|
LARAMIE PLAINS MUSEUM NEWSLETTER |
||||||||
|
The Alice Hardie Stevens Center From the Executive Director, Dan Nelson | ||||||||
The Alice Hardie Stevens Center: Our "Behind the
Scenes" Secret to Success
The history of the Ivinson
Mansion and Carriage House is well-known and documented in numerous places
in Laramie and Wyoming. However, the history of the Alice Hardie Stevens
Center is not as well-known, nor much documented. The Mansion and Carriage House were built in 1892 by Mr. and Mrs.
Edward Ivinson. In 1921, after Mrs. Ivinson’s death and his move to
Denver, Mr. Ivinson donated the property to the Episcopal Diocese of
Wyoming. He stipulated that the property was to become a preparatory
school for girls ages 12-18, called Jane Ivinson Memorial Hall, in
memory of his wife. By 1924 the Girls’ School had grown so much, it was felt necessary to
construct a combination dormitory and recreation hall. The cost of this
construction was paid by Mr. C. B. Voorhees of Kenosha, Wisconsin. The
architect of the building was Wilbur Hitchcock. The building was named the
Virginia Cottage after Voorhees’ daughter, who attended school here. This new facility provided a gym, a stage with dressing rooms, a
kitchen and dining facilities for the girls. The upstairs was a dormitory
facility. Due to a declining enrollment, the Girls School was closed in
1958. After the closing of the school, the building was used extensively
by numerous groups in the state and locally because of its facilities.
Summer church camps were held in the building, and conferences and
seminars were held here as well. By 1972 the Ivinson property had become vandalized and was in very poor
condition. The Safeway Store, located across the street, wanted to buy the
Ivinson property to make a parking lot. However, the Laramie Plains Museum Association, under the direction of
president, Alice Hardie Stevens, had a better idea. Mrs. Stevens was the
moving force in bringing the Laramie community together to raise the funds
to buy the Ivinson Mansion property. The Association purchased the
property for $110,000 in 1972, and finally the Association had a permanent
home for its growing collection. In 1973, the Laramie Plains Museum Association Board renamed the
Virginia Cottage the Alice Hardie Stevens Center in honor of Mrs. Stevens’
efforts in making the purchase a reality. It is now a community center
available for public meetings, receptions and classes. It also serves as
storage for part of the museum’s collections, and provides office space
for museum staff. In fact, the Center and the Mansion’s East Lawn have become some of the
most popular sites in Laramie for weddings, receptions, and special
gatherings. This use of our facilities has become one of our main sources
of operating income for the museum. Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from
May through September, are booked far in advance. We are delighted that
our property is so appreciated, but we find our facilities are inadequate
in many ways. The Association Board and Museum Staff have a dream to build
an addition onto the Center that would include modern bathrooms, a
dressing room, and a cleaning supplies closet. There have been
consultations with contractors and an historic buildings architect from
UW, but no definite plan is in place at this time. If you would be interested in seeing this dream become a reality with
contributions of financial support or hands_ on help, please let us know.
In the meantime, the Alice Hardie Stevens Center continues to be one part
of the success story of the Laramie Plains Museum Association.
|
||||||||
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, DAN NELSON An elegant setting with linens and beautiful centerpieces, hanging stars and sparkly lights greeted the museum’s volunteers for the annual Cheers for Volunteers! Appreciation Night. It was the museum’s chance to thank so many of you who do so much for us. Because our volunteers let their talents and lights shine, the museum shines as well.
|
||||||||
Bronco Basketball Supports Museum The Denver Broncos took on the Laramie Invitational Team on March 27, 2004 at the Laramie High School gym, to raise awareness and support for our extraordinary museum in the beautiful Ivinson Mansion. Each year the Broncos work with Community Entertainment to put on basketball games and sign autographs as a way to raise funds for various good causes in different communities. The Laramie Plains Museum is the recipient of the proceeds of the game in Laramie this year. Broncos participating in the game and causing the crowd to smile and cheer were: Haven Moses, Tyrone Braxton, Ron Egloff, Billy Thompson, and Rick Upchurch. The worthy Invitational Team consisted of Laramie sports figures, coaches, teachers, and all_around good guys: Dan Bleak, Kirk Lupton, Susan Bertelsen, Jason Mountain, Kyle Wilmot, Darci Arcene, Jerry Wood, David Settle, Doug Roehrkasse, Rich Nicholls, Jeff Bishop, and Gary Espeland. UW Hall of Famer and women's basketball coach, Margie McDonald, coached the mixed bag of all_in_fun players. Long_time supporters of the museum may remember a basketball game between two radio stations in the early 1970's that was played to benefit the saving of the Ivinson Mansion. Fundraisers like these raise awareness of the needs of our beautiful historic site to new supporters. It's only in fostering new contacts that we can continue. We struggle each year with a significant deficit budget until our endowment is built to sustain us. When we realize that less than 1% of Laramie monetarily supports our special museum, we know that it is past time to reach out for other support beyond our faithful members of longstanding.
