husband and two young daughters. Ninian’s career was documented in court records by taking apprentices and overseeing the construction of armories and bridges, as well as private buildings. He is buried at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond. Drawn as an elderly widow dressed in black with a shawl over her shoulders, Agnes was probably painted just a few years before her death.

Agnes Balderstone Wyse Unknown artist Richmond, Virginia 1807–1810 Oil on mahogany panel HOA: 10-3/16"; WOA: 8-7/8" MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5558)

This painting may have been executed by the same limner who painted a large group portrait of four women of the Ege and Galt families, whose husbands were Richmond silversmiths, now in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Collection at Colonial Williamsburg.

Mary Jones Keating Broughton Mary Roberts, the widow of Charleston’s British-born artist Bishop Roberts (d.1739) famous for his engraved view of the city, became the first professional miniaturist in America. In 1740 she advertised in The South Carolina Gazette her skills at “Face Painting well performed.” With ivory as her canvas, Roberts depicted the young teenager, Mary Jones Keating Broughton (1726–1815), shortly before her marriage to wealthy planter Maurice Keating at St. Philip’s Church on 19 November 1745. Keating died four years later, and Jones married Alexander Broughton (d.1764) of Kiblesworth plantation in St. Johns Berkeley Parish.

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Mary Roberts (d.1761) Circa 1745 Charleston, South Carolina Watercolor on ivory HOA: 1-3/16"; WOA: 1" Gift of Davida Deutsch in memory of Frank L. Horton (Acc. 5494)

New to the Collections,

continued

Mary Goode Spotswood Lawrence Sully (1769–1804) Circa 1795 Richmond, Virginia Watercolor on ivory HOA: 1-7/8"; WOA: 1-3/8" MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5601)

John Ball Laurens Edward Rutledge Laurens Charles Fraser (1782–1860) Charleston, South Carolina October 1823 and May 1825 Watercolor on ivory HOA: 4-1/4"; WOA: 3-1/2" MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5543.1-2)

Like Mary Roberts, Lawrence Sully was born in Great Britain and came to America with his family. As the eldest brother of cabinetmaker Chester Sully (1781–1834) and painter Thomas Sully (1783–1882), Lawrence was part of a talented family and enjoyed a career of his own painting miniatures in Norfolk and Richmond. Signed “LS,” this miniature depicts Mary Goode Spotswood (1776–1847), a Richmond belle and daughter of Colonel Robert Goode of Whitby plantation. In 1795, she married John Spotswood (1774–1835), the great-grandson of the colonial royal governor Alexander Spotswood, who lived at Orange Grove plantation, near Fredericksburg. Like Mary Jones, Mrs. Spotswood’s portrait was probably painted around the time of her marriage.

Charles Fraser’s portraits of the two brothers, John Ball Laurens (1799–1827) and Edward Rutledge Laurens (b.1806), personify Fraser’s mature style, as well as the mores and traditions of Charleston’s antebellum society. John and Edward were both named after distinguished Revolutionary War-era ancestors and were born and married into the city’s small circle of socially prominent families. In 1826, John and his wife, Caroline Olivia Ball (1806–1828) embarked on a two-year European Grand Tour from which he never returned. His wife’s diary of their journey survives in the manuscript collections at UNC-Chapel Hill. In 1846, the brothers’ own children, John Ball Laurens (1824–1865) and Eliza Rutledge Laurens (1827–1890) married each other, and the miniatures descended in their united family line.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Sophia Fraser Warley Charles Fraser (1782–1860) Charleston, South Carolina Circa 1815

One of Edward Greene Malbone’s closest friends and associates was a young Charlestonian named Charles Fraser. Under his father’s direction, Charles trained to be a lawyer, but he foreswore the practice of law to pursue his interest in becoming an artist. Today, Fraser is best known for his miniature portraits, like this charming image of his niece, Sophia Fraser Warley (1799–1882). It exemplifies Malbone’s influence on his early work and, like the portraits of Mary Jones and Mary Goode, was painted at the time of Sophia’s marriage to Jacob Warley (1792–1839) on 18 December 1815. When compared to Fraser’s self-portraits, the red-headed Sophia bears a strong resemblance to her distinguished uncle.

