User:Mandypond/Massillon Museum

Museum Overview:
The Massillon Museum, a local art and history museum, has major collections of photography; costumes and textiles; china, glass and pottery; domestic appliances; and circus memorabilia. The Museum was first accredited in 1972 by the American Association of Museums and has continued to be accredited by the AAM since that time. As of 2008, our permanent collection contains over 100,000 items, mostly gifts from the community.http://www.massillonmuseum.org/collection.html

Founding A Treasure Trove
Shortly after founding Massillon in 1826, James Duncan built his grand home overlooking his booming canal town in the 1830s. This home was passed down to Frank Baldwin, a prominent local attorney. Upon Mrs. Annie Steese Baldwin’s death in 1931, the home was bequeathed to the Massillon Library Board. In order to fulfill the legal obligations of Mrs. Baldwin’s will, the Museum had to open by March 1933.

After an outcry of support from the community, thanks in part to the editorial writings of C.E. Chidester, the building was opened as a museum. Originally named the Baldwin Museum, it featured the ethnological and archaeological artifacts of Dr. Abraham Per Lee Pease, that had been on display in the library building on Prospect (Fourth) Street since 1905, as well as the Native American artifacts of Captain Christian L. Baatz, the Museum’s first curator.

In an Independent newspaper article “Hail! Massillon’s Museum” from Thursday, January 12, 1933, the author (thought to be editor C.E. Chidester), states “The expected opening Friday of Massillon’s museum in the house built by the founder of the city, the late James Duncan and bequeathed to the citizens of Massillon by the late Mrs. Annie Steese Baldwin, its last owner and occupant, is certain to be greeted with joy…The museum to be opened to the public is destined if maintained, during the years to come to afford the citizens of Massillon immeasurable happiness and satisfaction…

In every corner of the land from the largest city to the smallest village, reminders of the past have an appeal…It is not too much to hope that Massillon will create such a treasure trove. […] The opening of the museum is destined to mark the beginning of a new activity in Massillon. It should be carried on with vigor and dispatch and with immeasurable joy.”

From the Ground Up 1933-1936
The Baldwin Museum opened on Friday, January 13, 1933, displaying Baatz Native American artifacts, and Dr. Abraham per Lee Pease’s ethnological and archaeological artifacts. The first visitor to sign the registration book was Captain Christian L. Baatz, a retired fireman, who was named the Museum’s first curator.

With the museum officially opened, the terms of Mrs. Baldwin’s will were fulfilled. The focus now turned to making the museum successful. A committee under the chairmanship of Miss Bessie V. R. Skinner was appointed, including members of the library board Samuel J. Mollet, and Hershey Meek, with A.J. Albright as secretary and treasurer.

Miss Ruth A. Hubbard was named director, serving from June 1934 until August 1935. She was formerly employed at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Her major contributions to the Museum were the initiation of pottery and painting classes and the regular rotation of exhibits. Three volunteers stepped forward to assist in oversight of collections and exhibitions: Albert Hise, Frank Harrison, and Betty Traphagen.

The Museum closed in June and July 1934 for exhibit planning and cataloguing of objects. The science room was setup, exhibiting snakes and other creatures, an early Massillon exhibit, and a reproduction coal mine in the basement. Local boy scouts led tours through the exhibit.

A battle ensued between the staff of the Massillon Independent newspaper, library board members, Museum Committee, and citizens over how to expand the museum building to include the public library. Two plans were drawn up: one to build a library in front of the Duncan/Baldwin home or demolish the home for a more modern structure, and one to build an addition that would leave the Baldwin house intact.

The Museum Committee passed a resolution on December 12, 1935 recommending “In view of the feuding reconstruction of the Museum that the contents of the Museum be packed and removed to the quarters kindly provided by Mr. Mollett. Further that the employees of the Museum be dismissed with the exception of Mr. Hise who will continue the work of the Museum, cataloging, doing [historical] research with the view to increase the Museum Collections etc.”

Local architectural firm Albrecht & Wilhelm drafted a proposal for an “L” shaped building that incorporated the original Duncan/Baldwin home with a similar wing, joined together by a rotunda in the center. This is the plan that was officially and unanimously approved by Massillon Public Library board members. The result is the building we see today.

Museum Curator Christian Baatz and his wife lived in the Duncan/Baldwin home until construction began in 1936, when they moved to a home on Cherry Street. Unfortunately, both Mr. and Mrs. Baatz passed away in 1937, never getting to see the finished Museum.

Using the Baldwin seed money, a WPA grant, a library bond issue, and a small loan, construction finally began. On the afternoon of Wednesday, May 27, 1936 an official cornerstone laying ceremony took place. A parade by the American Legion, Washington High School band, and hundreds of school children opened the program with a march through Massillon’s business district. Several thousand children and adults attended the ceremony. The cornerstone was officially laid by Dr. H.W. Bell, president of the Board of Education. Rev. J.R. Stalker delivered the official address, followed by Sherlock Evans speaking for Mayor Henry Krier, and several other congratulatory speeches were given. Photographs of the old library and museum and a copy of the Massillon Independent were entombed in the cornerstone.

The Treasure Trove Reopens 1938
The library board and the citizens of Massillon had finally agreed on a reasonable architectural design by Albrecht & Wilhelm and construction on the new library and museum began in 1936.

The Museum began an annual exhibition to showcase artwork by artists who were present or former residents of Stark County and eight surrounding counties. This exhibit continues in a similar form to this day in the annual Stark County Artists’ Exhibition, though now features present and former residents and those working in Stark County. Pottery classes were held in the former garage of the Baldwin family, and painting classes, demonstrations, and lectures were held on a regular basis.

