Author Archives: csb490
Artifact of the Week — April 25, 2024
Polaroid – Land Camera Model 20, The Swinger The Land Camera was a self-developing film (instant) camera manufactured between 1948 and 1983 by the Polaroid Corporation. This particular Swinger model hit the market between 1965 and 1970. Its relatively small size and inexpensive cost made the Swinger one of the top selling cameras of all time. … Continue reading
Artifact of the Week — April 18,2024
A Mysterious Trunk We received a phone call out of the blue almost a month ago from a small museum in Texarkana explaining they were cleaning their inventory area and discovered a large trunk with our return address on it. Would we like it back? We inquired to the contents and were told it contained … Continue reading
Artifact of the Week — March 21, 2024
Pea Huller Many old stories begin on front porches with Grandma shelling peas. While many people find a tranquil peace as they remove fresh peas from their hulls, acres of pea plants meant hours and hours of labor removing the peas from their cozy pods. To remedy that situation, companies such as Gardner invented clever … Continue reading
Artifact of the Week — February 29, 2024
Boy Scout troop in the 1963 White River Festival parade This innocuous picture of a Boy Scout troop marching in the White River Festival parade has a darker context. These young men were segregated from the other Independence County Boy Scout troops. Boy Scouts of America was founded by W. D. Boyce in 1910. When … Continue reading
Artifact of the Week — February 22, 2024
Milk Trough Modern refrigeration has only been readily available since the 1930s. Before that, milk had a short shelf life unless it was somehow preserved. The methods used for storing milk vary across the world. In some indigenous tribes, milk was stored in the animal. In other words, the cows were close enough at hand … Continue reading
