Historic Treasure of the Week - August 16, 1992
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - August 16, 1992
By Helen F. Mitchell
Vigo County Historical Society
Scrapbook holds fond memories
Why do people keep scrapbooks?
I have often asked myself that question as I am a notorious keeper of mementos. I suppose we keep these things so we can call to mind and relieve experiences that brought us enjoyment.
The scrapbook that is the historical treasure this week is old. It is, in fact, 57 years old. Its pages are yellowed and torn. The pictures have faded and the writing has grown dim. The cord holding the pages together is frayed and soiled. In spite of all this, I hold on to it and protect it with a plastic cover.
This book contains my memories of a trip I took to National 4-H Club Camp in 1935. The book itself was given to me by my 4-H leader, who now is deceased.
The items in the book were collected from Vigo Count to Washington and back again. It was kept because Mr. O.C. Redenbacher asked me to do this so other 4-H members could share the trip and work harder to win one.
As I turn the pages I find lists of the campers from 40 states and I wonder where they are now and what their lives have been like since that time. I look at letters, postcards and pictures and copies of the newspaper we published at camp.
There is a menu card from the House of Representatives Restaurant given to us by Virginia Jenckes when she invited the Indiana delegation to lunch. Can you believe no item cost more than 75 cents?
On another page are pictures of Eleanor Roosevelt arriving at camp and others of her greeting campers and shaking hands. We were so impressed with meeting the First Lady and her handshake that we didn’t wash our hands the rest of the day.
There are leaves from a tree on the White House lawn and one from beautiful Mount Vernon where we rested and ate our box lunches. After lunch we took the boat ride up the Potomac to Washington.
We were in Washington one week. We lived in tents that were set up on the lawn north of the agriculture building.
From our camp we could see the Washington Monument, the Capitol Building, the White House and the Potomac River. When we weren’t on a tour, we ate our meals at the Building of Labor and Commerce.
It was a wonderful week for a country girl from Indiana and one I have never forgotten. When I said the 4-H motto--"I pledge my head to clearer thinking, my hands to greater service and my health to better living, for my club, my community and my country"--I had no idea that 5-H would bring so much lasting enjoyment into my life.
This scrapbook and many other 4-H items from years past and from the present are on display at the museum.
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.