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February 2, 2010 04:40:19
Posted By The Curator
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It’s amazing how a person can change the climate of a town or city forever. When Gideon Sundback was brought into the fold at what would become Talon, the Swedish born and German trained electrical engineer may have seen a challenge he couldn’t pass up, but by no means could have dreamed his work would change Meadville forever. After finding two chairs at the museum donated by Marguerite Titus Sundback, wife of zipper fame, we’d like to share a small taste of their lives.
Gideon Sundback moved to the United States from Sweden at the age of 24, almost immediately taking a job at Westinghouse in Pittsburgh. He was quickly sought out by the Automatic Hook and Eye Company (predecessor to Talon) in Hoboken, New Jersey. He took on the project of trying to improve upon existing zipper designs in 1906, giving speculation as to the reason for his interest a mix between the desire of a challenge and the appeal of his employer’s daughter, Elvira Aronson. Sundback and Aronson were married in 1909. Sundback moved to New Jersey and began work on improving the C-curity which after a year on the market was beginning to reveal problems already.
Sundback was determined and with new interest from Lewis Walker who had began to drift from the failing company, in 1913 Walker purchased the company and assets for $50,000 and tied his fate to it completely- moving it to Meadville Pennsylvania.
Upon the design of Sundback’s Hookless #2, the zipper in Meadville became a permanent staple and with it the fame of Walker, Sundback, and the rest of the Hookless Fastener Company in Meadville, PA. The company was eventually renamed Talon and its fame continued for decades- locally to this day.
Many of our readers may have worked for Talon Zipper and some may have been fortunate enough to know Sundback, who remarried Marguerite in 1916 after his first wife’s death in 1911. Their legacy lives on at the museum in the form of Marguerite’s leadership there in the Baldwin-Reynolds House’s early years as well as two French styled chairs in the library. Those chairs are permanent fixtures in our exhibits, just as their former owners will forever remain permanent fixtures in our fair city.
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January 25, 2010 02:28:43
Posted By The Curator
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With new Mayor Christopher Soff stepping into his office recently, a perfect opportunity is presented here to discuss Meadville borough, and eventually city in terms of an organizational history. This week, we will track how Meadville became a city, where its original boundries were, and other little known facts about the place we all know and love.
Meadville was a village in Allegheny County, and once it was established, Crawford County in 1800. It remained a village for over twenty years, however, and was not incorporated into a borough until March 29, 1823. Its original boundaries were as follows:
Beginning at the east end of Kennedy’s bridge; thence along the Meadville and Mercer Turnpike Road, to the place where the south line of the south alley crosses said road; thence east along said alley to the Susquehanna and Waterford Turnpike Road; thence south along said road to the place where the north line of William Clark’s farm crosses the same; thence east along the said line to the east end of the town track; thence north along said line to the northeast corner of Samuel Lord’s farm; thence west along the north line of Samuel Lord’s land to the bank of French Creek; thence along the meanders of said creek to the place of beginning.
Upon the first election of borough officers, held May 5, 1823, Thomas Atkinson was elected Burgess (the borough term for mayor at that time). Atkinson was best known as the owner of the first newspaper in Meadville and his daughter Salome is hanging in Baldwin-Reynolds House. The last Burgess was William Reynolds, holding a term in 1865. He made history in this regard as on February 15, 1866 Meadville was granted a new charter and became an incorporated city. Reynolds served the first term in Meadville as mayor in 1866 before stepping down, making him the “last and first” in this area. Meadville was, in 1860, a borough of 3702 people and a city of 7103 in 1870, growing considerably. Others of considerable local renown such as John Dick, S.B. Dick, Alfred Huidekoper, Gaylord Church, H.L. Richmond, and John Earle Reynolds held one or the other of these offices, depending on the time period.
We have been a city since 1866 and have had our ups and downs, but have one thing for certain- we act like the village from which we came. I am happy to call this area home as for as large or spread out Meadville becomes, one can still find familiar faces walking through town and a helping hand is never hard to fine. I’m thankful that we are still in touch with our small town roots. Welcome Mr. Soff to the mayor’s office and I hope you enjoy the city in which you will help to run. We certainly do!
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January 11, 2010 10:43:54
Posted By The Curator
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Hello All!
We're looking for oodles of new volunteers for our 2010 season! We are always looking for help in one of the following areas
Gardening
Housekeeping
Tour Guides
Filing/Clerical
Museum Inventory
Receptionists/Greeters
Research
Museum Exhibit Prep
Event/Program Prep
Fall Leaf Raking
Tree Trimming
Painting
and much much more!!!!!
If you'd like to help out in any of the following areas, please shoot us an email at museum@baldiwnreynolds.org or fill out the volunteer box on our website!
http://www.baldwinreynolds.org/contact.htm
Just scroll down and select "volunteering" in the drop down box!
