Full-length portrait of baseball legend Babe Ruth with facsimile signature "Yours truly ‘Babe’ Ruth," taken on July 23, 1920. Part of a series of eight photographs of Ruth in the United States Library of Congress’s Prints and Photographs division.
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) – A Minnesota man has paid more than $8,000 for a piece of sports history.
A baseball autographed by Babe Ruth in 1929 was discovered among the belongings of an elderly Wisconsin woman whose possessions were given to relatives in Janesville, Wisconsin.
Margaret Rudowsky says her late husband caught a home run ball hit by Ruth at a game in Chicago’s Comiskey Park in 1929. Her husband had Ruth sign the ball.
A man who wants to remain anonymous outbid about 20 others at a weekend auction in Mankato.
Auctioneer Willa Dailey says the Mankato man paid $7,250 for the ball, and with tax and auction fees ended up with a bill of about $8,300. The Free Press of Mankato says a California company certified the signature as authentic before the auction.
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Information from: The Free Press, http://www.mankatofreepress.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
OXFORD, Miss. (AP) – A rare collection of Civil War books has been donated to the University of Mississippi.
Dr. D.J. Canale, a retired neurosurgeon in Memphis, Tenn., and his wife Janet, have donated a collection of books, some of which are related to the topic of medical treatment of soldiers in the field.
Jennifer Ford, director of the university library’s archives and special collections, says in a news release that the gift includes more than 100 items.
The donation of books comes as many libraries, organizations and historians mark the Civil War sesquicentennial in 2011.
Officials say Canale, who also has collected rare books on other subjects, sold a large group of his books in the last few years at auctions, but he wanted his Civil War-related books kept together.
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Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Wow — Halloween collectibles can be valuable. This Veggie Man driving a pickle balloon that doubles as a jack-o-lantern sold for $4,387. Morphy Auctions in Denver, Pa., sold it at an auction featuring rare Halloween items.
Halloween-related decorations and objects are among today’s most popular collectibles. The idea of Halloween can be traced back to some ancient Celtic and early Irish celebrations. The name “Halloween” comes from an Irish celebration held on Oct. 31, the day before All Saints Day. It also was a harvest festival, so pumpkins and food were featured. But it was not until the early 1900s that Halloween images began to evolve, especially for postcards. Modern collectors consider Halloween postcards made between 1900 and 1920 to be the “best.” Their designs were cute, romantic and funny. Halloween back then was an adult holiday featuring parties and games. It became a children’s holiday, with trick-or-treating and jack-o’-lanterns, in the 1940s. Decorations and collectibles became scary and included devils, witches, black cats and skeletons. Today you should look for old die-cut displays, papier-mache jack-o-lanterns and other symbols, noisemakers and costumes — anything that looks like a Halloween item. Most common are papier-mache or plastic “carved” pumpkins, then black cats, skeletons and owls. Higher-priced are witches, bats and odd-looking vegetable people. Most desirable are devils, probably because they’re the hardest to find. But beware. Many copies of old papier-mache figures and candy containers were made in Germany and Asia in the 1990s. They look old, were made from old molds and were originally sold by companies that specialized in sales to flea-market dealers and gift shops. If you are a new collector, save anything this year with a great image, paper trick-or-treat bags, plastic jack-o-lanterns and large talking figures activated with motion detectors. Twenty years from now, these will be the memorabilia wanted by collectors to remind them of their childhood excursions on Halloween.
Q: In the late 1970s, I purchased a slant-front desk from a minister in New Hampshire. Now I would like to sell it. The sticker on the back says “Paine Furniture Company, Makers of Fine Furniture, Boston.” The desk is 46 inches high by 35 inches wide and 10 inches deep. What could I get for the desk?
A: Paine Furniture Co., now located on Cape Cod and called “Paine’s Patio,” traces its history back to 1835. But the company’s name didn’t become “Paine Furniture Co.” until 1928. Paine used brass tags to mark its furniture until 1943, when it switched to cloth tags. It started using paper labels in 1966. So if your desk is marked with a paper sticker, it was made no earlier than 1966. Its value also depends on condition and construction quality. If your desk is well made and in tiptop shape, you might be able to sell it for $100 or more.
Q: I have a doorstop that is shaped like a frog. It says “I croak for the Jackson wagon.” Value and history, please.