Watercolor on ivory HOA: 3-5/8"; WOA: 2-7/8" Gift from the Metropolitan Museum of Art by exchange (Acc. 5509)

Alexander Calder Like Edward Green Malbone, Samuel F. B. Morse was born in New England and enjoyed artistic success traveling to America’s major cities painting portraits for wealthy patrons. Around 1820, he painted Charleston cabinetmaker and entrepreneur Alexander Calder (1771–1849), described by American art historian William Kloss as a “confidant, upright, unaffected Scotsman.” Born in Edinburgh, Calder migrated to Philadelphia. In 1796 he was in Charleston advertising elegant furniture, such as secretaries, sideboards, wardrobes, and ladies dressing chests, for sale at his shop “opposite the SCOTS CHURCH.” Along with men such as Robert Walker, he was a dominant figure in Charleston’s Scottish cabinetmaking community. In 1809, he acquired the Planter’s Hotel on Meeting Street and lived the rest of his life as a successful hotel owner, real estate broker, and dry-goods merchant.

Summer/Fall 2012

Samuel F. B. Morse (1791–1872) Charleston, South Carolina, Circa 1820 Oil on canvas HOA: 29-3/4"; WOA: 23-5/16" MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5627)

New to the Collections,

continued

Sarah Jane Abbott Rembert Benjamin Bynum (circa 1811–before 1850) 6 June 1839 Athens, Georgia Watercolor on ivory HOA: 2-11/16”; WOA: 2-1/8”

In the mid-nineteenth century, itinerant artists traveled the countryside making portraiture widely available for the first time. This image is an excellent example. Signed and dated in Athens, Georgia, it depicts Sarah Jane Abbot Rembert (1809–1839), a daughter of congressman Joel Abbot (1766–1826) of Wilkes County and wife of planter William P. Rembert (1805–1877) of Elbert County, Georgia.

MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5544)

Benjamin Bynum was the son of Turner Bynum (1777–1824) and Elizabeth Miller (1781–1851), who married in Charleston and moved to Columbia around 1810. In 1836 “Benjamin Bynum of Columbia” married Sarah O’Bannon of Barnwell, South Carolina. The next year he advertised in the Milledgeville, Georgia, newspaper that “he hopes to share a portion of the patronage extended to Southern artists.” Bynum also worked in Greenville, South Carolina, and Athens, Georgia, where his brother Turner Bynum (1808–1832) and sister Elizabeth Bynum Chase (b.1810), respectively, resided.

The Powell Boys Samuel Moore Shaver (1816–1878) Knoxville, Tennessee Circa 1860 Oil on canvas HOA: 67"; WOA: 67" Anne P. and Thomas A. Gray MESDA Purchase Fund (Acc. 5658)

Robert A. Leath is Chief Curator and Vice President of Collections & Research at Old Salem Museums & Gardens.

Samuel Shaver was born in Sullivan County, Tennessee, and like Charles Fraser trained to be a lawyer but chose instead to work as an artist. After initial training from Tennesseeborn limner William Harrison Scarborough (1812–1871), Shaver taught painting at the Rogersville Female Institute and later opened a gallery in downtown Knoxville. He became the “court painter” of antebellum East Tennessee, famous for his large canvases with detailed landscapes in the background. This portrait is considered to be one of his masterpieces. It depicts the four young sons of Knoxville mayor Thomas Jefferson Powell (1821–1900) with their playful dog fishing in a creek with Powell’s tannery in the background and the University of Tennessee’s building on a hillside in the distance. The boys are John (age 10), Kyle (age 8), Walter (age 7) and Thomas (age 3). Shaver’s placid scene belies the political and social turmoil that would divide East Tennessee into strongly Union and Confederate factions throughout the Civil War.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