We'll be emailing you back very soon and getting everyone aquainted and involved as the winter and spring progress. Hope to hear from you!
-The Curator
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January 6, 2010 05:46:45
Posted By The Curator
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As I was sweeping pine needles from my living room floor this weekend, I couldn’t help but notice how time is flying by and in only a few short months we will be back up and running at the museum for another year of tours and events. With the historical society’s events being released recently in this column as well as my column last week giving our “annual summary” of what we’re up to, I thought it a great way to start the year by going into detail a bit more on what’s coming up, what we’re working on, and how you can get involved!
Ceilings, Walls, and Paint galore
As I mentioned last week, we’ve secured the assistance of a local architect who will help guide our ice house project through the coming months. We plan to put a new roof on this structure as well as do some major restoration on the building’s interior including stabilizing the ceiling and replace a load bearing beam that shows signs of serious rot.
Similarly, we’re getting ready to do restoration projects on the retaining wall along Lord Street that has been bowing outward and has recently started to collapse in one or two places. This wall is well over a century old and its repair is integral to the historical accuracy of our three acre grounds as well as holding a rather large hillside from falling into the street.
Finally, we plan to do a bit of restoration inside the house itself, painting walls and restoring two plaster ceilings on the first floor. Both of these are in major need of repair as they are cracked and beginning to sag. We will keep you updated with our progress as these things occur.
Events, Lectures, and Exhibits for all!
We are working on putting together a season to remember at the museum for your enjoyment this year as well. With the Huidekoper family’s major impact on Crawford County from selling much of the land off to settlers in the first place with the Holland Land Company to influencing Unitarianism in Meadville, creating Hillside Home, and becoming the spectacle of style in the community, the Huidekopers have laid their influence in this area as thick as the sidewalks they once walked on. We will be hosting an exhibit of their lives and works for your enjoyment as well as possible events tying in with the Thurston Classic, the Crawford County Fair, enlightening workshops, interesting and exciting lectures, and more!
We will be hard at work this year and need your attendance, support, and physical help to succeed. We are always in need to tour guides, housekeeping help, event helpers, artifact catalogers, and more. Those of you who have expressed interest, we will be starting to put together short “backstage tours” very soon to get you acquainted with the museum and to those of you who are interesting in jumping in, you are always welcome! Feel free to contact us at museum@baldwinreynolds.org or follow us on Facebook or Twitter. Have a Happy New Year!
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January 3, 2010 09:23:22
Posted By The Curator
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With the Christmas holiday over and way too many leftovers still residing in my refrigerator, I've been thinking of what has occurred over the last year and what I'd like to get accomplished in 2010. A slice of pie or two later, I have prepared a summary of what we have done at the Baldwin-Reynolds House this year for our readers as they, much like myself, have a vested interest in Henry Baldwin's historic home.
A bit of gardening
If there's one thing that I am especially excited about at the museum as of late, it is all of the hard work we have done to improve our physical landscape at the house. Several gardens on the property have been spruced up and are becoming showpieces in the area. We have several faithful volunteers working hard on keeping our gardens blooming and have had a special donation this year of over 2500 plants, both annuals and perennials, from Bollinger's Greenhouse and Florist in Springboro. These gifts have improved our garden tremendously and we are thankful to have such friends with common interests in our shared history! The work in the garden will continue over the upcoming year and we welcome any help in these efforts.
Stripping and redecorating
Our other impressive achievement this year has come in our efforts to make the Baldwin-Reynolds House appear more like a home than ever before. We have had several volunteers stripping paint off of Henry Baldwin's original tiger maple woodwork to return it to it's historic appeal. We are adding furniture, long since forgot about in storage, to the exhibits and including fine touches to make it appear as if Henry Baldwin just set a book down in his study or Katherine Reynolds just set the table for dinner. We thank you all for your donations to help in this effort including your heirlooms, assistance, and good will. We will continue to make the tour as enjoyable to you all as possible.
Outlook into the new year
As we look forward to the new year, we have much important work ahead of us to complete. We are working with an architect to restore the historic ice house on the grounds of the museum. The stone retaining wall along Lord Street needs attention that we hope to provide in the coming months, and much is about to happen in the house itself. We hope to paint several hallways, rooms, and the pine plank floors on the second floor in the near future. In addition, several plaster ceilings have issues needing addressed over the winter months. We will persevere in these activities in our effort to ensure the protection of your historic home in Meadville, Pennsylvania. After all, we are merely the guardians of our history. The keys to this history, however, remain in your hands. Your volunteer assistance and any other help is always welcome and crucial to preserving our heritage- as I am just a servant in the house...you are the master. This is my yearly report to you...enjoy the holidays and look back as well as forward. To continue progressing, we must remember.
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