Historical Society launches “100 Objects” series
Eighteen pounds stood between freedom and captivity for Washington County’s malefactors in the mid-1800s.
That’s how much the lock and key weighed for the county’s jail, which was built in 1825 and kept ruffians out of circulation until 1867, when the jail was replaced by a brick-and-mortar lockup that lasted another 30 years until it, too, was replaced.
The lock and key were unearthed when the jail was torn down and, unlike so many other objects like it, it did not end up being destroyed or lost over the years, and it did not pass into anonymity as it bounced from one flea market or antique emporium to the next.
Instead, it fell into the hands of Washington County Historical Society, which counts it among the multitude of relics that it owns.
The objects all shed light on Washington County’s history, whether it’s a quilt or a baseball. But over the last couple of years, the powers that be with the society have come to realize they have this bounty of artifacts in their possession, but they are seldom or never seen by the public. While the fact they are being preserved and kept for posterity is not something that should be discounted, the historical society has decided it’s time to expose some of the more interesting objects to the light of day.
“We hold a wealth of possessions,” according to Bracken Burns, a former Washington County commissioner who leads the historical society’s antiquities committee. “And no one knows we have them. It seems selfish or odd to have all this stuff and have it in the attic.”
The answer to this conundrum is a weekly feature starting next week in the Observer-Reporter. “Washington County in 100 Objects” will appear in the Monday print edition of the Observer-Reporter, and online at www.observer-reporter.com. Each week for about two years, the feature will focus on one object from the historical society’s collection. A photo of the object will be on the newspaper’s front page, with an explanation of it appearing the following week, along with a fresh picture to ponder. When the series is completed, an exhibit of all the objects is tentatively planned.
Readers will, of course, learn more about Washington County and Southwestern Pennsylvania as a result of the series, according to Clay Kilgore, the historical society’s executive director. But, he pointed out, “They will also learn about the settlement of our country.”
The lock and key from the old jail will be included in the series, as will the ashes of Baron Joseph Henry Louis Charles DePalm, the Bavarian noble who was the first person cremated in the LeMoyne Crematory in 1876; a snare drum from the Civil War; and a ticket for admission to an execution in 1892. The objects chosen will reflect history that is unique to Washington County, and also evoke our national history. One of the more unusual items that will be featured is a poker set that belonged to Ulysses S. Grant. He apparently used it during both the Civil War and his presidency, and he left it in Washington during a presidential visit.
“It’s extraordinary to me that Ulysses S. Grant was at Trinity Hall and played poker with these cards,” Burns said.
The “Washington County in 100 Objects” series and eventual exhibit is, admittedly, not an original concept. For instance, the British Museum and BBC Radio Four teamed up in 2010 to present a history of the world in 100 objects from the museum; the University of Virginia in Charlottesville had an exhibit of 100 objects that defined the institution when it celebrated its bicentennial in 2017 and this year; and the History Colorado Center told the state’s story in a 100 objects exhibit in 2017. Books have attempted to explain everything from sailing, sports, World War II, baseball and the Beatles in 100 objects.
Will the historical society explore the county’s history beyond 100 objects?
“There’s no shortage of objects the historical society has,” Kilgore said.