My Master’s degree non-thesis project was on establish- ing archives in local churches.
In order to complete this assignment, I created an archi- val area for a local church. There we housed documents and even some artifacts (which are not necessarily archi- val but more museum oriented – a discussion for another day). I was also tasked with doing some fundraising for the archives. This turned out to be a lot of work and time!
One astute reviewer of my project asked me a question I’ve been pondering for the last 30 years.
“Why bother?”
Why save papers that are old and musty? Why guard the dirt of an old sod house? Why spend money on a warehouse for antiques?
My simple answer?
What we save is our window from the past into the future.
Societal values rise and fall. Without the ability to look back, we may not recognize where we are headed.
Let’s take the values of comfort and honour. A sod house reflects the value of perseverance, of close family and community, of resourcefulness and creativity. We honour those who populated these homes – who loved and cared for those around them. We value the comfort of home and the safety and security that this sod house provided. Stepping inside a sod house, accompanied by an interpretation of these values, may help us to see our society for what it is; Fragmented or whole?
I’m one who loves a mystery. Or rather, I like to know the answer to the mystery. Our heritage provides an answer to what we missed. Why did grandma drink from fine china? Why did town officials create a town dam? What products would a local general store hold? An older generation, in their artifacts, leave us an opportunity to experience their greatness. Perhaps the old folks weren’t so crazy!
An old post office or court house or hip-roofed barn can inspire creativity. I watched as the ceiling of the Kerrobert Court House gallery was revealed. The acoustical ceiling tiles were removed and a curva- ceous ceiling emerged with strong lines, profiled beams and exquisite corbels. When all we see is a box, all we create are more boxes.
For the budding contractor or inventor, our heritage reveals true craftsmanship – in varying stages of perfection. Both in the mistakes and in the beauty of the craft we find instruction for our day and age. The study of these works of art and craft help us to create new and better works of art and craft.
When we fail to preserve, we fail to inspire our current and following generations to high values, creativity, mystery and craftsmanship.