A: The frog doorstop was thought to be a political item made for Andrew Jackson’s campaign for president in 1828 or 1832. But 1980s research found that the frog was made in 1880 as a giveaway for the Jackson Wagon Co. of Jackson, Mich. These frogs have sold for $100 to $300 in recent years.
Q: When I was 10 years old, I was given a Mickey Mouse wristwatch. I’m 87 now, so I must have received it in about 1933. Mickey is on the round face and his arms move to tell the time. The strap is black leather. Is it valuable?
A: The very first Mickey Mouse wristwatches were made by Ingersoll-Waterbury Co. in 1933. It was the world’s first “comic character” wristwatch and was made in the same round-face style until 1937. Some had metal bands and others, leather bands. If your watch is indeed the first Mickey model and if it’s in excellent condition, it could sell for $500 or more. If you have the original box, the watch is even more valuable.
Q: Do people collect old menus? I have a 1954 menu from the Stork Club in New York. The cover is a color drawing of the dining room filled with celebrities, including Lana Turner, William Holden and Arthur Godfrey. Inside, the priced menu offers a lobster dinner for $3.75, prime rib for $4.25, ice cream for 85 cents and 16 kinds of potatoes. It also notes that cigarette smoking was allowed in all rooms but cigars were limited to two special rooms.
A: Yes, there are collectors of old menus. Some collectors would like your menu because of its cover picture of movie stars, while many others would like its record of the food served and its prices. We often forget that in the 1950s, middle-class men (few wives worked outside the home) making $75 a week were well-paid. The dollar of that day is worth about $20 today, so it would take an income of about $1,500 a week to live on the same scale today.
Q: Please tell me something about the mantel clock my parents received as a wedding gift in 1927. It has a porcelain case and the back is marked “Manufactured by Ansonia Clock Co., New York, United States of America.”
A The Ansonia Clock Co. was founded in Connecticut in 1850, but any Ansonia clock marked with a New York location dates from between 1880 and 1929, the year Ansonia closed. Ansonia bought clock cases from a Bonn, Germany, earthenware and porcelain factory that used the trade name Royal Bonn. Your clock was probably new when your parents received it. If it’s in perfect condition, it could sell for several hundred dollars.
Tip: Old papier-mache jack-o’-lanterns originally had a thin piece of paper in the eye holes. The light from the candle inside showed through the paper. You can make a replacement with tracing paper and watercolors.
Terry Kovel answers as many questions as possible through the column. By sending a letter with a question, you give full permission for use in the column or any other Kovel forum. Names, addresses or e-mail addresses will not be published. We cannot guarantee the return of any photograph, but if a stamped envelope is included, we will try. The volume of mail makes personal answers or appraisals impossible. Write to Kovels, Auction Central News, King Features Syndicate, 300 W. 57th St., New York, NY 10019.
Need more information about collectibles? Find it at Kovels.com, our website for collectors. Check prices there, too. More than 700,000 are listed and viewing them is free. You also can sign up to read our weekly Kovels Komments. It includes the latest news, tips and questions and is delivered by e-mail, free, if you register. Kovels.com offers extra collector’s information and lists of publications, clubs, appraisers, auction houses, people who sell parts or repair antiques and much more. You can subscribe to Kovels on Antiques and Collectibles, our monthly newsletter filled with prices, facts and color photos. Kovels.com adds to the information in our newspaper column and helps you find useful sources needed by collectors.
CURRENT PRICES
Current prices are recorded from antiques shows, flea markets, sales and auctions throughout the United States. Prices vary in different locations because of local economic conditions.
Cat and Witch party game, pin the tail on the cat flying on back of witch’s broom, 24 tails, Whitman, 1940s, box, 18 x 20 inches, $70.
Mars Candy Co. sign, corrugated cardboard, “The Goblinest Treats Come from Mars, Great Goblin Treats,” orange & black, witch on broom, 1960s, 28 inches x 8 feet, $100.
Moon Face Man sparkler, orange face, tin lithograph, die-cut eyes and mouth, multicolored celluloid sheets, Germany, 1930s, 4 1/2 x 2 1/4 inches, $125.
Hooked rug, titled “Man’s Best Friend,” reclining black dog, brown dog, red and brown letters, beige ground, George Wells, 27 x 61 inches, $285.