|
||||||||
The Laramie Country Club is the site for the 6th Annual Greening of the Museum again this year. The festive dinner, raffles and auctions take place on Saturday, April 3rd as a major fundraiser for the Laramie Plains Museum Endowment. It is always a special night of support from our members and friends. "Puttin' on the Ritz!" is the theme.
|
||||||||
DON ADAMS came to Laramie in 1972 as a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at UW. He retired in 1999. Don has served as a docent for the past several years, and is intrigued with the history of the early days of Laramie and its citizens. Don is currently serving as treasurer of the Board, and is continually working on finding new ways to fund the daily operations of the Museum.
PENNIE ESPELAND is the newest member of the Board. She is a Wyoming native, and has lived in Laramie for 31 years. She is an active volunteer in our community, and has recently returned to school to study communications. She and her husband Gary have a real estate business in Laramie, and currently are living in the historic Haley house which will soon offer visitors a charming bed and breakfast experience.
JANET KILLIAN is a native of Laramie. A graduate of UW , Janet shares her music talents throughout Laramie. She owns and operates Killian Florist. Janet has agreed to serve a second term on the Board, and is currently serving as the president of the Board. She brings a dedicated, professional insight in design and business to the needs of the Museum.
JUDY KNIGHT is serving her second 3-year term on the LPM Board, and has been a member of the Restoration Committee for 13 years. Judy has lived in Laramie for 38 years. Her background as a UW Professor in Interior Design and Housing, coupled with her knowledge of historic design, has provided invaluable insight and hands-on creativity to our restorations.
BONNIE MILLER is a native New Yorker. It was Laramie’s lucky day when Bonnie and her husband moved to town in 1979. She has been one of our city’s most dedicated volunteers, and has been recognized numerous times for her extraordinary involvement in our community. She has brought that positive commitment and leadership to the LPM.
FRANK NELSON was born and raised in Laramie. Frank is a graduate of UW, and has a law degree from the University of Texas. He is a partner in the law firm of Corthell and King, and also teaches in the UW College of Law. Frank served several years on the Board, then served as an ex-officio member for many years, providing pro bono legal advice. He has been appointed to complete the term of Phil Roberts.
STEVI PATTERSON is originally from Boston. She retired in 1997 and moved to Laramie to be near relatives. She uses her talents with design to contribute to Teas on Tuesdays, Holiday Open House, The Greening of the Museum, our exhibits and other projects. She currently serves as vice-president of the Museum’s Board of Directors.
DALE ST. JOHN moved to Laramie in 1957. After graduating from UW, he remained in the area as a teacher and administrator. Dale is retired, but remains involved in many community organizations. His care and support of the future of the Museum is evident in the many hours he donates to maintenance jobs in the buildings and grounds of the Mansion. Dale has agreed to a second term on the Board.
JEANETTA SCHMIDT grew up in Colorado , spending her summers in a ghost town that her parents used as a summer cow camp. It was a virtual living museum that sparked her lifelong interest in history and artifacts. She moved to Laramie in 1996, and followed her dream by buying a building in historic downtown Laramie and opened Back of the Wagon Antiques. We are delighted that Jeanetta is willing to devote some of her time to historic preservation and education at the LPM.
LEAVING THE BOARD FRANCOIS DICKMAN has completed two terms on the Board, serving the last three years as Board secretary. He is a graduate of the UW, and a retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Francois returned to Laramie in 1984, and lives in his boyhood home. He is active in various community organizations, and served on the LPM Board for many years as an ex officio member representing the Albany County Historical Society. He and his wife Margaret are among the Museum’s most active dedicated volunteers.