click, view, search: MESDA Journal Goes Electronic

E by Gary albert

Gary Albert is Editorial Director at Old Salem Museums & Gardens and Editor of the MESDA Journal

arlier this year, MESDA announced the release of its award-winning academic periodical in a completely new, online format at www.mesdajournal.org. In the few short months since its launch, the e-journal has been viewed by three times more people than would have received the traditional paper-and-ink journal in an entire year. Feedback from readers has been exceptional and from as far afield as Germany and Italy.The Journal of Early Southern Decorative Arts, commonly known as the MESDA Journal, was established in 1975 and over the years has published seminal articles in the field, providing an outlet for established and emerging scholars to present their work. In its first issue, the museum’s co-founder Frank Horton wrote:

“As museums go, MESDA is but an infant, both in size and in age. Its opening in January, 1965, was filled with the hope that a museum displaying the decorative arts of the early South would fill a void in the knowledge of art historians and antiquarians concerning this part of our southern cultural history. To some extent, the museum has indeed achieved this. We quickly realized, however, that even our dreams for an expanding museum collection, together with lectures and special exhibits, could never gather and display more than a minor part of surviving southern decorative arts. Publication seemed the answer.” Thirty-seven years later, the museum has matured and grown but the core mission of the MESDA Journal has remained constant—now in a new e-journal format. The online medium

Summer/Fall 2012

allows us to reach the broadest audience possible, and also enables us to harness powerful new tools such as scalable images, multimedia content, and hyperlinks to third-party sites. The MESDA Journal is available free of charge, but we encourage readers to consider a donation to help underwrite honoraria for contributors and other production costs. One of the benefits of publishing an e-journal is that articles can be posted as they are ready throughout the year instead of waiting to gather them into one issue. Check the site regularly or join the mailing list to receive notices when new content is available. If you’re looking for an elusive article from past paper-and-ink issue, click on the Past Issues link and you’ll be able to view a digital version of every article published in the journal over the past thirty-seven years. We welcome your input and involvement as MESDA’s new online journal evolves. Be sure to visit the Help page if you would like tips for reading and sharing articles. And please do not hesitate to contact us with your comments or suggestions. m 27

New Citizens add resonance to N a t u r a l i z a t i o n C e r e m o n y ★ July 4, 2012

By Bill Cissna

with photography by Christine Rucker Photography

Since 1783, when the residents of Salem were the first North Carolinians to respond to the governor’s call to celebrate independence and peace on the Fourth of July, Salem Square has had a special connection to Independence Day. For the last two years, the revelry has been made even more meaningful with an event that equally reflects the appeal of freedom to people around the world.

s part of the wide-ranging interpretive activities that Old Salem has presented on the Fourth for many years, Salem Square was the location for the second iteration of what Winston-Salem Journal reporter Lisa O’Donnell called “a star-spangled naturalization ceremony.” Along with enthusiastic and supportive families and spectators, amid impressive pomp and circumstance, 169 individuals officially became American citizens in 2011 and 2012. From an amazing range of countries—from West Africa and Moldova to Sudan, Malaysia, Pakistan, and Albania—these immigrants have completed all the legal requirements necessary to gain their citizenship certificates. This year’s keynote speaker was United States Navy Vice Admiral Harry B. Harris Jr. Since 2011, Admiral Harris has served as Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and has traveled extensively as part of Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s staff. In fact, he was scheduled for a trip with the Secretary of State the following day, but thought Old Salem and July Fourth were the perfect place and time for the naturalization ceremony. “For America’s newest citizens, this is a wonderful day,” Harris said. “To stand before you on the site of America’s first Fourth of July is an honor. I believe the richness of our diversity is what makes us the greatest nation in the world.”

