Eufaula landmarks receive book grant

By Anastasia Harbuck

Published: August 28, 2008

Shorter Mansion and Fendall Hall recently received the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf.

Jill Wachs, interior chairperson of the Eufaula Heritage Association, stated in a recent press release that the grant includes, “a core set of books to help in caring for collections.”

These “collections” include all the precious artifacts from the 19th and 20th century held at the two grand old Eufaula homes, from old documents and photographs to antique furniture and clothing.

All of these items must be handled with extreme care and the book collection is a big help, said Deborah Casey, director of Fendall Hall.

The book set instructs curators on the care of old photos, clothing and even furniture pieces and appliances.

“If you have a question about how something should be cared for, this collection will answer most of your questions,” said Casey.

Casey mentioned one of Fendall Hall’s old chandeliers as an example. After consulting one of the books from the collection, she learned that some old chandeliers are made from lead glass and that lead reacts badly with many modern glass-cleaning products, giving the old chandelier’s glass a “smoky” look.

Casey said Fendall Hall is fortunate to have these books, since some of its oldest artifacts are extremely fragile. Fendall Hall holds land grant documents dating to the 1800s, delicate old party invitations from when the “Great White Fleet” went around the world in the early 1900s and ancient photographs.

Books in the collection teach curators how to properly care for and archive old photos and in which temperature and light to store them. Casey said the books are worth $500, but in the preservation of priceless artifacts, the books are worth much more.

Shorter Mansion Director Pam Snead said the book collection will be a huge help to Wachs, who is embarking on a mission to inventory the mansion’s artifacts.
“These are really going to help her with that,” said Snead.

Books in the collection include:
“Capitalize on Collections Care”
“The Care of Prints and Drawings”
“Caring for American Indian Objects:  A Practical and Cultural Guide”
“Caring for Your Family Treasures”
“Connecting to Collections:  A guide to Online Resources”
“Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel”
“Field Guide to Emergency Response”
“Framework for Preservation of Museum Collections”
“International Review of African American Art”
“IPI Media Storage Quick Reference”
“A Legal Primer on Managing Museum Collections, 2nd ed.”
“Museum Handbook Part 1:  Museum Collections”
“The National Trust Manual of Housekeeping”
“The Nature of Conservation:  A Race Against Time”
“Photographs:  Archival Care and Management”
“Preservation Management for Libraries, Archives and Museums”
“Promoting Preservation Awareness in Libraries”

The book collection was funded by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the American Association for State and Local History. The collection was received due to a grant applied for this year by Wachs and former Shorter Mansion Director Glenn Kasper.

“We are very pleased to have more necessary information in caring for the mansion’s precious contents,” said Wachs.