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February 1, 2011 |
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 | A New Direction for a New Year
To my many, many museum friends and colleagues,
After
ten years of serving first as the Administrator and then the Director
of the Swannanoa Valley Museum, the time has come for me to turn the
helm of this wonderful organization over to a new captain, as my own
personal ship takes a new direction.
It
has been my pleasure and my honor to work with our board, volunteers
and members to build our Museum into what it is today--Buncombe County's
primary museum of general local history. This little museum is a
gem of an institution we can all be proud of, and I hope every one of
you will continue to support it in every way you can.
The
decision to leave was not an easy one. Many of you know that for
years I have been working part-time for the Museum and part-time for the
Blue Ridge National Heritage Area. This combination has been very
interesting and rewarding, but both jobs have grown, and each now
really needs full-time attention. I simply can't keep up the pace!
I
have accepted a full time position as Director of Marketing and
Communications for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, starting March
1. My office will be in the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in
Asheville, near Parkway milepost 384.
The
Museum's Board of Directors has formed a Transition Committee to
explore how best to maintain the Museum's progress and continue on the
pathway to success that we have traveled these past ten years. I
plan to continue my association with the Museum as a volunteer.
So
as we move into the next phase of the Museum's growth, I ask that
everyone who values our heritage and has a desire to preserve it,
continue to support the Museum through your membership and other
financial contributions, by attending special programs and events, and
volunteering. I want to be able to bring my grandchildren here ten
years from now and show them how important it is to know our history.
Best to all,
Jill |
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 | New Exhibits Will Highlight Spring Museum Opening
Volunteers and staff are busy creating new exhibits that will be on display when the Museum opens on Saturday, April 16.
100 Years of Scouting
This
exhibit will honor the centennials of both the Boy Scouts (2011) and
Girl Scouts (2012). Vintage uniforms and memorabilia collected
from residents and the local Scout councils will be on display.
This exhibit is sure to be nostalgic for visitors who have been active
in these Scouting programs during their lifetimes and a way for
present-day Scouts to appreciate the long history of their
organiztions..
Brother, Brother, Brother, War is Not the Answer
Our
Museums In Partnership themed exhibit for 2011 is part of a national
commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. Although
there was no battle action in the Swannanoa Valley, many men from the
Valley served in the war, and we will have letters from them and their
families as part of the exhibit. However, we could use more
photographs to increase the impact of the exhibit. If you have
photographs of your ancestors, people from the Swannanoa Valley who
served in the Civil War and would be willing to share them with us by
allowing us to scan them and use them in the exhibit, please call Anne
Chesky, 669-9566.
Pathways from the Past, Pathways to the Future
This
major update of the Museum's permanent exhibit will interpret the
collection and the story of the development of the Swannanoa Valley
since prehistory along the theme of "Pathways."
Photo: Jane Reeves, fabric conservator, dresses mannequin in a Girl Scout uniform from the 1950s. |
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| Volunteer Opportunity: Museum Seeking Docents
Docents
are the lifeblood of any museum. They are the hosts, the
greeters, the smiling faces that welcome visitors, the all-important
ambassadors of the museum.
The SVM is fortunate to have many dedicated and experienced docents, but new volunteers are needed as well.
Interested?
Come for coffee on Mon. Feb. 14 at 10 am at the Museum, and learn about
this fun and educational volunteer opportunity.
Present docents are asked to come as well to see the changes in exhibits and hear updates about the coming season.
The
Docent Coordinator is Sharon Stenner. Please call her and let her
know if you plan to attend. She can also answer questions by
phone. 828-669-5078.
Photo: Docents receive training to understand and interpret exhibits for visitors. |
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| Explore Historic Riceville with the SVM
The
Riceville community has a long and interesting, but little known,
history. For instance, few people realize that the two
historic--and often photographed--homes in the center of the
Riceville valley functioned as post offices in the early part of
the 20th century. Why did Riceville have two post offices so close
together? One served the community while Democrats were in office
and the other while Republicans governed. The Postmaster or mistress
lost their job whenever an official of the opposing party was
voted into office!
