| News about some BIHS Projects
The Board has recently decided to revive a project that was originally undertaken by the Bicentennial Committee twenty-five years ago, the marking of historic sites with large cedar signs. In 1976 a few signs, such as the 4' x 3' "Fishing Village" sign at the Marine Museum, were routed, painted, and placed on 4" x 4" posts. The Board is evaluating the text for another ten signs, including one to be placed in the new park being created by Harborscapers between Allsports and the Ferry Dock.
After a break of seven years, we also going to try to move forward with the outside exhibits at the Marine Museum, because this is a project for which much of the planning has already been done. The Bob S is up on a stone crib, and is partially restored. We know what we have to do to finish this restoration. The next step will to get the Gertrude K up on cribbing, to bring over the Bob S's Kahlenberg engine and mount it on a cement pedestal (and possibly get it working so that it could be run for five minutes each afternoon at 3:00), and to do something with the old pile-driving raft on the other side of the building. Each of these outdoor displays will have to be protected from the weather by a free-standing roof, and each will have to be explained by a sequence of signs.
Obviously we don't have enough money to even begin this work. So how can we talk about starting? We intend to refine an approach that is being used by other historical societies and that, if it works, can help fund our other large-scale projects: applying for grants as we work on the details of our general plan. New Island resident Barbara Varnum Schwartzfisher, who was very successful in raising money for Petoskey's Friendship Center, has agreed to head up our grant-writing efforts.
The membership renewal form accompanying this Newsletter provides for additional directed donations. We hope that those of you who would like to see this project resume will "vote" for it by making an extra donation of any size. Most granting agencies want to know that the community supports the project they are being asked to underwrite, and this is how we can show them that we do.
John Leben's project to make a video about the life and meaning of King Strang is also moving forward. He has applied for and received grants from independent PBS TV stations and the Crook Tree Council for the Arts, and has also applied for grants from the Frey Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities. These funds will come to the Historical Society, and we will dispense them.
Essentially this is a two-stage project. The first involves writing the shooting script. The video will include interviews with scholars, authors, clergymen, adherents, and Beaver Island residents, blended in with reenactments of some of the crucial events in Strang's life. The production team can not be sure what these interviews will produce; it is quite possible that the script will have to be modified during shooting to follow fresh leads.
A Steering Committee of experts on various aspects of Beaver Island's past has been formed to help design the new Print Shop Museum. Members include Paul Connors, Antje Price, Frank Ettawageshik, Laurie Sommers, Seamus Metress, Jerry Gorden, and Laurie Dickens. Each of them will concentrate on the area of their expertise, making suggestions about what should be displayed and how much space it will take. Comments from the public will be referred to the appropriate member. Ideas will be shared between them and the Director and Board by means of a small newsletter, the first issue of which has just been distributed. If any of you would like to receive this (in addition to our regular quarterly Newsletter), please let us know.
At this point we have decided to abandon all of our preconceptions about how large the addition might be. We know that a limit imposed by the zoning code is to not build within 10' of the property line; plus, we will need room for a septic system. We had been thinking that the second floor of the addition would only contain archives and the office, but even this is up for rethinking. There has also been some talk about trying to purchase the Cull home next door. Of course these are just options; anything specific would be premature until the Steering Committee makes its recommendations. After the Annual Meeting of 2001, we should have a fairly good idea of the necessary size. That will allow us to estimate costs as the architectural process begins, and that will also be the signal for the Fund-raising Committee to get to work.
We are planning some new exhibits for the coming summer. Primarily we want to create a comprehensive history of the Island in the large entry room, and add more explanatory posters in the Native American Room, the Helen Collar Room, and for the agricultural display. We also intend to modify and reprint our fold-out brochure.
We hope to reinstitute the Oral History project this summer as well. This was started in 1989 and ran through 1991, producing about thirty invaluable tapes. Please suggest anyone you feel we should interview. A Shipwreck Emerges
Last summer the keel board and the ribs from one side of an old ship emerged in the shallow waters at the north end of Little Sand Bay. About a tenth of its hundred foot length was on shore, with the rest in water less than a foot deep, water whose eddying must have washed away the sand that had previously covered the weathered old beams and planks with their rusty spikes and iron dowels.