Wrought-iron gate latch, Spanish Colonial style, conquistadors, cherub and chicken in profile, iron scrolls, c. 1920, 10 x 10 inches, $445.
Kellogg’s Pep Bran Flakes Cereal advertising banner, oilcloth, image of Pep cereal box, orange with black letters, 1923, 23 x 47 inches, $490.
Black Forest carved pipe, two seated men in outdoor setting, one with hunting rifle and dog, other with hiking stick, elk’s head below pipe bowl, amber stem, circa 1890, 5 inches, $560.
Biedermeier side chairs, fruitwood, arched top rail above ebonized splat, black leather seat, circa 1825, set of four, 25 x 19 inches, $645.
Amphora vase, cylindrical, frog and insect on water-lily rim, white-and-brown glaze, Teplitz mark, circa 1905, 21 inches, $2,350.
“The Wizard of Oz” string-holder set, plaster, Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion, holes in mouth for string, MGM copyright, 1950s, 5 1/2 x 5 1/2 inches, $2,530.
Just published! The best book to own if you want to buy, sell or collect. The new Kovels’ Antiques & Collectibles Price Guide, 2011, 43nd edition, is your most accurate source for current prices. This large-size paperback has more than 2,600 color photographs and 42,000 up-to-date prices for more than 775 categories of antiques and collectibles. You’ll also find hundreds of factory histories and marks and a report on the record prices of the year, plus helpful sidebars and tips about buying, selling, collecting and preserving your treasures. Available online at Kovelsonlinestore.com; by phone at 800-303-1996; at your bookstore; or send $27.95 plus $4.95 postage to Price Book, Box 22900, Beachwood, OH 44122.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) A new owner plans to reopen an antique mall a couple blocks from Bloomington’s courthouse square three years after it closed.
Denise and Gregory Pence already operate the Exit 76 Antique Mall in Edinburgh, Ind., and plan to have the Bloomington Antique Mall open its doors Nov. 1. Denise Pence tells The Herald-Times that more than 40 booth operators have already signed up for space.
She says the response from potential vendors has been overwhelming, with a line at the door of “people with their checkbooks” on the first day they could claim spots.
CFC Properties bought the empty Tom Taylor Foods building in 1984 and turned it into the antique mall four years later. It had been closed since 2007.
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Information from: The Herald-Times, http://www.heraldtimesonline.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
MONROE, N.J. (AP) – At one time, the bell most certainly tolled in Monroe. But how the Civil War-era relic got there, what purpose it served and who brought it to Central Jersey are another story – and all questions one local history buff would like to answer.
Township Historian John Katerba has discovered that the 90-pound, 15-inch-by-15-inch brass bell was manufactured by William Buckley, a native of Ireland who immigrated to New York City in the early 1800s to open a casting foundry. Buckley died in 1850, as did his signature line of bells.
Sometime around the township’s founding in 1838, the bell made its way to Monroe, where a structure fire buried it under more than two feet of topsoil for approximately 135 years.
In the fall of 1994, construction workers unearthed the bell during a sewer-line installation project on Links Drive, near what is now the Pine Run and the Fairways at Forsgate developments.
At the time, Katerba was on the site working as an Monroe Utility Authority inspector when he noticed a backhoe and excavator pull out what appeared to be a rusty bucket.
“I was about two seconds too slow,” Katerba said. “I ran for it, but I was on the other side of the trench. It was basically finder’s keepers.”
The backhoe operator and Mercerville resident Joe Borromeo claimed the spoils that day as a young Katerba begged him to donate the mysterious find to the township.
“After three months the job was done, he disappeared and I never saw him again,” Katerba said.
Fast-forward 16 years. Katerba received a call from Borromeo’s neighbor, who told the township historian that his former co-worker had moved to Arizona and requested that the bell be returned to Monroe.
Since that phone call, Katerba has been poring over research and seeking additional information from the public.
Between Katerba’s eyewitness account of the bell’s discovery and a newfound fact-finding mission, which heavily relies on a county map that dates back to 1861, the Monroe native has found a number of pieces to the puzzling bell’s story.
“As it turned out, this was an old stone basement, (20-foot-by-20-foot), and judging by the two feet of burnt ash at the basement floor level, I had determined that this former building was badly burned and fell in on itself, the bell crashing safely into the basement,” Katerba said in an e-mail.
