Have Tea With Us at the Palisades Restaurant on May 16th at 3pm

Discover Giles County Historical Society article from the Virginian Leader, May 5, 2010

The Giles County Historical Society invites you to join us for tea and goodies (at your own expense) at The Palisades Restaurant in Eggleston on Sunday, May 16th at 3:00pm for our Quarterly Meeting. Guests will learn about the history of Eggleston while enjoying good company and good food in one of Eggleston’s historic buildings. Where Mary Draper Ingles was found on her return from Indian captivity and once home to a mineral springs resort and depots for the Virginian and Norfolk & Western Railways, Eggleston’s history is wide and varied.

The Palisades Restaurant is located in the C. C. Whittaker store, built in 1926. The general store sold all types of merchandise from fabric to dishes to animal feed to gasoline to shoes to meat and produce. Daley Stafford’s Chevrolet dealership was built next door in 1929 with an automobile showroom and garage. A doctor and the post office were located in the store, as well, providing a one-stop shopping experience. Known as the Q. M. Pyne Store since the 1930s, the store remained open until Gladys Dowdy’s death in 2000.

At one time, the building was one of 6 stores in Eggleston. Today, the building’s history is recognized by its listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Come to the Historical Society’s Quarterly Meeting on May 16th and enjoy a long-time Eggleston meeting place.

May Day!

Discover Giles County Historical Society article from the Virginian Leader, April 28, 2010

May 1st is a traditional day of celebration throughout the world. Celebrations differ by country, but are related to the end of winter and the coming of summer. Many remember making May baskets as a traditional May Day activity. Someone would leave a brightly decorated May basket on a neighbor’s porch, ring the bell, and run away. If the basket receiver caught the basket giver, the giver owed the receiver a kiss.

Maypole dances were another way to celebrate the day. A tall pole was decorated with flowers, garlands, and brightly colored ribbons attached to the top of the pole. Dancers held the ribbons while they danced in a circle around the pole. The ribbons intertwined, creating a web around the pole.

May Day is also known as International Worker’s Day and is celebrated by labor organizations who used the day to fight for an 8-hour work day. The day is associated with the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago when over a dozen people were killed during a strike and ensuing riot. For these reasons, May Day has become a day for political and government protest for some.

Many also recognize mayday as an international distress signal like S.O.S. This meaning has nothing to do with May 1st, but instead comes from the French phrase, “venez m’aider”, meaning “come and help me.”

In the museum world, Heritage Preservation - the National Institute for Conservation (www.heritagepreservation.org), has combined May 1st May Day with venez m’aider mayday to highlight the need to save our collective heritage. Archives, libraries, museums, and arts and historic preservation organizations set aside May 1st as MayDay, an initiative to protect cultural heritage from disasters. Disasters can range from natural disasters to crimes and encompass anything that could potentially damage our collective history including buildings, archaeological sites, documents, books, artifacts, battlefields, and landscapes. Every day as we work at the Giles County Historical Society, we are mindful of the stewardship of our collections and mitigating risk to our collective heritage. The earthquake in Haiti, the hurricanes in New Orleans, and Giles County’s recent flooding are all examples of how fragile our heritage is and how important the observance of MayDay is to protect our cultural heritage.

Afghan Stitch Potholder Class

The Giles County Historical Society and Giles Arts Council present an Afghan Stitch Potholder Class taught by Evelyn Harris on April 9th and 16th from 1:30 to 3:30 pm. The Afghan stitch worked with a long Afghan crochet hook, creates a very dense fabric grid that can also be embellished with cross-stitch needlework. The Afghan stitch is created in a two-step process where during the first pass, called “forward,” the loops are created and gathered on the hook. During the second pass, called “return,” the loops are connected and dropped from the hook.

The Afghan stitch is known by different names in different parts of the world including Tunisian crochet, tricot crochet (France), hook knitting, Shepherd’s knitting, railroad knitting (England), and hakking (Norway). It is likely that the Afghan stitch was derived from hooked knitting in Africa and Central Asia where two hooked needles similar to crochet hooks were used to create fabrics and patterns. The stitch and simple tool and supplies may have been an easy way for sailors and shepherds to make clothing. As with many needle arts, Tunisian crochet became popular in the Victorian era and appears in publications of the times.

Come join us on April 9th and 16th and learn a new needle art! Class fee is $10. E-mail info@gilescountyhistorical.org or call 921-1050 to register.

Genealogy Workshop - April 10th

Did your ancestors live in Giles County? Are you searching for genealogical documentation on a southwest Virginia line? Thinking about forming a family assocation? Need to know the basics of internet research? Ever wonder if DNA testing can solve your brick wall? The George Pearis Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Giles County Historical Society are hosting a Genealogy Workshop on April 10th from 9am to 4pm at the Giles County Historical Society to answer these questions and more. Pre-registration is required. Topics include:

Researching Giles County Court Records. Local historian Ruth Blevins, the driving force behind such publications as Giles County Virginia, History – Families, Volumes I and II will offer many practical research suggestions on the records of Giles County.

Family Associations, Connections To Past And Present. Mabel Peters, Past President of the Snidow Family Association, will share ideas on how one family organization works at preserving the past, and promoting family history as well as creating and maintaining connections to distant relatives.

