The Yorkshire Museum recently challenged curators around the world to a #curatorbattle to showcase the #creepiestobject in their collections.  Museums are sharing these objects on social media for the public to enjoy at home. The Bonner Country Historical Society Museum has quite a few creepy objects in the collection.  What are the creepiest objects in your house?  

Meet our albino crow (pictured above) 

Here is the account: Nesbitt, who is an engineer, was building a bridge near Hot Springs, Montana in the spring of 1940 when he noticed a flock of about 100 crows nearby. The crows were excited and swooping down on a bush. When he investigated, Nesbitt found a full grown true albino crow with pink eyes. Everytime the albino tried to get out of the bush the black crows would swoop down and chase it back. Nesbitt got a .22 caliber rifle and shot the albino. For many years it was mounted and on display in his summer home on Lake Pend Oreille.   He also reported seeing another white crow in a museum in Helena, MT but it had some dark feathers and was not a true albino.

When you look at this one, it doesn't seem creepy until you realize what it is...  I don't think I would want to keep it sitting on my shelf.

On December 9, 1953, a plane appeared out of an overcast sky and crashed into the edge of the McFarland pole yards.  It threw 30-foot poles in the air like matchsticks and shattered windows at the Lincoln School several blocks away. The jet was a Sabre F-86D fighter, attached to the 445th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron of the 4072d Defense Wing, stationed at Geiger Field in Spokane. The pilot of the plane, Lt. Jack Thomas Crawford, was killed instantly.  
Robert Selle, foreman of the treating plant at that time, found the piece of helmet and gave it to his son, Dale Selle.   A piece of a crash helmet from a tragic plane crash... creepy!​

These ducks are super creepy... until you realize

They are fakes!  Sideshows used to attract large crows with unique and creepy taxidermy animals.  They were expected to be authentic, but when real two-headed calves weren't available taxidermy artists also fabricated hoax creatures called "gaffes". Gaffes ranged from mythical beings such as the chupacabra to a two-headed duck.   This gaffe was created by Josh Bladzik.  

Think about your house or your bedroom as a museum.  What objects or artifacts are surrounding you?  What meanings do they hold?  Where did they come from and why do you keep them around?  Ever since childhood I have been fascinated by curious, uncommon, and unusual things.  I think it is normal for humans to try to make sense  the strange by studying it or keeping it close. It's why we watch scary movies and read true crime.  For example, as a child I remember desperately wanting a rabbits foot as a good luck charm, and simultaneously being totally disgusted by it.  What is the creepiest object lurking around your house right now? One of mine might be a dried out beetle in a jar.   I found it last summer, big, dead, and unexpected. I just had to keep it around.   Share your creepy objects in the comments of #athomewithBCHS.

If the Museum were to have an exhibit on the 25th anniversay of the Covid-19 outbreak, what would be in it?  It is our responsibility to tell this story.  The museum has just launched a Covid-19 Archive Submission Form to allow you to easily upload photos, documents, and audio/video files.  You can do this on your own.  Maybe suggest it as a project to your history teacher. You can ask your friends and family to participate.

 
Need more of an idea how to do this?
People have been thinking about how to preserve our current history all around the country.  Lucky for us, some Bonner County community members have already had some great ideas. Theresa Carlson shares her experience capturing a self-portrait in isolation on our Young Explorers blog. The Daily Bee recently wrote about local photographer Kiersten Patterson and her personal project Sandpoint Speaks Hope.  As uneventful as things may feel, we are living in an important time in Bonner County history.  Here are some other ideas on how you can help create and collect artifacts for our archive:

• Take a self-portrait of your "Quarin-team" (Kiersten Patterson is offering a package to take porchraits for only $30 as a Museum fundraiser)
• Scan journal entries, poetry, or other personal records of your experience relating to Covid-19
• Record an oral history interview of a friend, neighbor or family member (Check out StoryCorps, they have a great system for doing Covid-19 interviews remotely.)
• Submit copies of posters, fliers, notices, or other public postings related to Covid-19 (if you have an actual artifact you would like to donate, contact the Museum to arrange drop off)
• Write an essay to capture a moment of your experience to share
• Share photos from your social media accounts that depict the types of things you are doing with your time at home
• Are there any artifacts that represent the time?  

What other ways can we help define and preserve this moment in history?  Share your ideas in the comments or #athomewithbchs.
​

​One of the great things about living in Bonner County is the history in our community. There are old houses, old buildings, old homesteads, and our downtown is filled with buildings with rich pasts.  Just recently Nellie Lutzwolf the owner of the shop Wolf & Bell uncovered a little history.  If you haven’t been in Wolf & Bell, it is filled with vintage treasures and Nellie’s original art.  Just walking into the shop feels a little like walking into a museum.  Here is a recent interview with Nellie about her love of history, her shop, and what she found under the floorboards during a recent remodel.
 
