Vigo County Historical Society
Historical Treasure Article
Historic Treasure of the Week -
February 10, 2002
By Barbara Carney
Vigo County Historical Society
Wedding gowns add touch of elegance
“Here Comes the Bride.” That familiar refrain is the title of the new exhibit that opened Feb. 1 in the Vigo County Historical Museum. Using the singular word, “bride” is an understatement when describing the exhibit, for an abundance of bridal gowns, covering nearly a century-and-a-half, make up the display. Not forgotten are attire for the bridegroom, bridesmaids, and mothers of the bride and bridegroom. Beautiful floral arrangements, accessories, suggested gifts and photographs add a romantic elegant touch to the entire collection.
One of the earliest wedding gowns was worn by Carolyn Briggs at her marriage to James H. Crabb in May 1874. It is of silk faille. Also on display is the gown her daughter Carolyn wore on Nov. 7, 1914, when she married J.C. Sayre.
For her wedding in 1894, Minnie Stone Johnson donned a gown of the finest cotton highlighted with lace and satin. Her travel dress, also shown, is a chocolate brown silk trimmed with velvet.
One of the loveliest gowns was made and worn by Caroline Rassel for her marriage to Jacob
on Sept. 19, 1912. It also was worn by her daughter Mildred Rassel-Burget (Mrs. John) at her wedding on Oct. 1, 1934. Both marriages took place in St. Benedict Church. The gown is ivory silk brocade with pearl and crystal beading.
A striking dress was chosen by the Mother of Mona Dees Clare. Robertine Cox married Dr. Harry Dees on Jan. 11, 1917, wearing brown, green and blue-grey stripe taffeta with emerald green stone buttons and belt buckle.
When Jane Cunningham married Kenneth Hazledine on July 27, 1935, she must have been breathtakingly lovely in her gown of hand-crocheted ivory petite boucle. This labor of love was created by Kenneth’s sister, Ione Hazledine Thornton. Hazledine’s suit and photograph of the bridal party complete the arrangement.
Three gowns of candlelight satin shimmer among the others. One belonged to June KronMiller Swango (Mrs. Morton) who married on May 23, 1945. A photograph of the couple cutting their wedding cake in the Elks Country Club is shown with the dress.
The latest gown in this fetching exhibit was worn by one of my daughters, Janet Carney Cooper, who married Timothy on April 30, 1994, in St. Joseph Church. Visitors to the museum are not being asked to vote for a favorite but it would be easy to guess how I would case mine.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. The Web site: http://indstate.edu/community/vchs.