Theodore Roosevelt, Sacajawea, and a Dinosaur!

By Stephanie Elliott

Oh wait, that was the plot of the movie “Night at the Museum”. Well, a typical day might not be that exciting at our museum, but it is still pretty interesting. Although I might be a little biased.

Image from imbd.com

In all seriousness though, one of our goals here at the museum is to make history come alive for our visitors. We take the stories from our past and use exhibits to transport people back to that time and place to learn about what really happened.

You can do the same thing to. All it requires is taking the time to sit down with someone who has experienced something you never have and listening to them tell their story. It’s as simple as that. Now, if you right down that story you get bonus points! “But I have no idea how to do an oral history,” you say. It’s actually pretty easy and as long as you have a true desire to hear what the other person is telling you, you will do fine. So much of our history is lost because we don’t take the time stop and listen.

If you want to really do some research into how to do an oral history you can check out this great step-by-step guide here http://dohistory.org/on_your_own/toolkit/oralHistory.html#SEQUENCE or visit the Smithsonian site here http://www.folklife.si.edu/resources/pdf/interviewingguide.pdf. Some basic principles to go into it with are to let the person you are interviewing do most of talking (try not to interrupt them with another question until they have finished what they are talking about and don’t interject a lot of “mmhmm’s” and commentary of your own). Also, it is good to have a least a few questions written down ahead of time so you have some topics if the conversation comes to a stop. Lastly, it is good to conduct the interview in a quiet space that is comfortable for the person you are speaking with.

Of course there are many more tips that you can utilize, but it really comes down to us just taking the time to talk with our parents and grandparents about their lives and the history they have to share. You never know, what they tell you might be more interesting than the latest movie you saw!

Hidden Treasures! A peek into the museum archives.
By Fiona Shirkie, Collections Intern

If you are anything like me, and hopefully you are, you find a trip to a museum an adventure. As I move from gallery to gallery I am fascinated by the objects on display and the stories behind them. But the items that are on display are only half the story (or in some cases only 2% of the story!). All museums care for many more objects than those they are able to display. The Smithsonian Institution has an astonishing 137 million objects in its collection. It is only able to display 2% of these at any given time. The same is true here at the Gaston County Museum – although on a smaller scale.

One of my projects is to look through some of these ‘hidden’ objects stored in the archives. It is important to regularly check the condition of these items, document and research them further. Reviewing what is in the archives also helps to generate ideas for future exhibitions.

This project may seem like a daunting task – do you see the number of boxes!! However to someone like me this is a fabulous opportunity to delve into history. I have not been disappointed. I have been both excited and moved by some of the items that I have been fortunate enough to work with.

As they say the longest journey begins with a single step, so I selected my first box. Can you believe what I found – a picture of U.S. Representative for North Carolina (1957-68) Basil L. Whitener with not one, but two future Presidents! Seeing these three men gathered in 1960 I was reminded of the great hope that President Kennedy would inspire and also of his tragic death and its impact in the USA and around the world.

Having walked around Dallas Court Square many times, imagine my surprise as I discovered what appear to be the deeds relating to the Smyre-Pasour House, the oldest remaining residence in Dallas. The first of these documents was a deed from 1849 granting J.F. Smyre lot 8 on the Court Square for $187 and the second the deed passing this lot to Eli Pasour in 1851 for $650 – a nice profit! Eli would go on to purchase lots 7 and 9.

I was moved as I shared in the life of Yvonnie C. Hill documented in the diary that she kept daily from 1934-51. She shares everything from day to day things like how much the Doctor’s bill was or going on an Easter egg hunt to a very special moment shared with her beau and husband Johnnie in 1934 when Yvonnie “told him that I loved him”. I couldn’t help but feel for the young man from the mid-1800s writing to his mother and father from the ‘Wake Co Insayn Asylum’. I held in my hand the Book of Worship that Reverend M.L. Little, a Lutheran minister who served in Lincoln and Gaston County, had in his pocket when he was killed in a train crash in 1891. These objects reminded me that behind history and every object we see in a museum are very real people and unique stories. Preserving these objects to share with current and future generations is a central part of the museum’s mission.

