The governing board of the Oneida Pioneer Museum (the official name is The Oneida County Relic Preservation and Historical Society, Inc.) met on Wednesday night, April 20. The board meets monthly from approximately April through September and then as needed for the rest of the year. 

In anticipation of the museum opening, which will be held on Saturday, May 28, plans were made for the annual Bake Sale that is held every year in conjunction with the yearly opening. Visitors look forward to the sale and to stop in to see displays and reminisce with board members.

JoAnn Peters and Brianne McDougal reported on the fabric preservation project that they have been overseeing since January. Peters, an Adjunct Professor at BYU-Idaho, teaches courses in the apparel design program and is an expert in vintage clothing preservation. McDougal, a granddaughter of Norman Jaussi, accompanied Peters as an intern. The two women went through a collection of approximately 250 items of clothing, old quilts, furs and other fabrics. They evaluated the collection to determine the condition of all fabrics; determined if the item was vintage and important to the history of Oneida County; provided preservation and conservation materials so that items could be safely stored, accessed and rotated for exhibit purposes; repaired, if possible, items that had tears or other damage; advised the museum board about items that were in such poor condition that they could not be repaired or exhibited; and provided a catalog of pictures and description of all items in the collection, including pictures for the storage boxes and bags so that items can be easily identified. 

Through this project, all items have been cataloged in the BYU-Idaho David O. McKay Library, Special Collections, LIMB Gallery and is available online to the public. Chairman, Jean Thomas, reported to the board members that a determination will be made if the museum computer has enough storage to handle an updated PastPerfect software update. If so, the data and photographs can be transferred to the museum’s computer. 

As part of their project, Peters and McDougal also staged several areas of the museum to exhibit some of the clothing they found. Peters told the board, “You have a great collection.” One of the oldest items in the collection is a bonnet that is believed to date back to the 1820s and belonged to Jedd Jones’s mother, Rachel. Two capes are also determined to be very old. One cape had a notation that it was worn to the dedication of the Salt Lake City Tabernacle, which was in 1867. 

Of special interest is the Kodiak bear skin that was donated by Ralph Hadfield, who shot the bear in Alaska. After hanging for many years in the museum, it is very dusty. A local taxidermist will be asked to help determine if the skin can be safely cleaned and preserved without damaging the fur.

Also, on the agenda for the Oneida Pioneer Museum was the annual “Friends of the Museum” campaign, which will kick off in two weeks. Watch for the invitation to become a museum “Friend” with a donation. The donations, along with funding from Oneida County and Malad City and grant funding, pay for the improvements made to the museum building and to preserve the collections. 

Plan to attend the annual bake sale and see the displays. The board invites everyone to stop by the museum at least once this year to revisit the Malad City and Oneida County of the past! The museum will be open from Saturday, May 28, through Monday, September 5. It is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.