How To Find Your Ancestors Online. Mary Jane Burn, will explain the ease of online research, and the simple tools necessary to get you started. Learn how to trace your family tree from the comforts of home. Review what documentation is available for free as well as through subscriber services.

DNA – Its Relevance In Today’s Genealogy. Pat McCracken will discuss the relevance of DNA testing in conjunction with the genealogical paper trail.

Registration of $15 includes lunch, genealogy exhibits, and tours of the Andrew Johnston House. To register, call 540-922-2527, 540-921-3510, or 540-921- 4496 prior to April 3rd. For more information or if you have questions about Giles County genealogy, contact the Giles County Historical Society at 540-921-1050, info@gilescountyhistorical.org, on the web at www.gilescountyhistorical.org, or on Facebook.

The Giles County Historical Society works to perpetuate interest in the history of Giles County; provides a repository for Giles County family histories, documents, and artifacts; assists those interested in genealogical research; and voices concerns and pursues the preservation of any and all endangered Giles County history including artifacts, sites, and records.

Victorian Hair Wreath - a little creepy by today's standards!

Discover Giles County Historical Society article from the Virginian Leader, March 17, 2010

There are a number of items in the Giles County Historical Society’s Museum that really capture people’s curiosity. One such object is the Victorian hair wreath made from hair of the Hughes sisters of Wabash. Though a little creepy by today’s standards, making wreaths and jewelry of hair was quite common for middle- and upper-class women in the mid- to late-1800s.

Women typically had a container called a hair receiver on their dressing tables that they would fill with hair collected when they brushed their hair. The hair could then be wound around wires to form various types of flowers. Hair colors and flower textures created variety in the completed “fancy work.” The wreaths were usually made in a horseshoe shape with the most recently made flowers placed in the center at the bottom of the wreath and moved upward as new flowers were made. As hair wreaths were often made from the hair of deceased family members, it makes sense that the most recently deceased would be at the center of the wreath.

Rather than being a mourning wreath, it appears that the Hughes sisters made this wreath from their own exceptionally long hair - in the Historical Society’s collections is a photograph of Minnie Hughes with hair described as 4 feet 8 inches long. Minnie Hughes later married Dr. Frank Anderson, Wabash’s doctor and keeper of the community’s telephone switchboard. The Anderson’s granddaughter, Ernestine Boothe, donated the hair wreath to the Historical Society.

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

Discover Giles County Historical Society article from the Virginian Leader, March 10, 2010

One of our goals at the Giles County Historical Society is to manage our collections like a 21st century museum. The impressive exhibits that you see when you visit larger museums like the Smithsonian or museums in Roanoke or Richmond are only half of the story. Behind the scenes, their collections not currently on display are all carefully stored in archival boxes on archival shelving in climate-controlled spaces. They have large staffs who are responsible for creating exhibits, maintaining collection records, accepting donations, and keeping all artifacts in the best possible condition.

At the Giles County Historical Society, as in many museums in smaller communities, we have several part-time employees and volunteers trying to manage the collections in a similar manner, but on a much smaller scale with a much smaller budget. Collections management has been an ongoing project for the Historical Society. We’ve been the recipient of grants from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Association of Museums to purchase collections management software and hire consultants to help us understand how to improve our processes.

The first phase of our collections management project has been to organize over 10 years of collections paperwork and match the paperwork with the corresponding objects in the collection. Each object is then photographed and information about the objects entered into the computer. As we work through this process we will also be applying for grants for additional archival storage, updating our collections management policies and forms used for donations, and creating new exhibits. The collections management project is ongoing and likely will not be complete for several years. Remember, the next time you visit the Giles County Historical Society, that there is a lot going on behind the scenes!

New Board of Directors Sworn In

Discover Giles County Historical Society article from the Virginian Leader, February 10, 2010

The 2010-2011 Giles County Historical Society Board of Directors was elected and installed at the Annual Meeting on January 10th at Anna’s Restaurant. Outgoing President John Hale presided over the meeting which included a presentation by Dr. Dick Newton of Roanoke about his father’s medical practice in Narrows.

The Historical Society’s new president, J. R. Peek, is a newcomer to Giles County. Born and raised in Florida, J. R. is a veteran of the Air Force and a graduate of Lake-Sumter Community College. He owned his own landscape company before working for, and ultimately retiring from, Sarasota City and County governments.

J. R. and his wife Joan moved to Pearisburg in 2006 when they fell in love with the area. J. R. says, “Two things struck me about this area when we first came here. First the people. The attitude here is relaxed and friendly. People are willing to help anyone who needs it. The next thing is the wonderful weather that the local natives take for granted. I am trying to keep it a secret so that a lot of retirees do not discover it and drive the prices up. It is a wonderful place to live."

J. R. spends much of his time volunteering in Pearisburg and Giles County. In addition to his volunteer activities at the Historical Society, J. R. is a member of the New River Valley Senior Services, Inc. Board of Directors, Board of Directors of the New River Valley Agency on Aging, the Giles County RSVP Advisory Council, and a member of the Giles County Rotary Club. He is also a volunteer for RSVP and assists New River Community Action when necessary.

J. R. looks forward to his term as President of the Giles County Historical Society Board of Directors and the chance to actively help preserve the history of Giles County for future generations and get more residents involved in Historical Society activities and support.