Q: Could you introduce yourself and your shop?
 
A: I’m Nellie Lutzwolf the owner and artist of Wolf & Bell whose main location is adjacent to the Panida Theater downtown Sandpoint. My favorite response to people coming into the store is, “this is a weird little shop.” It features an eclectic array of vintage, art, and other surprises like a photo booth. Some people are taken back to their own memories. Some people are fascinated because there are objects they’ve never seen before. For me it’s an extension of my own living space, and my love of vintage. 
 
Q: How did you first become interested in history, and collecting vintage and antique artifacts?  
 
A: Since I can remember my parents were dragging me to antique stores. They had a real passion for objects with a story, one that I didn’t share at the time. I used to hate it until they lured me in with allowing me to start my own collection. For a little girl who loved Peter Pan I decided to collect thimbles, which, if you’re familiar with the story, are kisses. Going to the antique store turned into a treasure hunt. As I grew, my collections grew, and so did the appreciation of the history and memories stored in each object. Eventually my Master’s Thesis dabbled in the power of nostalgia and memory in the art object. 
 
Q: You have recently been working on some renovations in the shop, can you talk a little about your experiences?  Have you found anything interesting or unexpected?  
 
A: Historic buildings like the Panida are real gems and I’m so grateful I get to be apart of it!  There is an energy in the walls that’s hard to describe, but it’s like you can almost feel the performances, movies, and events of years past. Plus I can smell popcorn whenever there’s a movie running! Environment is everything when you’re an artist, it can either make or break your creative mojo and being next to the Panida is the epitome of a creative space. Peeling back the layers is just a way of honoring the history. I wanted to replace the wood laminate ever since I moved in January 2019. When I was finally able I had high hopes to find something we could restore back to its original glory. After peeling back the first layer I found remnants of red vinyl composite tile. Then under the underlayment was what I imagine to be the original laminate flooring whose geometric pattern reminds me of Zenitherm Flooring from the 1920s. Unfortunately it was too far gone to function, but it’s still stunning with its blemishes and all, and worth sharing! Despite my sadness in not be able to restore it I know hardwood floors will honor the classic beauty of the building. 
 

Thank you for sharing, Nellie! I love imagining what your shop might have looked like in the 20’s.  I also have a new appreciation for old flooring-  who knew it could be so interesting!  I am also intrigued by the idea of all the historical mysteries we might uncover in our own houses.  
 
Since we have all been spending so much time at home.  Let’s see what kind of history mysteries we can find at home.  Maybe you live in an old house, or even a historic house…have you thought of searching in the back corners of basements, floorboards, or behind walls?  Talk with the your family, what is the story behind your home?  Who lived there before you, who built it, when?  Has it been remodeled?  Ask if there are any spaces in your house that might be hiding clues to history- like under Nellie’s floorboards.   Now, if you happen to live in a newer house, don’t worry there is still history to discover. Do a walk-through of your house and challenge yourself to find the oldest looking object you can find.  Then ask someone to tell the story of what it is, and why they have it.  You can also use museum archives to research your house or neighborhood.
 
Nellie's experience isn't the first time a local business has uncovered history.  Sandpoint Super Drug uncovered a mystery under their floorboards last year when they found a hidden safe!
​

Share your own finds in the comments or #athomewithBCHS

Our lives have changed drastically in the last few weeks.  Schools have closed, we have been asked to stay home, and we are living through a new chapter in our local history.  Things we took for granted a month ago, are significantly different today.  

I have found comfort looking back in history.  Residents in our region have always had to be tough and resilient to survive.  I feel less alone when I read the accounts of students during the influenza of 1918.  I feel a little more brave when I gaze at photos of women knitting socks for soldiers heading to war.  How did they cope?   I want to pretend I have the same courage when my family member heads to work at the hospital.  I find comfort in knowing that others before us have overcome great challenges, and I can look to them for inspiration.

Now it is our turn to record history for the future.  Begin a pandemic journal.    Journals we write today could become primary sources for what life was like during Covid-19.  It does not need to be extraordinary, it just needs to describe your experience, right now, in this significant time.

In your journal consider these topics:

-How has life changed for you in the last few weeks?
-What do you do during your day?
-How is your home, town, and neighborhood different than it was before Covid-19?
-Record significant local and global news updates.
-What would you want someone in the future to know or learn from your experiences?
-Are there any positive changes or silver-linings in your current experience?

Have fun with this! Your journal can be unique to you. It can be handwritten, painted, video recordings, art, multimedia, or simply a photo collection. Record your experience in whatever ways feels right to you.

The Bonner County Historical Society accepts donations of historical documents, and will accept copies or experts from a journal written by you. Help create a lasting piece of history for our region. I know I will be sharing a copy of mine.