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

old salem’s Fourth of July

Then, with inspiring words and sounds ringing in their ears, the new citizens stood on historic ground in a gathering sure to be as memorable to them as the services of 1783 were to the Moravians of the newly-independent state of North Carolina. Another of this year’s speakers, Robynn Rutledge, noted in quoting a 1954 speech to the DAR, “There is no race, creed or culture which has a monopoly of Americanism, except the human race; the creed of friendship and good will; and the culture of free speech and free opportunity.” ★ Bill Cissna is a freelance writer, playwright, and novelist living in Kernersville, North Carolina. Summer/Fall 2012

Highlighted Events at Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Harvest Day, Pumpkin Carving, Saturdays with St. Nicholas, Candlelight Christmas and Much More… Day, October 20 • Harvest Pumpkin Carving, October 27 Trick or Treating, October 28 Museum Classes,

D Christmas Gift Ideas Make Your Own Gifts Attend an Old Salem Museum Class: September 20, Hearth Broom October 18, Leather Portfolio November 13, Christmas Pyramid, Handmade Tree Decorations, Pewter Spoon, or Slip Trail Pottery December 4, Pewter Spoon or Slip Trail Pottery

Special Shopping days: November 10 Old Salem Holiday Open House December 1, 8, 15, 22 Saturdays with Saint Nicholas

espite its lively year-round schedule, Old Salem steps up its pace from late October all the way into the New Year. From Harvest Day (October 20), pumpkin carving (October 27) and Trick or Treating (October 28) to museum classes that result in unique Christmas gifts, the fall and holiday seasons at Old Salem are full of enticements to visit the historic district. Throughout the both seasons, after-hours tours give special nighttime looks at Old Salem. For Halloween, it’s the “Legends and Lanterns” walking tour. In November and December, “Christmas by Candlelight” tours are sure to put you in the yuletide spirit. An eighteenth-century version can be taken on the four days before Thanksgiving, while a nineteenth-century stroll will be presented on eight dates from November 30 to December 22. For all after-dark tours, plan ahead: reservations are needed to hold your spot. A festive addition to this year’s lineup is “Saturdays with St. Nicholas.” St. Nick has visited Old Salem in the past, but on a more limited basis. This year he’ll be at the Horton Center each Saturday during the holiday season inviting children of all ages to visit and have their Old Salem Museums & Gardens

See pages 32-35 for the complete calendar of events and more information. Group rates are available for holiday events. Call Group Tour Office Monday–Friday, 9:00am–4:30pm at 1-800-441-5305, toll free. photo taken with him. And be sure not to miss a production of a family favorite puppet show, “Sophie and the Ginger Cakes.” For those in need of unique gifts for the holidays, be sure to take advantage of Old Salem’s special shopping days. Throughout the district, the museum’s the stores are sure to provide that perfect present for even the hardest person to buy for. Start of your shopping expedition at the Visitor Center and then start up Main Street at the Horton Center Museum store and then onto T.Bagge: Merchant, Moravian Book & Gift, and the Butner Hat Shop. Once you’ve scratched that last name off your list, reward yourself with a treat at the historic and aromatic Winkler Bakery! m

Above: “Salem Street Scene in Winter” by Pauline Bahnson Gray, 1940s. Private collection. From Moravian Christmas in the South by Nancy Smith Thomas (2007). Left: Old Salem is dressed for the Christmas season, welcoming guests and visitors.

Summer/Fall 2012

Calendar of Events September–December 2012 SEPTEMBER 15, 22, 29 Saturdays

22 Saturday

29 Saturday

Farmers Market in Old Salem Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market brings fresh, local farm products back into the heart of the city! 9 a.m.–Noon. Free. Adjacent to the Single Brothers’ Garden and behind T. Bagge Merchant.

Screening: Looking for Lincoln In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Lincoln, excerpts from the PBS documentary will be shown. 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Included with All-in-One Ticket. St. Philips African Moravian Church.

