Historic Treasure of the Week - December 27, 1992
By Alice Zimmerman Johnson
Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - December 27, 1992
By Alice Zimmerman Johnson
Vigo County Historical Society
Angel ornaments are delightful
One cold and snowy afternoon, I went to the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley to look at the Christmas display.
In the basement is a small tree decorated entirely with angels. The angels all are handmade and each one is different from the others. Some are beautiful and delicate. Others are quaint.
The tree is a delight. It made me think about the essence of angel.
Angels are heavenly being sent by God to protect and defend his people. They always have been thought of as God’s messengers.
At Christmas we are especially drawn to angels as one was described in the Gospel of Luke as announcing the birth of Christ. This angel was joined by a choir of angels singing, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom His favor rests."
I was told the angel tree was made about 10 years ago by the Friends of the Historical Society. The Friends are volunteers--40 men and women--who help at the museum in various ways. Some take turns staffing the hostess desk and gift shop. Others help with large mailings, serve as guides for school tours, and take great pride in decorating the museum.
As I walked through the museum, I came upon a small group of Friends. They stopped their chores and shared some of the things they have done for the museum in the past.
They made a string quilt sampler, bow tie and flower basket quilt. With the money they received from the quilt raffle, they purchased for the museum a word processor, supplies, wallpaper, janitorial supplies and more.
I know the angels on the tree in the basement are made of paper, but the people I met giving of their time at the museum, well...
The Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 S. Sixth St., is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.