Armed with those facts and a heap of garbage that was disposed of in the fire “pit,” a common practice in those days, Katerba narrowed down the approximate year of the fire to the 1870s. Among the garbage heap of broken plates, oil lamps and stoneware were bottles, which indicated the time frame, he said.
Ironically, the fire may have been the bell’s salvation, as it avoided the same fate that awaited many American brass antiquities that were melted down for scrap drives during the course of two world wars to follow, he said.
Using the map, Katerba has also concluded that the building that housed the bell was situated at a five-point crossroads, one of which including the Bordentown Turnpike.
The structure could have been anything from a church to a school, but if Katerba’s guess is right, it was probably a toll road house.
“Being so close to the crossroads, it had to have been a stop – what kind of stop? We don’t know,” he said. “A toll road building could have had a bell. People used to communicate from long distances using bells through the type ring.”
Katerba’s hope is that someone from the public may offer some insight into the bell prior to the library exhibit opening in April and May, which will also feature antique bottles uncovered throughout the township.
“When you ring that bell you’re ringing history – it’s the sounds from the past,” Katerba said, quoting David Grider, a New York architect whose firm specializes in historic restoration. “It’s all about solving the mystery.”
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Information from: Home News Tribune,
http://www.mycentraljersey.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
New Orleans Museum of Art in a photo taken on the March 3, 2006, its first day of operation after Hurrican Katrina hit the city. Photo by Infrogmation, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 Generic License.
NEW ORLEANS – The New Orleans Museum of Art, also known as NOMA, has announced its schedule of events for November:
ONGOING:
Tai Chi/Chi Kung in the Art Galleries. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Join East Jefferson Hospital’s Terry Rappold for an evening of relaxation and rejuvenation conducting Tai Chi in NOMA’s art galleries. Offered every Wednesday. Register by calling East Jefferson Health Finders at 504-456-5000. FREE for NOMA and Wellness Center members; $5 for non-members. Please bring your own yoga mat. 6p, Wed.
Yoga/Pilates in the Sculpture Garden. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Every Saturday join us for a wellness class in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden, in partnership with East Jefferson Wellness Center. Fourth Saturdays is pilates, every other Saturday is yoga. Register by calling East Jefferson Health Finders at 504-456-5000. FREE for NOMA and Wellness Center members; $5 for non-members. Please bring your own yoga mat. 8a, Sat.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2010
Meet Museum Featured Artist Vitrice McMurry. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Vitrice McMurry is a New Orleans designer whose inspirations range from the tropical environs of the Crescent City to Mayan forms viewed during her travels to Central America. Using a combination of cast and constructed techniques, McMurry makes each of her pieces individually by hand in her Bayou St. John Studio. Her jewelry features materials including silver, 14-karat and 18-karat gold, and a variety of stones, and draws on a contemporary mixture of textures and finishes to create depth and interest. This event is FREE and will take place in the Museum Shop. 6p, Wed.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010
Selections from Project 35 Walk Through. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Join Miranda Lash, NOMA Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art, in discussion of international video art, with a focus on artists Guy Ben-Ner, Wanda Raimundi-Ortiz, Kota Ezawa, Tuan Andrew Nguyen, and Phù Nam Thúc Hà. This event is FREE with museum admission. Noon, Friday.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010
Selections from Project 35 Lecture. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. This lecture focuses on the exhibition Selections from Project 35, which is organized by Independent Curators International in honor of their 35th anniversary. Selections form Project 35 presents nine contemporary videos selected by nine curators from around the world. This event is FREE with museum admission. Noon, Friday.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2010
Déjà Vu All Over Again Walk Through. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Artists Matt is and Tony Campbell discuss their work in the Déjà Vu All Over Again exhibition, including photography, video, and sculpture. This event is FREE and open to the public. 6-8p, Wed.
Book Signing with John Besh. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. New Orleans chef John Besh will be signing his latest book, My New Orleans: The Cookbook. The book features 200 recipes as well as stories about New Orleans. The book is being sold for $45.00. This event is FREE and open to the public. 6-8p, Wed.