29 Saturday

26 Wednesday

15 Saturday

William P. Cumming Map Society Meeting MESDA is hosting the William P. Cumming Map Society for a guided tour of their superb cartographic collection. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. $20 (including lunch). Frank L. Horton Museum Center. Register by calling 336-721-7360 or email mesdaprograms@oldsalem.org

15 Saturday

Garden Workshop: Herbal Tea Making Use your own herbs to create simple, great tasting, and healing teas. 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Free. Single Brothers’ Workshop. To register, call 336-721-7357.

The Lessons of History: Doris Kearns Goodwin on the American Presidents This special lecture on the American Presidents will take place at the UNCSA Stevens Center and includes 60 minutes of remarks followed by 30 minutes of Q&A. 7 p.m.–8:30 p.m. Tickets cost $46 and $31 and are available through Stevens Center box office. For more info, contact 336-721-7331.

26 Wednesday

Science Alive Join us for a day of hands-on science activities and demonstrations throughout the historic town of Salem. $9 per student and $18 per adult (Old Salem pays for one adult per 12 students). Reservations required.*

Museum Class: Make a Hearth Broom Participant will learn to make two hearth brooms, one to take home and one for a gift! 6 p.m.–8:30 p.m. $38 ($34 Friends of Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration required by September 13.*

Museum Class: Make a Powder Horn Work with the gunsmiths of Old Salem to make your own custom powder horn. Shaping the spout, fitting the plug and decoration techniques will be covered. 9:30 a.m.–4 p.m. $210 ($195 Friends of Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration is required by September 21*.

OCTOBER 2 Tuesday

Garden Workshop: Native Plants for Triad Gardens Use native plants to the best advantage in your Piedmont yard and garden. Noon –1 p.m. Free (bring lunch). Frank L. Horton Museum Center. Register by calling 336-721-7357.

3, 5 Wednesday, Friday

29 Saturday

20 Thursday

Garden Workshop: All about Lavender Explore everything about this ancient herb, prized for its fragrance, color, and beauty. How to grow, harvest, craft, and taste lavender. 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Free. Single Brothers’ Workshop. For more info call 336721-7357.

Euro-Classica Car Show Old Salem Museums & Gardens will host the 2012 Euro-Classica car show, a gathering of European cars and motorcycles. 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Free. South Main Street in the Old Salem Historic District.

Puppet Show: Farmer Kater and the Apple Tree Growing apples is not an easy task for Farmer Kater until he meets a famous American hero. 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. (except Oct. 20: 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.). Included with All-InOne ticket or $2.00 per person for puppet show only. Frank L. Horton Museum Center.

6, 13, 20, 27 Saturdays

Pre-registration for programs is requested if indicated. See page 34 for details, call 336-721-7350 or 800-441-5305 or visit www.oldsalem.org for more information. 6 Saturday

Garden Workshop: “Today’s Special–Chestnuts” Learn about the American chestnut tree, sample chestnut flour cake, roast chestnuts. 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Free. Single Brothers’ Workshop. To register, call 336-721-7357.

6 Saturday

MESDA Saturday Seminar: “As Good as Sterling:” New Findings in Southern Silver Noted presenters discuss recent discoveries in southern silver. 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. $65 ($55 for Friends of MESDA/Old Salem). MESDA Auditorium. To register, call 336-721-7360.

10, 12 Wednesday, Friday

Puppet Show: Farmer Kater and the Apple Tree See October 3 & 5

more. 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Included with All-In-One ticket, Adults/$21; 6–16/$10 Friends of Old Salem Free.

