The Rock Springs Historical Museum is pleased to announce it will be offering a special holiday-themed display for the month November. In light of the need for social distancing Museum staff and volunteers have created a display that could be enjoyed by everyone in the community. Visitors can only see “A Thanksgiving to Remember” through the Fire Station bay windows located on Broadway Street. The display will be available for the public to view 24 hours a day through the 28th of November. The scene is lit between 10 a.m., and 9 p.m., for the duration of the display.
“A Thanksgiving to Remember” was an opportunity for staff to pull out their favorite items form the collection and have them on display for the public to enjoy for the month.
“There are dozens of items out,”Jennifer Messer, the museum’s coordinator, said. “People have donated domestic items so generously over the years we had many things to choose from for the display.”
Messer’s favorite contribution to the display is a set of white milk glass 1950s snack plates with matching cups by Federal Glass. This set is very current to today’s trends, featuring a pastel burst of flowers and leaves.
“The plate is designed to be held in one hand, and hold appetizers and your cup so you can drink and snack with the other. This set makes it effortless to actually enjoy a party without juggling the whole time,” Messer said.
Museum Exhibits Coordinator Janice Brown pulled a fancy German punch bowl that was used for Christmas eggnog at the White Front Bar, located on South Front Street during the 1940s. The White Front, owned by James X. and Hilda Harris and James’ brother George Harris between the mid 1930s through the early 1950s.
The punch bowl is a large fancy affair, glazed in cream with pink, yellow, green and burgundy flowers with gold trim and added decoration. It represents all the happy get together that people from different backgrounds had here in Rock Springs.
A decorative bunch of Lucite Grapes from the 1960s were Richelle Rawlings-Carroll, the museum’s administrative assistant’s favorite item. She remembers her grandmother had some that were always on display in the kitchen.
“They were bright and heavy, especially the time one of my brothers got hit upside the head with one,” Rawlings-Carroll said.
It turns out they were a do-it-yourself project and a staple in many local homes, adding a splash of color to kitchens and dining rooms across the Western United States. Some of the other artifacts on display include a 1940s Nesco electric roaster that could hold even the largest turkey donated by Ed and Rae Dell Varley, a recently donated set of crystal goblets, a tiny portion of a huge salt and pepper shaker collection, vintage aprons donated by Shirley Black, and a beautiful vintage silver tea set courtesy of the Woman’s Club of Rock Springs - GFWC. Visitors are encouraged to look and see how many details they can find, men’s reading glasses, a coal scuttle, embroidered tea towels and records to pass the time.
Located in the historic City Hall building at 201 B Street in downtown Rock Springs, the Rock Springs Historical Museum is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m., to 5 p.m., and is closed Sundays and major holidays.
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