To
share Riceville's history, the Swannanoa Valley Museum’s
assistant director and Riceville resident, Anne Chesky, will be
leading a driving tour of Riceville’s historic spaces on Sunday,
February 6, 2011.
The
tour will begin in the Riceville Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary at
2:00 PM and then continue into the historic heart of the valley.
Participants will hear stories about Riceville’s founding
residents--from the Cherokees who originally inhabited the valley
to the white pioneers who settled Riceville in the late 1700s to
the Presbyterians who came one hundred years later to educate the
"poor, white mountaineers."
The
tour includes stops at area cemeteries, log cabin ruins and
restorations, historic businesses, the two post offices, and Camp
Awaniko. The tour will end at the Riceville Community Center’s
local history exhibit.
Reservations are required. To participate call the Swannanoa Valley Museum at 828-669-9566 or email swannanoavalleym@bellsouth.net
. Cost is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.
Participants can either meet at Black Mountain Savings Bank at 1:45 pm
to carpool to the church, or can come directly to the Riceville
Presbyterian Church, 2434 Riceville Road, at 2 pm.
Photo: Early Riceville school. |
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Our Sponsor
On
a cold day in February ten years ago, the Museum's first paid staff
member took office in what once served as the dispatch room for the
Black Mountain Fire Department in the old firehouse. Jill
Jones joined a museum that had been open for 11 years, operated strictly
by volunteers. But the organization had reached a point where it
needed someone in charge on a regular basis if it was to grow and become
a better heritage resource for our community.
I
had become Chairman of the Board scarcely six months before, and didn't
know Jill at the time. However, over the past ten years, I have
watched the Swannanoa Valley Museum grow and flourish under her
leadership. The Museum has become Buncombe County's primary museum
of general local history, with its records, archives and collections
now catalogued and properly registered. It has become a trusted
institution that has received many historical treasures, such as all the
Beacon Manufacturing history, photographs and memorabilia from the
Charles D. Owen Jr. family, and most recently, the photography
collection of Ed DuPuy.
During
Jill's tenure, programs and special events have increased the ways the
Museum serves the community while providing needed income to sustain the
institution. Membership has increased until the Swannanoa Valley
Museum is one of the largest membership organizations in eastern
Buncombe County. Through her genuine efforts the Swannanoa Valley
is a better place than it was before she came. She has given
many a sense of place.
Our
board of directors, volunteers and members will miss Jill as she moves
into her new position with the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, but we
wish her well. We also know she's here for the Museum as needed,
and look forward to continuing our relationship with her as a
volunteer. The board has formed a
Transition
Committee which will be thoughtfully evaluating the present and future
needs of the Museum. Just as when Jill came on board and took a
fledgling museum to the next level, we're committed to finding the right
personnel who can step in and take the Museum to the next level of
excellence.
Cheers!
M. Wendell Begley, President
Black Mountain Savings Bank
Snowshoeing in the Black Mountain Range during a recent snowfall.
Black Mountain
Savings Bank, 200 E. State Street, Black Mountain, NC 28711/Phone (828)
669-7991/Fax (828) 669-6974, Email: mwb_bmsb@bellsouth.net Our Board of Directors, who all live and work in the Swannanoa Valley:
M. Wendell Begley, William H. "Bill" Christy, James E. "Ed" Neves, C.T.
"Tom" Sobol, Jr., Joseph M. "Joe" Tyson, David D. Duncan and C. Roger
Hibbard Equal Housing Lender/Member FDIC |
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| The
mission of the Swannanoa Valley Museum is to preserve and interpret the
social, cultural and natural history of the Swannanoa Valley, a pathway
to Western North Carolina, by developing dynamic programs and engaging
exhibitions for the education and enrichment of the community, its
children and future generations.
P.O. Box 306, Black Mountain, NC 28711 • 828-669-9566
www.swannanoavalleymuseum.org • swannanoavalleym@bellsouth.net |
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