Sharlot's yard sale

Yesterday -- the first day -- was probably a better choice for visiting the big annual Sharlot Hall Yard Sale. However, it was strictly during morning hours and I don't do mornings very well. So Sunday afternoon it was.

If I were being picky, I'd note that the sale wasn't in the yard -- nor was it in a garage. Strictly speaking, therefore it must have been a rummage sale. Whatever. Lots of Good Stuff, too. A cut well above the usual merchandise that one finds at such an affair. One surprise: no clothing, which is usually a staple.

There was luggage aplenty...

...and evidence of sports that had been given up for less vigorous activities.

Several cool looking electric portable typewriters -- though if my computer is down, that means the electricity is probably down as well. Which, in turn, means that the proper backup for emergencies or loss of civilization is an old manual Royal or Underwood.

Baskets always make a pretty display, as do Christmas goodies.

Mr. and Mrs. Santa (above) and an elegant if pricey set of fine holiday china ($30) below.

There was a room full of good looking, high quality furniture (above) as well as over 30 years worth of the Atlantic Monthly (below). I was sorely tempted to buy an issue from 1900 just to study the ads.

Also among the antiques: a set of Britannica, 9th edition, and the New Century. I'm sure that these references were chockablock full of great line illustrations, as well as presenting a point of view from an earlier time. Of the early topo maps in the antiques corner, none were of the Prescott area, so I was not tempted. On that note, I walked next door to the Park Plaza Deli for a roast beef sandwich.

I had planned to pick up a Thai take-out meal for supper plus a light bulb at the Goodwin Street Pharmacy -- but this was Sunday and nobody was home (except for the deli, thank goodness.) However, I took this opportunity to photograph yet another business down the tubes; I am quite surprised, as the recently opened Stepping Stones was a well stocked thrift shop, which should do well in these times. Anybody know what happened?

Design for Victorian living

A proper frontier Victorian house. How else to describe the John Fremont house on the Sharlot Hall Museum grounds? Built in 1875, 10 years after the town was founded, the Gurley Street cottage was the home of the fifth territorial governor of Arizona (1878-1881) -- on those few occasions he stayed in Prescott.

I had not realized that the building did not make it to the museum grounds until the early 1970s. The Sharlot Hall website tells us that the removal and restoration cost almost $30,000 and the caved-in roof (from a recent fire) did not appeal to the aesthetic senses of the community. Many questioned the whole process and one architect suggested the best way to deal with the old house, even after it was moved, was to burn it down. Eventually, the "Fremont House" was restored and was dedicated January 19, 1974.

These days it is one of the features in the monthly living history presentations by the museum staff and volunteers (above); the next such event is scheduled for Saturday Sept. 12, BTW. Note: all the furniture in the restored house is from the same historic era, though it came from many sources. I can't believe that the original was this uncluttered and suspect that folks with modern sensibilities did the decorating!

Now for a tour of the house, beginning with the dining room.

The dining room stove (above): what gorgeous iron work! Of course, there was a stove in every room for heating, most likely with local pine or juniper wood.

The kitchen (partitioned off by glass which made flash impossible to use).

The bedroom: above, bed; below, the vanity and night stand.

Finally, the bedroom stove. Thinking about all those stoves and all those logs to lug in and all those ashes to dispose of reminds me of how glad I am to live in the time of central heat!

Living History: the Ranch House

Ben Hansen and his crew should be happy -- I am totally dependent upon The Courier to keep abreast of events that might inspire interesting posts. And thus I learned of Living History at Sharlot Hall Museum; mind you, I've lived hereabouts more than 26 years, attended many fetes at the museum grounds, but had been completely unaware of the Living History programs. Second Saturday of every month, FYI, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Volunteers in period costume to describe life in pioneer days and answer questions.

With a brief respite from the terrible heat, I didn't mind walking down the hill to the museum -- and here's where I started: the Ranch House, one of three small log cabins. It was built in the 30s, under the guidance of Dame Sharlot herself, per the sign below.

Two volunteers were present to answer any questions I might have; I suspect they had a presentation as well, but I was an audience of one, intent upon getting pictures. Hardly the glamour girls of the local Victorian Society or the Shady Ladies, but then the women represented here dealt with more basic matters of survival in an unforgiving wilderness world.

One volunteer decided to step out; she nearly forgot to put on a hat! Bad form...

The table, chair and kitchen cabinets in the background. Note the leather strips that form the seat of the chair.

Isn't that tinwork absolutely the greatest? The piercings allowed a certain amount of air circulation in the cabinet. Below, a food and utensil storage cabinet, including a coffee grinder and simple earthenware containers.

The dry sink.

And look at that honey of a cookstove; I'll bet that corner on the far side of the stove was warm and cozy in the winter! The fireplace (below) supplemented the stove, both for cooking and for heat.

The bedstead, covered with a quilt in the pine tree pattern; below is a braided rug and a sewing/knitting basket. And all this living in one small room.

That Sharlot Hall Fence

When I first read that the Sharlot Hall Museum was to be surrounded by a high fence, I was naturally dismayed. I am one of those local residents who regularly strolls through the museum grounds without stopping to view any of the displays. Somehow the idea of a fence seemed a major turn away from the user-friendly past.

The reasons given: some vandalism at night, people visiting the museum proper without paying the entrance fee (and, very likely, homeless sorts bedding down in the grounds.) All this at a time when staff has been pared to the bone because the state has drastically cut funding.

This evening I walked past the museum grounds to seen the fence. I was delighted to note that it was erected inside the hedge made by the yellow Henderson roses which are blooming right now. Come to think of it, the workmen would have been badly scratched by those old fashioned roses had it been necessary to build the fence right next the sidewalk.

I did wonder about entrance and exit strategies, supposing one were a museum member, for example. I don't have all the particulars, but the front gates were wide open at 6 p.m., suggesting that one is still welcome to stroll the gardens during daylight hours. Whew! So the gates can be locked when the last employee leaves for the night. I've no real problem with that arrangement.

Bashford House remains outside the big iron fence, encouraging folk to browse the goodies in the museum shop. Having thought about the museum's problems, I've decided that every man Jack and every woman Jill in the greater Prescott area should buy an individual museum membership, at just $25 a pop. At the very least. Sharlot Hall's legacy is too great a gift to our town to allow it to starve, no matter how bad the times. Incidentally, the museum offers one pricier membership package that includes free use of the gazebo one time/year; I'm trying to figure out what kind of party I want to give!