I haven't been posting as frequently as I had intended; I've been incredibly busy, and sometimes I'm not even sure why that is. During my down time I managed to visit a Heritage Museum. When I was younger I detested the thought of being dragged into a museum. There was always this stigma my peers and the media had assigned them; if it has educational value, it most certainly will be boring. Now as an adult I have a greater appreciation for things of historical significance. I admit I don't have as much of an interest in historical events as I do in artifacts. Again, I love antiques, and where else could you possibly find greater antiques than in a museum. At the museum there were many things to look at; it ranged from primitive furniture and glassware, to Native artifacts and old cars. Unfortunately much of which was donated with a lack of background information, so there was a lot of random objects with no explanation. This works well with museums that stage buildings (often referred to as "Pioneer Villages"); small cottages or workshops are uprooted and moved onsite to the museum where they are filled with artifacts related to a specific time period. With these kinds of buildings there really is no explanation required; a Victorian bed is only there because the cottage is Victorian. As I was saying, within the main building were many nameless pieces which left one to ponder; for me the most difficult one to grasp was a strange wooden cradle/catapult...I can only imagine it was created to launch unwanted to children into the next township.
Above all the antiques I had viewed that day the one that took my breath away was an old Victorian funeral coach. Apparenlty these are highly sought after, and are therefore very expensive. Although I find it a fascinating and beautiful piece of history, I simply could not bring myself to own one even if I did have the money. It's just too much. I'm torn because I'm a huge Halloween fanatic and I think of how awesome it could look on my front lawn; I also think of all the poor souls carried to their final resting place, and that this was a symbol of great loss for so many families. To push that thought the coffin within the funeral coach, as well as the one beneath, are very small childrens' coffins. Not a happy Halloween thought. There's just a lot of respect to be had for this piece. The proof is in the ornate details; inside, although it's hard to see, the coffin has heavy black swagged curtains with silver tassles, and brass hinges and lining everywhere. In a word, it's a masterpiece. I feel it exceeds what we use today as far as taste is concerned; I can't imagine being lugged around in what I can only refer to as a black Station Wagon.
I apologize for my crappy photographs. An Iphone is not my ideal camera. I'll probably re-visit and try to get better pictures for the future. I strongly encourage you to hit up your local museums if you haven't already. Even small towns have great history, so why not plan a day trip? I'll end with an interesting tidbit of info I picked up today; the word Hearse has multiple origins inlcuding wolf's teeth, an agricultrual tool, or the Tenebrae Hearse - a candle holder.
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