Educator Evening- 20th Century and Contemporary Art. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100.This workshop is a hands-on professional development workshop for educators that will explore NOMA’s special centennial exhibition, Great Collectors/Great Donorswith a focus on the concept of a “masterpiece” as it relates to the Museum’s collection, and learn ways to integrate NOMA’s collection into the classroom. This event is FREE and open to the public. 4:30-6 p, Wed.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010
Scents and Sensibility Walk Through. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. The organizing curator of this popular exhibition, John W. Keefe, will present a brief overview of the fascinating history of the scent bottles from the ancient world to the present day. This event is FREE with museum admission. Noon, Friday.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2010
Odyssey Ball & Patron Party. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. As the New Orleans Museum of Art approaches its one-hundredth anniversary, the Forty-Fifth Odyssey Ball will focus on the incredible collectors whose donations of artwork have helped create our Museum. Simply put, at NOMA, “Art Lives” because of these amazing patrons. Director Emeritus John Bullard will premiere the newest exhibition: Great Collectors/Great Donors: The Making of the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1910-2010, honoring the more than sixty-five collectors who helped build the Museum’s permanent collection. The honorary chair and special guest for the evening is Mrs. Frederick M. Stafford, who along with her late husband opened the very first Odyssey Ball forty-five years ago. To purchase tickets visit www.odysseyball.org or contact Kristen Jochem at 504-658-4121.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2010
Great Collectors/Great Donors Exhibition Opening. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Great Collectors/Great Donors: The Making of the New Orleans Museum of Art, 1910 – 2010 celebrates 100 years of generous collectors and donors who have made NOMA the premiere fine arts museum of the South. The exhibition walks visitors through the history of NOMA, decade by decade, honoring the patrons who shaped the museum’s permanent collection, which is over 35,000 pieces, spanning over 4000 years of art history. The exhibition is on view in the Ella West Freeman Galleries through January 23, 2011 and is generously sponsored by the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel.
Bernard Faucon Exhibition Opening. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Bernard Faucon’s The Most Beautiful Day of My Youth depicts one-day celebrations of a festive and playful nature in twenty-five international sites. This collection of sixty photographs represents youths ranging from 15 to 20 years old from diverse social and cultural backgrounds.
Great Collectors/Great Donors Walk Through. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. During his almost forty year tenure as director of the New Orleans Museum of Art, John Bullard built NOMA from a small local institution to a nationally respected art museum. All the while, he worked to develop the Museum’s collection through the active engagement of extraordinary art collectors and philanthropists. The centennial exhibition Great Collectors/Great Donors traces the one hundred year development of the museum’s collections from the time the building itself was gifted to the City of New Orleans by Isaac Delgado in 1911, to the present. Led by Bullard, director emeritus and curator of the exhibition, this walk-through will ink the interests of various collectors to the works that fill the walls of the Museum’s galleries. This event is FREE with museum admission. 2 p, Sun.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMER 17, 2010
Educator Workshop. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. This workshop is a hands-on professional development workshop for educators that will explore NOMA’s special centennial exhibition, Great Collectors/Great Donorswith a focus on the concept of a “masterpiece” as it relates to the Museum’s collection, and learn ways to integrate NOMA’s collection into the classroom. This event is FREE and open to the public. 4:30-6:30 p, Wed.
Book Club Discussion Group, The Ultimate Trophy: How the Impressionist Paintings Conquered the World. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. “In 1892 Degas’ painting In the Café was sold for a mere 180 guineas at auction with the public hissing as the hammer fell. Less than a century later another Impressionist work, Renoir’s Moulin de la Galette sold at Sotheby’s for GBP44.5 million accompanied y enthusiastic applause . . . Equally fascinating is the story of Impressionist change in status. More than exceptionally pretty pictures, Impressionist works have become a currency in their own right, being bought and sold like blue-chip stock—coveted as much for their monetary worth as for their intrinsic beauty. Drawn from this fascinating chapter in art history is narrated through the lens of today’s art market. This event is FREE and open to the public.11:30-1 p, Wednesday.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2010
Centennial Spotlight Walk Through. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Noon, Friday. Join us for a series of walk-throughs highlighting the New Orleans Museum of Art’s centennial exhibition. Specific subjects and speakers are to be announced. This event is FREE with museum admission. Noon, Friday.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010
Art-Making Activity. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100. Join the Museum as we kick off our centennial celebration with a centennial-themed family art-making activity. Visitors are encouraged to explore NOMA’s permanent collection as we enter into our one-hundredth year. This activity and the provided materials are FREE with museum admission. 1-4 p, Saturday.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2010
NOMA will be closed for Thanksgiving. New Orleans Museum of Art, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 658.4100.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2010
Museum Shop Holiday Sale. Join us for a quiet day of shopping at the Museum Shop.