This spring, with the water a foot lower, the entire skeletal structure is lying on the sand. Nautical records do not shed any light on what ship this could have been.
We're worried that these bones could become mantels on twenty fireplaces or more. Salvaging the wreck would require an immense effort. We could try; but should Museum Week: July 17 -- 22
This year we've taken a new approach to funding the Museum Week festivities. We've asked the business community to underwrite the cost, and they've responded superbly. This allows us to concentrate on creating an interesting program, managing the complicated logistics, and getting the message out.
In addition to the presentations at the Parish Hall, there will once again be an Art Show. The community of Beaver Island artists and craftsmen has been growing exponentially, and this year's art show should be the best yet.
We also plan to have afternoons on which one can tour and learn about the Christian Brothers' Lodge, as well as the Whiskey Point Lighthouse. In addition, Antje Price will open the Protar Home a few afternoons.
Monday Evening will see the always-popular "Music on the Porch." On Wednesday John Leben will talk about the making of his documentary on King Strang, both in terms of the challenges of filmmaking and the necessity of having a flexible script as new interpretations of the Mormon leader continue to accrue. On Friday evening Dr. Paul Connors will talk about history and answer questions from the audience. The Saturday Night Concert promises to be exciting because we have the time to work out the kinks. A complete schedule will appear in the Beaver Beacon. New BIHS Grant strictly "For the Birds"
The Hunting Foundation recently awarded the Historical Society a $3,000 grant to build and sell cedar birdhouses. Under its terms, we will hire a local woodshop to construct three different styles of birdhouse and one designed for bats. We will then put them up for sale, with the revenue earmarked for our Building Fund.
The idea behind this is to make the funds more useful. They will benefit the local craftsmen by provinding work in their chosen field; they will benefit our natural endowment -- specifically, the Island birds; and they will benefit the Historical Society. Much thought was put into this donation.
From Nomad to High Island, birdhouses have long been a part of our surroundings. We are glad to continue this long-standing tradition.
The birdhouses will be available at the Print Shop, so please stop in and purchase one when you arrive. You can also buy a second one for your off-Island flock. We have seen prototypes built by Islecraft, and they are quite attractive. Progress on Volume V
We are continuing to move forward on the fifth volume of The Journal of Beaver Island History, although it now seems publication will not take place before late summer at the earliest. So far, these articles have been received:
The Five Wives of James Jesse Strang, Vickie Speek;
Warren Post, Mormon Elder, Jerry Gorden
The Vernon, Henry Hill;
Julius Allers, Beaver Island Fisherman, Bob Grunst;
The Fishing Wars, Dan VandenHede;
Keewaydinoquay on Garden Island, Ann Filmyer;
Elizabeth Whitney Williams, Kate Dudding;
The Ice Walkers, Paul Connors;
Beaver Island's Loons, Jacque LaFreniere; and
Beaver Island and the Celts, Jim Norgaard.
We have also been granted permission to reprint an article on the Squaw Island tragedy from the Lighthouse Digest. Phil Gregg, Don Monteith, and Mary Francis Fenton report they are nearly done with their articles on Beaver Island's ferries (another installment of Beaver Tales), the logging railroad, and Mrs. Redding, as well.
In addition, we want to include two very interesting interviews done by Robert Cole in 1991 as part of the Island's Oral History project. In one, Johnny Andy Gallagher talks about his adventures at the Lighthouse. In the other, Marguerite Cole Mulligan, a sister to Raymond and Everett Cole (who perished in the Merold II explosion) talks about life at the lower east side town/logging camp of Nomad. During her years there she witnessed numerous tragedies. Her sister Lila was shot by a gun Hannigan Boyle had rigged at the empty Wildwood Inn, which necessitated the first flight to the Island, a plane landing on the ice of Lake Geneserath with a doctor. Her brother Jessie was hit on the head by a log; the doctor thought he would not survive, but he became an astute businessman. Then, to top it off, their house caught fire and burned down, and they lost all their possessions. But there were good times also: building a dance hall, tramway, rental cabins, and "Loew's Lodge," which served as a hotel. These interviews capture well the flavor of Beaver Island. Our Oral History Project
Almost a decade ago the Islanders with the longest memories were interviewed and recorded. Some of those who helped with the effort have now graduated into becoming the ranking old-timers themselves. It's time for us to start another round of this valuable activity. If you know someone with interesting tales to tell, please give us their name. Or, better, bring them in.