PHIL ROBERTS has served on the Board for the past two years. He is going abroad to teach, and his term will be completed by Frank Nelson. Phil is an Associate Professor of History at UW. He has been active in numerous areas of Wyoming History, and has edited newspapers in California and Arizona, practiced law in Wyoming, and worked as a historian for the State of Wyoming. His presence will be missed on the Board.
|
||||||||
by Joney Wilmot When many of you were children , you may recall listening and "watching" your radios on a Saturday or Sunday evening. You would immediately recognize the familiar theme songs of programs like Roy Rogers, the Lone Ranger and Hopalong Cassidy. These childhood heroes were soft_spoken, polite, brave…….and they all carried guns! Somehow in today’s society that last fact seems a bit of an incongruity, but guns were certainly one of the items that historians claim "tamed the West." The Laramie Plains Museum has several guns of different types in our collection, but the ones that are most prominent in our displays are the rifles that hang on the north wall of the guest room. All of these rifles are from the 1800’s, with one exception, and have been donated by various people. The oldest gun in this display came from the W. E. Stevens Collection, and it is an 1866, .44 caliber Winchester. This particular rifle is a lever action piece and was the first repeater that the Winchester Company made. It was picked up in 1890 by Mr. Stevens’ grandfather, W. H. Rehmeier, the day after the Wounded Knee Massacre. In the 1870’s a gentleman by the name of John Priest traded his V. Richards’ double_barreled shotgun to John Conrey. Mr. Priest was evidently a notable individual, as this same man had a river, lake, and canyon named for him in Idaho. Mr. Conrey was the grandfather of our donor. The gun has tandem triggers and a breaker lever for opening the gun barrel. Charles W. Finnell donated a piece which is an 1873, .38 caliber Winchester. This particular model was given the title, "The gun that won the West." The gun is a lever action repeater with a walnut stock and an octagon barrel. At the end of the stock there is a compartment for shells or cleaning equipment. One gun that we have very little information about is one given to us by Dennis A. Brassell. This item is a 1909, .22 caliber Batavia Automatic Rifle made in Batavia, New York. And one of the oddest looking guns in our collection is a 44/40, nicknamed a "game_getter." It has a 16_inch barrel and is manufactured by Marble Safety Axe & Co. The date for this item is not exact, but the donor, Harold G. Olsen, thought that it was about 100 years old when he donated it to the museum in 1993. All of these pieces are in excellent condition, and the last rifle in this display is no exception. This is another gun in the W. E. Stevens Collection, and it belonged to his father, H. E. Stevens. It is a circa 1888, .32 caliber, Lightning Model rifle. It has a round barrel, and according to an expert that helped accession these guns, this model usually had an octagon barrel. Laramie City, Wyoming Territory, actually had its own prominent gunsmiths during the 1860’s. The Freund and Brother gunsmithing business arrived in 1868 with the arrival of the Union Pacific Railroad. According to author F. J. Balentine in his book, Freund & Bro.: Pioneer Gunmakers to the West, they were still in business in 1869. The Freund brothers were held in the same high esteem as the Brownings (father and son) from Utah, who were also pioneer gunsmiths. This shoot_em_up legacy that Laramie and Wyoming have from their early days, lives on in museums like ours and others across our state.
|
||||||||
Lewis and Clark: Voyage of Discovery This book, found in our gift shop, combines the photo_murals of David Muench, who was commissioned by the National Park Service to commemorate photographically the epic journey of Lewis and Clark, and a perceptive text by Dan Murphy that reveals a compassionate regard for the rugged yet intensely human members of the Expedition. Murphy is a career employee of the National Park Service, and was the first supervisor of the Museum of Westward Expansion where these photo-murals are on permanent display in St. Louis. The book is organized chronologically, and the text uses numerous quotes from the journals of both Captain Meriwether Lewis and Captain William Clark to tell this exciting story that changed American history forever. The photography is absolutely spectacular, and leaves the reader with a renewed awareness of what a beautiful country we have. The book is less than 65 pages, and would be appropriate and interesting reading for all ages. It would be helpful reading for anyone planning on taking a trip that includes any part of the route of Lewis and Clark or just to reminisce in awe at the journey.
|
||||||||
