A Curator's Day

I'm a Museum Curator again!

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Wednesday, June 3, 2026

The long drive back home again under cloudless skies.

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Tuesday, June 2, 2026

The Saratoga National Historical Park by bicycle and Congress Park in Saratoga Springs, NY on foot

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Monday, June 1, 2026

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, NY featuring Thomas Dambo's TROLLS: Save the Humans

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Sunday, May 31, 2026

The Adirondack Carousel in Saranac Lake, NY and Paul Smith’s VIC.

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Thursday, May 28, 2026

Today was my last day of work before vacation!

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Wednesday, May 27, 2026

We've got a new exhibit coming up that shows how common items changed over time. I think it's going to be a fun one.

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Tuesday, May 26, 2026

We've got a lot of neat panoramic photos of soldiers from World War I.

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Friday, May 22, 2026

Today, while looking at photos of the Bicentennial parade held on June 19, 1976 in Elmira , I noticed that this tricycle, which is part of our artifact collection, was on our float. Our records show it wasn't formally accessioned until 1978, but it is a vintage mid-19th century piece. Upon closer examination, I've identified the parasol carried by the person in the center as another piece in our collection, made in the late 19th century and accessioned in 1974. I wouldn't be surprised if quilt on her lap, the other parasol, and even the dresses were pulled from the collection. Museum practice was different 50 years ago. At least it looked like a dry day.

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Thursday, May 21, 2026

I steamed the dress that's going on display in Remembering the Bicentennial. It's not a huge change, but it makes a difference.

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Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Today, I started pulling objects for our upcoming Remembering the Bicentennial exhibit.

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Tuesday, May 19, 2026

I drove up to Woodlawn Cemetery one more time today to get the last two headstone photographs for our 20th anniversary Ghost Walk book. I also finished writing my second script for this year's Ghost Walk.

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Monday, May 18, 2026

I wrote my blog post about Lovell's Drug Store today which included a section on ice cream during World War II. It'll be posted to the museum's history blog in two weeks.

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Friday, May 15, 2026

Today, while doing research for my second Ghost Walk script, I learned about lots of fun happenings at the Inter-State Fair held in Elmira in 1893 including a wedding in hot air balloon.

This photo is of a fair in Elmira in 1918, btw.

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Thursday, May 14, 2026

Today, I found this great photo of Red Cross production during World War II. It's even labeled with names - from left to right Mrs. Frank Hobler, Mrs. Arthur W. Booth, Mrs. Orley M. Canter, Mrs. Willis Linn. It would be nicer if it had their actual names not Mrs. Hisname, but I'll take what I can get.

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Wednesday, May 13, 2026

I gave my lecture on Prohibition at today’s Out to Lunch. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. There were mixed reactions, however, to the “orange cider” we offered with refreshments, produced from an 1893 recipe.

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Tuesday, May 12, 2026

I really appreciate the photographer(s) who went around in the early 1860s taking pictures of Civil War soldiers in camp. We have several of them in our archive, and they are all amazing.

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Monday, May 11, 2026

I'm glad it was a nice sunny day for a change today, but I had to deal with glare off a car windshield in the parking lot as I worked at the admissions desk this morning. As long as I crouched down behind the monitor it was okay. Not great for my posture, though.