Nestor Ruiz has been volunteering at Old Independence Regional Museum this summer, and we have grown quite attached to this young man! He has tackled any task we have presented, and has grown extremely talented on the art of accessioning items brought in by the citizens of Independence County and beyond.
We have found Nestor is a natural at accessioning items. One of our largest tasks at OIRM is winnowing down the backlog of unbelievably unique and worthy items given to the museum. Nestor patiently examines each item, researches it, categories it, and accessions it if applicable. Last week Nestor stumbled across an item brought in a few years ago that, due to COVID, had not been properly accessioned. With persistence, Nestor ran through the entire process to bring this item into our growing inventory. Great work, Nestor!
We can now properly thank Gay Bennett King for granting us the breathtaking wool coverlet. Her story preserves her family’s past woven into the fabric of this warm blanket:
Her grandfather, Francis Marion Reese, raised sheep on his farm. Every year the sheep were sheared, and, on this occasion approximately 150 years ago, itinerant weavers dyed and wove this coverlet for the Reese family. The coverlet has remained in the possession of the Reese/King family since that time.
Thank you so much, Ms. King, for your thankful contribution to the education of our community. And thank you to Nestor for vigilantly uncovering the mystery of this beautiful coverlet.