20, 24, 26 Saturday, Wednesday, Friday

Puppet Show: Farmer Kater and the Apple Tree See October 3 & 5

25–27 Thursday–Saturday

MESDA Conference: Material Culture: America, the South, Tennessee The seventh biennial MESDA Conference focuses on new discoveries in Southern decorative arts. $145 ($130 for Friends of MESDA/Old Salem). Additional charges for dinner and side trips. Register by calling 336721-7360 or email mesdaprograms@ oldsalem.org

NOVEMBER November 1–March 2013

3 Saturday

Garden Workshop: Cooking with Herbs Add herbs for flavor and nutrition—learn how much to use, when to add, which to use, fresh or dried. Noon–1 p.m. Free (bring lunch). Frank L. Horton Museum Center. To register call 336-721-7357

17, 19 Wednesday, Friday

Puppet Show: Farmer Kater and the Apple Tree See October 3 & 5

18 Thursday

Museum Class: Create a Leather Portfolio Hand stitch a leather folio based on an original displayed in the Salem tavern. $90 ($80 Friends of Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Preregistration required by October 11.*

20 Saturday

Pigs & Pippins! Harvest Day at Old Salem Celebrate the fall harvest with hands-on activities, puppet shows, historic demonstrations and

Summer/Fall 2012

Scout Day: History & Science Collide! A day of hands-on science activities and demonstrations throughout the historic town of Salem for Scouts. 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. $10 Leader/$8 Scout, with advance reservations and prepayment. Preregistration required by October 28*.

26, 27 Friday, Saturday

Legends and Lanterns Halloween Tours Tour Salem’s nighttime streets, visit haunted stops and hear local ghost tales. Tours begin every 15 mins. From 6–9 p.m. Tickets $20/adult, $15/children ($18/$13 for Friends of Old Salem). Check-in: Frank L. Horton Museum Center. Preregistration suggested.*

3, 10, 17 Saturdays

11 Thursday

MESDA Douglas Gallery Exhibition: Southern Stoneware Kaolin to Claymount: Demystifying James River Valley Stoneware.

Farmers Market in Old Salem Old Salem Cobblestone Farmers Market brings fresh, local farm products back into the heart of the city! 9 a.m. –Noon. Free. Adjacent to the Single Brothers’ Garden and behind T. Bagge Merchant.

3, 7, 9 Saturday, Wednesday, Friday

27 Saturday

Halloween Pumpkin Carving Show off your pumpkin carving creativity. Free pumpkins; bring your own tools. Prizes will be awarded. Saturday 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Boys’ School Yard.

28 Sunday Trick or Treat in Old Salem Trickor-treating throughout the historic district for children, who should be accompanied by a parent/adult and wear light-colored costumes/clothing for safety. 6–9 p.m. Free. South Main Street from Salem Square to Frank L. Horton Museum Center.

Puppet Show: The Great Turkey Trot Join Honeysuckle White and Tom while they trot their flock of turkeys to market in Washington, DC where they have a surprising encounter with a beloved American president. 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. (no 10 a.m. show on Nov. 3). Included with All-In-One ticket or $2 per person puppet show only. Frank L. Horton Museum Center.

8 Thursday

Garden Workshop: Wildlifefriendly Landscapes Create and manage an environment around your home that welcomes and supports wildlife, especially birds. Noon –1 p.m. Free (bring lunch). Frank L. Horton Museum Center. To register call 336-721-7357 Calendar continues on page 34 33

Calendar of Events continued September–December 2012 10 Saturday

13 Tuesday

Garden Workshop: Cooking with Lavender Bring lavender into your kitchen as a seasoning, for vinegars and marinades, to flavor conserves, liqueurs and jellies, for cookies and ice creams, to decorate cakes, and much more! 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Free. Single Brothers’ Workshop. To register, call 336721-7357.

Sheila Ingle Book Signing Author Sheila Ingle will be on site in costume signing her books. 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Free. Moravian Book & Gift.

Slip Trail Plate Pottery Class Decorate 2 slip trailed plates. Slip trailing was used to decorate many types of Moravian Pottery. 6–9 p.m. $35 ($30 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration required by November 8.*

10 Saturday

14, 16 Wednesday, Friday

Shops at Old Salem Holiday Open House Get a jump on your holiday shopping. Visit Old Salem from 10 a.m.–4 p.m. for special music, food sampling, craftsmen, authors, storytelling, vendors, shopping and more. Free. Old Salem Visitor Center and Retail Stores.