CONTACT INFORMATION:
The New Orleans Museum of Art, is located at 1 Collins Diboll Circle, New Orleans, LA 70124. Tel. 504-658-4100.
Built in 1884, Dahlgren Chapel is modeled after the country Gothic chapels of England and Ireland. Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. BOONSBORO, Md. (AP) – The little stone chapel that sits atop South Mountain on Old National Pike is as elegant as it is tiny.
A group of Middletown-area citizens would like the Dahlgren Chapel to stay that way. Members of the Central Maryland Heritage League are starting an effort to restore the building’s intricate stained glass.
This will not be cheap. The first phase, estimated at $16,000, is to hand-paint and fire thousands of individual pieces that will make up the windows. The second phase, which does not yet have an estimated cost, will consist of assembling and installing the windows.
The Dahlgren chapel was completed in 1884. Madeleine Dahlgren had it built when her family summered at the South Mountain House, now the Old South Mountain Inn, just across the road. The chapel was modeled after the country Gothic chapels of England and Ireland. The soaring, cathedral-style ceiling and walnut paneled walls were made from local wood.
Family and friends used the chapel for Sunday worship and special occasions. Now the property of the Central Maryland Heritage League, the restored chapel is available for weddings. It seats 70 to 80 people. Warmth is from two propane heaters and the lighting is limited to two reproduction French provincial chandeliers, but natural light and candlelight add to the ambiance.
“The lighting is scrumptious for photography,” said Nancy Koval, a member of the league. “It’s because of the natural light and the stained glass, and how the light plays off the wood of the pews.”
The huge stones that form the chapel walls were quarried nearby. The iron bell in the tower came from a Baltimore church that had burned. Only the marble altar was imported, from Italy. The chapel was once a consecrated Catholic church.
In 1997, the league began renting out the chapel for weddings, which has helped generate money for repairs. Since then, 14 pews have been installed, resembling the two original pews that remained in the chapel.
The slate roof has been replaced and new copper gutters and downspouts were added. The stonework has been repointed over the years and the bell tower has been repaird. The building was rewired and wrought iron railings were installed on the stone steps.
The last big project is to repair the stained glass. There are 16 windows in the main part of the chapel. These are arranged in pairs of two along the pews. There is also a circular window above the balcony, a pair of windows in the vestibule and three windows surrounding the altar.
Of the 16 windows, seven of the stained glass panels are intact.
Two are damaged and the remaining will need to be replaced.
“We’re trying to find a religious historian who can help us put in the ovals,” said Bill Wilson, executive director of the league. The ovals in each stained glass panel represented the images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Two of the altar windows and one of the vestibule windows, along with the balcony window also need to be replaced. Sharon Rowland of Art in Glass in Woodsboro will restore and re-create the windows.
The chapel was used by the Dahlgren family until 1922 when it was given to an order of nuns as a retreat. The nuns returned the chapel to a Dahlgren descendant in 1925, but it was mostly abandoned for 30 years. In 1960, Richard Griffin of Frederick bought the chapel and began the building’s restoration.
Many of the windows had been shot out or smashed, the altar was in pieces, and the interior was covered with honeysuckle, poison ivy and hornets’ nests. A local Boy Scout troop found pieces of the damaged windows while camping in nearby Washington Monument State Park. The pieces were taken to the Russell Glass Studio in Frederick, and the chapel opened for occasional tours starting in 1962. On the exterior, a Plexiglas-like material protects the stained glass from further damage by vandals.
In 1996, the league bought the chapel from Griffin, who has since died, and the restoration continues. The nonprofit group collects $600 for each wedding rental, a fee which can be written off as a tax donation. The group has collected $115,000 for upkeep and restoration so far.
From the chapel, visitors can see the Appalachian Trail, which goes through the property, and a sweeping view across the Middletown Valley. Off in the distance Sugarloaf Mountain is visible.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Christie’s New York Gallery at Rockefeller Center as seen in 2006 photo by David Shankbone, accessed through Wikipedia.