Searching for Hoffman's at Spencer Mountain

By Jason Luker

Exploring history is an absolute joy. I assume you agree since you are reading a blog facilitated by a museum. What makes history so enjoyable to me is when I am able to make connections. When I am able to take one moment in time, connect it to another moment in time, and then see how those different points have influenced modern society. I have been experiencing this while researching the Hoffman family (those that built, owned, and operated the building the Gaston County Museum now resides in). One of the most treasured resources that I have at my disposal for research is the book Our Kin written by Laban Miles Hoffman published in 1915. Laban was a son of Jonas Hoffman, Jr. who operated the Hoffman Hotel from 1868 until his death in 1901. Our Kin is a very detailed genealogy for the early history of Gaston County and Laban also writes about visiting some of the original historical sites in the county as he performs his own research. I find great pleasure trying to follow Laban’s footsteps and see what remains.

Grave Marker Located at Spencer Mountain

One of these explorations led me to Spencer Mountain, just a few miles from Dallas, NC. At the foot of this small mountain, right along the South Fork River had been a homestead of Jonas Hoffman, Sr., Laban’s grandfather. Jonas Sr. died in 1829 at the age of 41. His property apparently went under the control of his father John Hoffman who willed the land to Jonas, Sr. children after his own death in 1832.

Not much is known about Jonas, Sr. and what little I have been able to learn has come from Our Kin. Laban records that the land willed to his father and uncles was referred to as “Jonas Hoffman Mill” tract and was located where the Spencer Mountain Mill stood in the 1900s. When Laban visited the location, he described what remained of the family cemetery that contained the remains of his grandfather, grandmother and other unknown descendants. Even in the early 20th Century there was not much left of the gravesite. I and a couple of fellow Museum staff members went out to see the site for ourselves. The only grave marker left is a modern stone providing information about some of the Hoffman’s that were buried along the ridge line next to the South Fork River. They included not only Jonas, Sr. and his wife Anna Maria Costner Hoffman, but also Hans Jacob Hoffman, the first Hoffman that moved into this part of North Carolina back before the Revolutionary War. It appears that this land had been some of the original tracks owned by the family.

Jonathan Roach Spencer Mountain Mill Sketch

The historical connection that really washed over me was the fact that the site had been known as the Jonas Hoffman Mill prior to building of the Wilson & Moore Mill (what came to be called Spencer Mountain Mill) in 1874. One of the questions I have been trying to answer is why did Gaston County become so dominated by textile mills. By 1900, 24 large textile mills were already operating in Gaston County compared to only 16 in Mecklenburg County. One of my theories is that Gaston County had developed an infrastructure that catered to the textile mills. Due to earlier industry endeavors, textile mill owners were able use the developed land, harness the powerful waterways, and flourish in cotton textile production. At Spencer Mountain I can see this play out. When J. Harvey Wilson II and his brother-in-law J.W. Moore purchased the South Fork property for their mill, the area had already been developed by the Hoffman’s for their own use.




Remains of Spencer Mountain Mill





Not much is left out at the site. Spencer Mountain Mill is gone and only the foundation and dam remain. However, finding these connections helps me and hopefully others better understand how Gaston County was formed and what life might have been like for those first influential settlers like the Hoffman’s. If anything, the search excites me and makes me want to find out more. If you have any questions about the research we are doing at the Gaston County Museum, please let me know. Also, if you are doing your own research and have some information to share, I would love to hear from you. Just give me a call at 704-922-7681 ext. 105 or email me at Jason.luker@gastongov.com.

Adventure Is Out There!

By: Kelly Mason

Winter Holiday Program

It is that time again, to say goodbye to our Education Intern. Susan Voskuil came to us in the beginning of the fall and has been an important part of our education team. As we bid Susan goodbye, it brings back so many wonderful memories. We have had many interns come and go, all bringing their own unique personalities and talents. We are very fortunate here at the Gaston County Museum to have so many talented people share their time with us!

Over the past few months we have had a lot of transition here in the Education Department. Susan has been involved in everything from historical research, program development, and program implementation. Interns not only give new life through their new ideas and an outside perspective, but they also give the gift of friendship and memories that last a lifetime! Susan is a wonderful person and an incredibly gifted educator. We have had the privilege of teaching alongside Susan for the past 7 months. I have grown tremendously not only as an educator in the museum field, but also as a person because of her contribution in our department!

Education Department

The Sun Parlor

We want to thank Susan for her dedication, hard work, and beautiful spirit! We want to wish her all the best in the future! You will forever be in our hearts! Go and do great things at the Museum of the Grand Prairie! Adventure is out there my friend!