Artifacts and memorabilia from the past display on shelves or cabinets of curiosities can be interesting and informative, but this doesn’t bring the past to life. At the award-winning Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro, Oregon, there are several “rooms” which show the objects in use and which help to bring the past to life. In the households of the past in Oregon, three rooms were of particular importance: the parlor, the kitchen, and the back porch.
Parlor
According to the museum display:
“The parlor was reserved for special occasions and otherwise was kept closed. Here the family gathered on Sundays and holidays, received visitors and conducted weddings and funerals.”
According to the museum display:
“The family’s best furniture was used in the parlor. Here we see a fine walnut settee, and organ, the Victrola and a recliner, the forerunner of today’s Lazy-Boy. A properly furnished parlor included a fern in a wicker basket, a shelf for precious keepsakes, an elegant wood shelf clock and a plush floral rug.”
Kitchen
According to the museum display:
“The white cupboard, used here for dishes, was commonly used in a pantry. The white kitchen cabinet, a baking center, held bins of flour and sugar, bulk foods and spices. So very fortunate was the housewife who had a porcelain sink with running water.
A turn-of-the-century cast-iron wood-burning stove provided heat for cooking, warmth, heating irons and water for Saturday night baths and laundry. In season, most women ‘put up’ hundreds of jars of canned fruit, vegetables and meat for the next year.”
Back Porch
According to the description:
“With its galvanized tin bottom and spooled slats, this washing machine was definitely a step up from earlier models. It allow housewives to wash several items of clothing at the same time! But a fair amount of ‘elbow grease’ was still required. The cloths, soap and water were loaded into the machine, then the spooled ‘rocker’ was moved back and forth by hand until the laundry had been scrubbed clean.”
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of various museum exhibits. More from this series:
Museums 101: The Nevada City Homestead Cabins (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Weekly Newspaper (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Korean Maps (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: What is a Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Presby House Bedroom and Bathroom (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Steele Drug Store (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: A Doctor's Office, Organ Works, and Outhouses (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Fort Dalles Museum (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The McVittie House in Fort Steele (Photo Diary)