This week at Eckley, I spent most of my time preparing various interpreted spaces for this past weekend’s public event, Patchtown Days, which is the largest of the year at the site.
On Monday, I cleaned the eastern side of the Exhibit House, a two-family sized home on the upper end of town that is on display for public view with a “lived-in” set-up with artifacts throughout. On Tuesday, I cleaned the western half. This particular house is interpreted in a fashion representing an immigrant family’s rise in social status after some time living in a patch town. The western side is furnished with more simple, cheaper articles—the stove is a basic cast-iron coal-burning model, the dining room table is simple with a long bench, the kitchen utensils are simple pewter, there is little decoration aside from a small print nailed to the wall, and the walls themselves are painted flat white. Meanwhile, the eastern side depicts the same family much later—the walls are painted in color, the furnishings are more ornate, the utensils are nicer and there are more modern kitchen aids, there are numerous framed pictures, and the sheer volume of items (including foodstuffs) is much greater.
The Exhibit House.
Exhibit House, western side kitchen.
Exhibit House, western side kitchen, dining area.
Exhibit House, western side bedroom.
Exhibit House, eastern side kitchen.
Exhibit House, eastern side kitchen, dining area.
Exhibit House, eastern side bedroom.
On Wednesday, I briefly cleaned the site’s Episcopal church. This particular building is not technically original to Eckley (it was donated from nearby White Haven in the ’70s), it is practically identical to the original church that was demolished several decades ago because it was built with the same designs and at the same time.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, interior.
I spent Thursday cleaning the Slate Picker’s House, a small shack off a back street that would have historically homed a slate picker (a worker responsible for separating slate and other refuse from coal) and his family. This home is one of the smallest on-site, and the interpreted furnishings within reflect the lower status of its inhabitants.
The Slate Picker’s House.
Slate Picker’s House, kitchen.
Slate Picker’s House, kitchen, dining area.
Slate Picker’s House, bedroom.
A photo from Saturday at Patchtown Days in Eckley.
Over the weekend, I actually had the opportunity to attend the Patchtown Days event with some friends. We met numerous living history reenactors, vendors, and other interpreters set up in buildings with valuable stories to tell.
The work of preparing interpreted exhibition spaces is, while undeniably tedious and time-consuming, very rewarding and valuable. The process involves carefully assessing each and every artifact in every room, regardless of size and complexity, and, while handling it properly, cleaning it with the appropriate methodology. Although seemingly straightforward, it has taken some time to become undeniably comfortable while handling artifacts, especially more fragile ones. However, performing these tasks routinely the last several weeks has allowed me to reach a point where I know just how to handle different kinds of objects with confidence and care. Ultimately, I have attained a solid mix of respect for the condition of historical artifacts and an understanding of their presentation to the public.