LONDON (ACNI) – Two of Britain’s most reputable news sources, the Financial Times and Reuters, are reporting that the oil-rich Arab Gulf nation of Qatar may make a bid for Christie’s auction house.
Today’s Financial Times quotes Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani as saying Qatar is building a museum and that Christie’s “has links with the stuff we are collecting.” Al-Thani stopped short of saying anything formal is already in the works, but he told the London-based Financial Times: “It depends on the opportunity – if we had a good opportunity, we would not hesitate.”
Qatar’s immensely wealthy royal family owns one of the world’s great art collections as well as a stake in Volkswagen AG and Singapore’s Raffles hotel. In May of this year, the Qatari Royal Family, operating under the name of Qatari Holdings, purchased London’s exclusive Harrods department store plus its banking, property and aviation assets for a total of approximately $2.36 billion.
Based in London, Christie’s is owned by French billionaire Francois Pinault’s holding company Artemis S.A., which also owns, or has at one time owned, such companies as Converse shoes, Samsonite luggage, and the Vail Ski Resort in Colorado.
Copyright 2010 Auction Central News International. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yarmouth, Maine, residents fondly called their 200-year-old elm tree Herbie. Dutch elm disease claimed the giant last winter. Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons. YARMOUTH, Maine (AP) – A 217-year-old elm tree that was cut down in Maine earlier this year is going on display.
A 6-foot-wide section of the tree known as Herbie the Elm will be displayed in an open-air shelter outside the town office in Yarmouth.
The 110-foot tall tree, which suffered from Dutch elm disease, was believed to be the biggest in New England when it was cut down in January.
Sections of its stump were bolted onto plywood and displayed at the Yarmouth Clam Festival last summer.
WMTW-TV reports that the tree, which yielded more than 6,000 board feet, was also made into furniture and other items, some of which will be auctioned off Nov. 13 at the Delorme Mapping Store, on U.S. Route 1 in Yarmouth.
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Information from: WMTW-TV, http://www.wmtw.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (AP) – Ruth Rose cuts pieces of cake from a life-size replica of a Whirlpool washing machine in a photograph taken at the retirement party of company co-founder Frederick Upton in 1955.
Her grandson, Marc Pendergrass, recently sent the photo to Whirlpool Corp. Archive Museum in Benton Harbor in response to a new push to gather memorabilia for the company’s 100th anniversary.
Whirlpool’s Discovery Program is encouraging past and present employees to send in their photographs, stories, annual reports – anything having to do with the company’s history.
“Family historywise, we’ve got a lot of association with Whirlpool,” said Pendergrass, a senior product designer with the company. His grandmother on his mother’s side catered events for Whirlpool while working at the Whitcomb Hotel. His grandfather on his father’s side assembled washing machines.
Along with the photo, Pendergrass sent a charm bracelet given to Rose as a thank-you from Margaret Upton, Frederick’s wife. On the bracelet hangs a charm modeled after – what else – a washing machine.
“We’re wanting to add to our collection to be reflective of our global business,” said Anglea Hersil, a Whirlpool corporate brand manager. The program, which began in mid-August and will continue until Dec. 31, has received about 300 submissions from countries such as Canada, Germany, Brazil, Norway, Italy and China.
“We are no longer a U.S.-, North America-centric company,” Hersil said. “We have pockets of stories all over the world.”
The purpose of the collection, which is not open to the public, is to have a “robust, ongoing archive,” Hersil said.
The collection so far is certainly varied. There are rows of washing machines, dishwashers and stoves – models of much of the equipment made by Whirlpool and its subsidiaries. Displayed under glass are plastic pouches of cornflakes and tins of sweet potatoes.
The food, left over from the Apollo 11 mission to the moon, was designed and supplied to NASA by Whirlpool. There are appliances covered with hundreds of signatures because it was a tradition for workers on the assembly line to sign the first or last of a model, said museum manager Ruth Ludlow. Also on display is the fridge used on the set of the television show Seinfeld.
The archive has already proved useful, Ludlow said. Employees from an innovation team were told by the company’s engineers there wasn’t a way to make round ice cubes, but after looking through the archive the team found that not only was it possible, Whirlpool had already done it sometime in the 1960s.
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Information from: The Herald-Palladium,
http://www.heraldpalladium.com
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