Every summer we hear stories at the Print Shop from visitors with an Island connection. We make notes, but sometimes the Museum is too busy to be able to do this right away. So starting this year, we intend to have a tape recorder at the entry desk and another on the office desk, so that either the volunteer or the Director can capture these anecdotes verbatim. And when we hear that someone with a strong connection to our past is on the Island, we will attempt to visit them, recorder in hand, and capture whatever they are willing to share. WSU Press to publish Paul Connors' Book
After a year of negotiating with different publishers to bring out his book on the history of Beaver Island, Paul Connors has accepted a contract from Wayne State University Press.
Everyone who likes Beaver Island will want to deepen their understanding of it by reading this book. Its primary thrust is a study of the nineteenth century Irish fishing community, which it sets into a broad context. To tell this story it backtracks to the frontier-like trading post days before the arrival of the Mormons, covers that era well, and then weaves a rich tale of many strands, including the religious, social, and political shifts in power that defined our culture over a century ago. No other book comes anywhere close to presenting such a rich and comprehensive picture of Beaver Island life.
Editing and pre-press preparation will probably take a year. As soon as the book is ready, we will publish the news in our Newsletter. We hope to be able to buy a large quantity so that we can offer a discount to BIHS members; this is the best book yet on Beaver Island. Our Intern Program
Thanks to CMU, we will have an intern this summer: Rob Gehl, a senior-to-be in history, who will receive course credit. Last summer he was here for a few weeks, and created a searchable index to our archives on our computer.
Our first thought is to have him copy our entire archive onto CDs, making 3 copies. In the event of a catastrophe, we could at least print copies of this material. The process involves scanning both pictures and text, so at the same time we could add "thumbnails" to the index to preview the archive. After he gets this set up, volunteers may be able to do some of the work, freeing him for other projects.
We might ask him to clean, organize, and inventory the contents of both the Heritage Park Barn and the Print Shop's Kitchen Addition attic. In designing the outdoor displays at the Heritage Park, or new exhibits at the Print Shop, it would be nice to have an index of our holdings on our computer.
Another job Mr. Gehl could handle is the reformatting of our pamphlet/book on Beaver Island's cemeteries. We have sold all of the previously printed copies, and would like to complete the list of names and upgrade the manner of presentation before printing any more. The master copy of the previous manuscript can be scanned in as editable text, so the few typos we have carried along can also be eliminated at this time. A little more research will have to be done at the Courthouse.
We might also use him to help us router, paint, and install some of the historic signs we want to place.
If you have any suggestions for him, or for our next intern (if we can keep this program going), please let us know. Willy John Gallagher
"Back in the '40s I saw Willy John on many occasions, but always at the same place: Walner's Funeral Parlor in the 2400 block of North Lincoln Avenue in Chicago. As the Irish were put to rest he was generally there to pay tribute. He had a very dynamic smile and personality. As I remember, he lit up the room. I can't picture anyone of the others at that place."
--Louis E. Duffy, 74, e-mail of 4-7-00 (his grandfather and father lived on Beaver Island) The South Wall
When the weather cleared in the middle of March, work began on the south wall of the Print Shop Museum. After investigating several options and sources for wide-plank siding, Bob Graves of Beaver Island Forestry made available to us some 20'-long pine boards of varying widths up to 17" that had been air-drying for over ten years.
Once we had procured those, we stripped off the old, rotted siding to see how much rot, if any, had gotten into the logs. We discovered that the bottom log, which had originally been placed on the ground but was put on three cement pads when the entire building was jacked up in 1953, did have one section in which the rot had eaten away about a third of the 16" circumference. But because this area did not happen to be directly above one of the three footings, it posed no structural danger. We have three options for dealing with it: ignore it for now; cut out the rot and replace just that section of the log; or replace the entire lower log.
While we were discussing what to do, a new matter of concern arose. The more we looked at the south wall, the more we were taken by the sheer rugged beauty of the hand-hewn logs. Finally the growing sentiment was put into words: why don't we just leave these logs exposed?
