•Part 1
"I like metal detecting, collecting Civil War artifacts, fishing, hunting, cigars, Labradors, the outdoor life, my baseball game, football."
-----Hank Williams, Jr.
While my husband Rodney honed in on the Labradors, collecting --- whether for education or interest --- caught my eye. I wonder how many artifacts it takes to constitute a collection. Thimbles are a classic collectible, but my solitary silver thimble, my Ga-ga's, does not a collection make. I wager that it would take more than a pair. My trifecta, of vintage McCarty pottery from Merigold, Mississippi, might qualify as a collection.
But surely my spoon assembly makes the mark. In the springtime of life, I collected a plethora of silver spoons, souvenirs from here, there, and yonder. Examining the obsolete wooden wall rack, I am reminded of exciting adventures from Natchez to Des Moines. And I especially treasure the two "Twas the Night Before Christmas" spoons (one engraved 1972) gifted by my special friends Bea McGehee of Franklinton and Margaret Conklin of Bogalusa.
More often than not, collectors inherit the gene from their folks. Growing up in 1960s and 1970s Franklinton, I watched my father track down soft drink bottles and coins. Reflecting on his mindset, I was mesmerized. Daddy assembled one collection of an object which he had plenty of during his childhood and the other of which he had none.
Born in 1919, my dad went from boy to man almost in one breath during the Great Depression. Driving the pop truck as a boy, before and after school, delivering soda for the bottling company founded by his father in 1911 in Tylertown, Mississippi, he was forced into adulthood way before his time. And, half a century later, he scoured antique shops and flea markets with my mother. While she was picking out Herend porcelain and finding primitives, he was bringing home glass soda pop bottles --- with affinity for those from the 1920s with R. T. Ellzey (his dad) and Tylertown, Mississippi forged in the glass. While I have since learned that bottles are an art form, Daddy was motivated by nostalgia.
The basis for his second collection was another matter entirely. Witnessing him hound coin dealers in the French Quarter, I discovered that collecting is as much about history, as anything. But it was not until later that I fully comprehended why he was obsessed with coins. They were what he had been without as a boy. Good old Dad was perhaps preparing for another great depression. In hindsight, I believe he had foresight. And Franklinton Postmaster Rebecca "Becky" Yates kindly reminded me that my dad also collected stamps. He avidly engaged in this endeavor with my daughter Betsy, his only grandchild.
But collectors' motives vary. It is not always nostalgia or need. For some, it is beauty or education or even the hunt, which is my bailiwick. And collecting brings together like-minded people --- a social benefit. Not surprisingly, Washington Parish has our share of interesting collections assembled by enthusiasts.
Back in the day, sisters Flora and Emma Burris, who resided together on the Clifton Highway, amassed a fascinating assemblage of old baskets. While I do not have many, there might be a collection --- one sweetgrass basket handmade by Corey at the Charleston City Market, a handwoven basket made for me by Eugenia Powell, and a special Indian basket that belonged to the late Joan Moore. Now, she was a veritable collector of primitives.
Another serious collector when I was a kid was Brother Lael Jones, the long-time, revered minister at Centenary Methodist Church. Brother Lael preached my Pa-Pa's funeral. And when he was not preaching and ministering to the sick and those in need, he was collecting clocks. Not only did Brother Lael have an extensive clock collection --- at one time some two hundred --- but also, he restored them.
Digressing, when we walked outside First Baptist at the conclusion of Sunday morning service, Daddy always glanced down Cleveland to see if the Methodists were out ahead of us. I think a pastor who was well-versed in clocks gave them the advantage. I wish Brother Lael were around to advise me on my parents' Elliott clock from England and on the clock my husband and I recently had shipped from Germany.
Back to Franklinton, I cannot help but recall the dolls. A group of talented local ladies renowned for their dolls --- Olive Stafford, Corrie Corkern, Clara Thigpen, and Verna Alford --- made and showed dolls, collector's items. The collecting of dolls and similar toys is something that certainly has not gone out of style. It is serious business at antique shows, which my better half and I frequent from Brimfield to Alabama.
But there is no need to leave town --- Phillip Barber of Barber's Collision on Washington Street has an intriguing collection of old toys, a long-time hobby. As might be expected, his tin toy collection includes a number of vintage vehicles, largely trucks. I bet he can repair them, too.
And Linda Moseley has a fabulous vintage hat collection, including her beloved aunt's hats from England. Mary Jo Poole has a wonderful collection of beautiful crosses, as did the late Diane Foster May --- something I learned from her obituary (I read them religiously).
I would be remiss if I did not mention my collection of Christmas crosses (Reed and Barton), which I received every birthday, most all my life, from my beloved friend --- the late Gayle Foret. She began the tradition when I was a child. At Christmas, I decorate an entire Christmas tree in the crosses, a reminder of her friendship. When my sister-in-law from Hattiesburg visited, she inquired about them, glimpsing the collection in my glass curio. It is the story that intrigues.
As for an assembly's history, Delores Luper has an extensive collection of wonderful sheet music which belonged to educator Avis Corkern. Again, the provenance is what really matters. More on that next week.