13 Tuesday

Build a Christmas Pyramid Class Participants will use basic hand skills and tools to assemble a traditionally styled wooden pyramid used in period Christmas decorating. 6–9 p.m. $95 ($85 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration required by November 6.*

13 Tuesday

Handmade Tree Decorations Make your own pair of hand-dipped beeswax candles, gild an eggshell, and craft tissue paper flowers to adorn your Christmas tree. 6–8:30 p.m. $18 ($16 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration required by November 6.*

16, 17 Friday/Saturday

13 Tuesday

10 Saturday

Museum Class: Make Your Own Pewter Spoon Participant will leave with one finished spoon and a second spoon casting to finish at home. Participants should wear long pants and closed toe shoes. 6–9 p.m. $40 ($36 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ House. Pre-registration required by November 6.*

Puppet Show: The Great Turkey Trot See November 3, 7, & 9.

Christmas by Candlelight 18th Century Tours Take a guided tour by candlelight. The evening will include music, games, food and drink. Tours begin at 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8 p.m. $20/adult, $15/children ($18/$13 for Friends of Old Salem). Pre-registration required.*

17 Saturday

Garden Workshop: Gifts from Herb Harvest Learn a multitude of creative uses for herbs—from baskets and arrangements to candles and aroma fragrance. 10 a.m.–11 a.m. Free. Single Brothers’ Workshop. To register, call 336-721-7357.

*To register, reserve a spot or purchase tickets, please call 1-800-441-5305. For more information, visit www.oldsalem.org. Group rates are available for holiday events. Call the Group Tour Office Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. at 1-800-441-5305, toll free. Your All-in-One Ticket to Salem includes admission to many events. Some events, when noted, require an additional ticket and reservations. For more information on tickets and pricing, call 336-721-7350. Hours: Old Salem Visitor Center is open Tuesday–Saturday 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. and Sunday 12:30-5:00 p.m. Exhibit buildings are open Tuesday–Saturday 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., except Sunday when they are open 1:00–4:30 p.m. Old Salem Museums & Gardens is closed on Mondays, Easter, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve & Christmas Day. The MESDA Auditorium is located in the Horton Museum Center. Museum Class Registrations: Please call 800-441-5305 to reserve a place in any of the Museum Classes.

Workshop Registrations: Please call 800-441-5305 to reserve a place in any of the workshops. MESDA Seminar Registrations: Please call 336-721-7360. Note: All outdoor programs will be held weather permitting.

Old Salem Museums & Gardens

Pre-registration for programs is requested if indicated. See information box below for details, call 336-721-7350 or 800-441-5305 or visit www.oldsalem.org for more information.

17 Saturday

begin at 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8 p.m. $20/ adults, $15/children ($18/$13 for Friends of Old Salem). Pre-registration required.*

Create a HOliday WreatH Classes take place at 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. $38/adults and children ($34 for Friends of Old Salem). vierling Barn. Pre-registration required by november 9.*

4 Tuesday HOliday HeartHSide BakinG Hearthside cooking. make a cranberry pound cake, apple pie as well as an egg-shell basket with marzipan treats. 6–8:30 p.m. $34 ($31 Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Preregistration required by november 27.*

23, 24 Friday, Saturday CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt 18th Century tOurS See november 16 & 17

24 Saturday Saturday WitH St. niCHOlaS Full day of fun activities for the whole family, meet St. nicholas, puppet shows, baked treats, holiday shopping. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. $. Frank l. Horton museum Center.

muSeum ClaSS: make yOur OWn PeWter SPOOn Participant will leave with one finished spoon and a second spoon casting to finish at home. Participants should wear long pants and closed toe shoes. 6–9 p.m. $40 adult ($36 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ House. Pre-registration required by november 27.*

28 Wednesday limeStOne COlleGe CHOrale and JaZZ enSemBleS enjoy holiday favorites. noon. Free. James a. Gray, Jr. auditorium, Old Salem visitor Center.