To do so raises other concerns. Over the years some of the chinking has fallen out, so the wall will have to be rechinked. Then the logs will have to be sprayed with the best modern preservative. And the exposed ends of the front and back logs (every other tier) will have to be plugged.
If the wall is exposed, we cannot ignore or partially repair the lower log. In fact, we will have to remove the lower log (thankfully the interlocking nature of the corner joint makes this relatively easy) and replace it, possibly with three or four tiers of logs because the original logs went down to the ground. To support this wall, we will have to install a continuous concrete footing below grade (and possibly a concrete wall between the footing and the bottom log) and soak the bottom log thoroughly in preservative (by rotating it in a preservative-filled trough.) In addition, the window and the cove area under the eaves will require special treatment.
From a construction standpoint, this is a feasible approach. It will not cost much more than reapplying the vertical board-and-batten siding.
But there are some problems. One is insulation. The vertical boards were installed (with old square nails) on horizontal furring strips. We had planned to replace these strips with full 1" boards 2' apart, add 1" styrofoam panels between them, and then cover this with tyvek before nailing on the siding, to increase the insulation.
Another is the look; some Society members feel that having two different kinds of walls is a little discordant.
The biggest objection is that of authenticity. We are trying to determine if the logs were covered with vertical board siding during the Mormon period. It's possible; they had a sawmill to cut these boards, and we believe Strang's home was so covered.
One suggestion is to keep the logs exposed through the summer to give all the members a chance to look it over and make a suggestion. The problem with this is, we can't have it exposed unprotected. But if we rechink it, the chinking might be disrupted if we add three tiers of log to the bottom later. So the only practical approach to having it exposed for at least the summer is to completely restore it -- an expense we would not have to bear if we decided to add the vertical board siding after all.
Another idea is to expand the museum to the south (as well as to the west) so that these logs can become an internal wall. The addition can be sided with vertical boards so that the entire exterior of the expanded Museum is consistent, and yet the beauty of this log wall will not be lost. The window (which is not original) could be replaced with a framed sheet of good-two-side plywood set in the middle, providing a display nook recessed about 5" into the wall from each side.
As they say, nothing is ever easy when you look at it closely. We would like to get this done, but we also don't want to make a mistake. So if you have any opinions or suggestions on this matter, let us know. The Annual Meeting
Mark August 17th on your calendar as the Historical Society's Annual Meeting, and circle it in red.
The Annual Meeting presents an opportunity to ask any question you may have about anything that has happened in the past, or the Board's plans for the future. You can make suggestions as well, thereby helping to shape our evolving mission. We tend to develop a kind of myopia, and appreciate this insight from a broader perspective.
The Summer Newsletter, which will come out a week before the meeting, will give the time and place (last year the Fire Hall was not large enough to accomodate the crowd) and present the agenda. Send us your suggestions for topics you'd like to have addressed.
PABI's Capital Campaign
Beaver Island's dauntless Preservation Association has embarked on a Capital Campaign that has a good chance of raising the funds needed to build our Community House. Now is the time to help them meet this long-awaited goal. A Murder Trial on Beaver Island
In 1936, with the Israelites having abandoned High Island and left their fields under the control of a hired farmer, that peaceful domain was disrupted by something as unlikely as it was unexpected: a charge of murder. The caretaker, Claude Swafford, was accused of killing an Indian resident, William Thomas, with a knife.
It was just after Easter, which the small community had celebrated at the High Island church. Paul Napont had read the service, and Paul Kenwabakisee and his wife had led the singing, using their Indian Hymnal.
William Thomas had fouind a woman for himself, Angeline Saccator, on the mainland. They had applied for a wedding licence, but it was never executed. In mid-April, a time when High Island was cut off because the ice had turned soft, William Thomas went on another drinking spree. He found Angeline at the Swafford home. An argument followed, and he began to beat her so severely that Mrs. Swafford ran to get her husband from his work. Claude managed to rescue the woman, who was put up at the Swafford home. Thomas, though, continued to drink and rage until he took sick with a high fever.
The High Island community ministered to William Thomas through the week, but the next Saturday night and Sunday morning saw him go off on another spree. He was searching for Angeline, who was staying with the Swaffords. He found her, which was his undoing. In the fracass that followed he was killed by a knife. Claude Swafford was charged with the murder.
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