On this day, husband Earl and I were headed to the Mason County Historical Museum in Shelton. Earl grew up in the Tahuya, North Mason area, where kids were always finding old arrowheads and carving implements on the beaches. He had four of the indigenous arrowheads that had been stored away for some 60 years, and it was time.
The dark side of the thrifting story is the treasures not wanted. Great grandmother’s dish set that has been passed down for generations and now the kids don’t need or want. The treasured, lucky fishing pole, and now no one fishes. Or the piled-high boxes of photos, film cassettes, cameras and zillions of unidentified SD camera chips, all outdated equipment and most not usable.
There is an even darker side, museums. Oh, we love our community museums that hold, preserve and exhibit the priceless oddities that define time, space and lifestyles. Would they like great grandma’s fine china? Answer, “No.” How about grandpa’s encyclopedias? Also no.
Elizabeth Arbaugh, the museum director, liked and accepted Earl’s donation, but what I also found interesting was our conversation about folks wanting to donate old family treasures — like that china serving set for 12. Sadly, she said, most small, community museums just don’t have the room.
When I asked her what people should do with family heirlooms, she took a short pause, glanced to the ceiling and slowly shook her head while saying, “I don’t know.” When the professional people who are paid to preserve don’t have an answer, it’s sad.
Let’s talk about that day, as it had been ages since we were in Shelton last. I had forgotten how cute the place is. The museum is located at 427 West Railroad Avenue and is open 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday. The museum is surrounded by galleries, eateries and inviting little shops. Definitely will be back soon.
P.S. Here’s a tip. Grandma’s multiservice dish set, divide it up. Maybe just a cup and saucer, or a place setting of a plate, saucer, cup and bowl. Wrap up fancy and you have a relatively small gift that is a precious memento.
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