On December 8, 1937 the “Baldwin Museum” was renamed the “Massillon Museum” in order to comply with the wishes of the Baldwins, who believed that the Museum should belong the citizens of Massillon.

From this 1936 to the 1980s, the Museum operated by committee under the umbrella of the Massillon Public Library. The Museum Committee of the late 1930s consisted of Mrs. M.A.W. Pratt as Chairman, Fred W. Gates as Secretary, Mrs. Horatio Wales, Miss Elizabeth Traphagen, L.J. Smith, J.M. Emery, J.E. Willison, Frank Harrison Jr., and Albert Hise as Curator. The Museum was given a portion of the library’s budget each year. In 1938, Miss Ellsworth was hired as the director at a yearly salary of $1,800. When she asked for a staff of 8 and that the annual budget be increased from $3,000 to $9,000, the Museum committee kindly asked her to resign. The Library was constantly reminding the Museum to stay within its reasonable budget. Albert Hise was then appointed director at a salary of $50 per month.

The Library reopened in 1937 but the Museum reopening was delayed by further structural repairs to the Baldwin home. On Sunday, April 3, 1938 the Massillon Museum officially reopened. Exhibits of costumes, crafts, colonial furniture, history of photography, paintings by E.J. Franz, William T. Mathews, and Clyde Singer, Albert Hise’s collection Folk Art were among the things to see. Exhibits were mostly divided into vignettes, including a pioneer kitchen. In the Early Massillon Room, furniture from the Dangler and Baldwin families were displayed, while Mrs. Wellington W. Pease provided a harp recital. The Shell room exhibited the Ella O. Shoemaker collection of shells presented by the Burroughs’ Nature Study Club. The science room provided children with nature study objects.

The World War II Years
The Massillon Museum enjoyed immense popularity after its reopening on April 3, 1938. With newly renovated galleries and exhibit space, the Museum was the first to give one-man shows to Raphael Gleitsmann, Clyde Singer, and Clifford West, who became nationally-exhibited artists. Sculptures by Chaim Gross, Anna Hyatt Huntington, Peterpaul Ott, and William Zorach are among the important pieces accepted into the permanent collection in the 1930s and 40s. There were many other interesting acquisitions into the collection; Dr. Fred Rhodes donated a human skeleton to the museum in 1934, who would later be named “Oscar;” Miss Lillian Gish donated a costume she wore in the Broadway play “Star Wagon” in 1938; in 1945, Veterinarian Dr. Groff offers the skeleton of a colt, which the Committee accepted as it would be “interesting.”

As the Museum’s collection grew, several issues arose. The Museum Committee called attention to the need for a collection catalogue as Curator Albert Hise was the only one who knew what objects were in the collection and where they were located. The Museum Committee sent Hise and Frank Harrison to the New York World’s Fair and the American Association of Museums conference to learn about displays and stewardship of collections. The proposed Museum budget for 1939 was $3,452.

In 1940, Mrs. Helen B. Henley, formerly of the Harford Museum in Connecticut, came to the Museum to teach art appreciation and techniques for children. The attendance was so high that Henley was hired to teach more classes, and was later named Director of Education. She would lead the education department for years to come, making a popular activity for children and adults.

Charles E. Chidester, who proclaimed in 1933 that the “new” Museum should be “carried on with vigor and dispatch and with immeasurable joy,” was appointed to Museum Committee in 1941. Museum Committee member Mr. Chase designed, fabricated, and installed Museum signs on the surrounding highways. His design was a wrought iron Conestoga wagon, which became the Museum’s logo.

In December 1941, America declared war, joining in the global conflict of World War II. The Museum Committee minutes reflect an uncertainty about the future as the members reevaluated the Museum’s operation. Many of the planned renovations were put on hold as the materials were required for the war effort. Committee member Mr. Chase resigned in 1942 to accept an appointment in Washington for duration of the war.

Frank Griffin Harrison joined the Museum staff in 1938. A native Massillonian, Harrison graduated from the University of Michigan in 1932, majoring in sculpture. He became interested in ceramics and built his own kiln and had a shop for three years. He enterted the armed forces on January 3, 1943 serving in the 625th Ordnance Ammunition Company until killed in action April 28, 1944 in the European theater of operations. In honor of Harrison, the Museum held a memorial exhibition of his oil paintings, watercolors, ceramics, and sculptures from August 1-September 1, 1944. In 1955, the Museum dedicated the Harrison Room in his memory.

In 1945, it became evident that the Museum needed additional space to store its collections and exhibit its art and artifacts. This would continue to be a heavily debated issue until the mid-1990s, when the Museum acquired its own building.

Funding:
The Museum was, from its inception, funded by county intangibles tax that was directed through the Massillon Public Library. When it became apparent that the Museum could not continue its quality service to the community within that budget, the Museum director and board members succeeded in working with state legislators to pass legislation permitting Ohio museums to place tax issues on the ballot. As a result, the Massillon Museum passed a tax levy within the city of Massillon and is now supported by property taxes from the citizens of the community.

New Building:
In 1991, it became evident that more room to house the collections was imperative. The State of Ohio had given $750,000 towards a new building so plans were formulated to either build or buy a new museum. In April 1991, the Board of Trustees purchased a former department store in the center of town called the Giltz Building. A capital campaign fund drive for funds to remodel was launched in 1992.

The architectural firm of vanDijk, Pace, Westlake and Partners of Cleveland was contracted for remodeling plans and a $1.9 million dollar renovation was begun in 1994. On May 12, 1996, the new “state of the art” contemporary Massillon Museum opened its doors to the public with a “Gala Opening” and exhibit.