PuPPet SHOW: tHe Great turkey trOt See november 3, 7, & 9.

30 Friday

DECEMBER 1, 8, 15, 22 Saturdays Saturday WitH St. niCHOlaS Full day of fun activities for the whole family, meet St. nicholas, puppet shows, baked treats, holiday shopping. 11 a.m.–3 p.m. $. Frank l. Horton museum Center.

Saturday 19tH Century CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt tOurS take a guided tour by candlelight. the evening will include music, food and drink. tours

Summer/Fall 2012

Tuesday SliP trail Plate POttery ClaSS decorate 2 slip trailed plates. Slip trailing was used to decorate many types of moravian Pottery. 6–9 p.m. $35 ($30 for Friends of Old Salem). Single Brothers’ Workshop. Pre-registration required by november 27.*

28, 30 Wednesday, Friday

19tH Century CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt tOurS take a guided tour by candlelight. the evening will include music, food and drink. tours begin at 6:30, 7, 7:30, and 8 p.m. $20/ adults, $15/children ($18/$13 for Friends of Old Salem). Pre-registration required.*

Tuesday

Tuesday SWinGle BellS Join martha Bassett and friends as they perform a selection of holiday favorites at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. $18 adults, $5 student/child. James a. Gray, Jr. auditorium, Old Salem visitor Center. tickets: 800-838-3006.

5, 7, 8 Wednesday, Friday, Saturday PuPPet SHOW: SOPHie and tHe GinGer COOkieS Join Sophie on a journey following three exotic strangers who are in search of the Christ Child. 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. (except dec. 8: 11a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m.). included with all-in-One ticket or $2.00 per person for puppet show only. Frank l. Horton museum Center.

Friday 19tH Century CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt tOurS See december 1

Saturday Saturday WitH St. niCHOlaS See december 1

Saturday Salem CHriStmaS Join us for this annual celebration of moravian Christmas traditions with hands-on activities, demonstrations, wagon rides, cooking and more! 10 a.m.–5 p.m. at 5:15 p.m. carol singing and lighting of the Christmas pyramid. included with all-in-One ticket, adults/$21; 6-16/$10. Friends of Old Salem Free.

12 Wednesday CHriStmaS lOveFeaSt at St. PHiliPS a Christmas lovefeast will be held to commemorate the first service held in the african moravian brick church on december 15, 1861. 12:15 p.m. Free. St. Philips african moravian Church.

12, 14 Wednesday, Friday PuPPet SHOW: SOPHie and tHe GinGer COOkieS See december 5, 7, 8

14, 15 Friday, Saturday 19tH Century CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt tOurS See december 1

15 Saturday Saturday WitH St. niCHOlaS See december 1

19, 21 Wednesday, Friday PuPPet SHOW: SOPHie and tHe GinGer COOkieS See december 5, 7, 8

20, 21, 22 Thursday, Friday, Saturday 19tH Century CHriStmaS By CandleliGHt tOurS See december 1

22 Saturday Saturday WitH St. niCHOlaS See december 1

27 Thursday Peter and tHe WOlF a delightful performance of the beloved childhood classic tale by Sergei Prokofiev featuring the Carolina Symphony Players. 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. $5 general admission. James a. Gray, Jr. auditorium, Old Salem visitor Center. tickets call: 1-800-838-3006. 35

shops at old salem

Holiday Open House november 1o

Get a jump on your holiday shopping. Visit Old Salem from 1o:oo a.m. to 4:oo p.m. for special music, food sampling, craftsmen, storytelling, book signings, vendors, shopping and more! Free.

For a full list of events, classes and concerts, visit oldsalem.org or call 336-721-735o