Week 6: Preparing for Glen Helen and Progress on the Exhibit

Glen Helen Nature Preserve

Hello Reader,

This week at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens brought a nice mix of exhibit progress, special visitors, and obviously more searching for the ever-elusive rooster. As the weeks go on, I’m becoming even more familiar with both the collections and the behind-the-scenes work that goes into caring for historic sites like Bonnet House.

Wednesday: Preparing for Special Guests
On Wednesday, Katie let me know that visitors from Glen Helen Nature Preserve in Ohio would be coming to Bonnet House the following day. Glen Helen was established by Hugh Taylor Birch in honor of his daughter, Helen Birch Bartlett, after she passed away from breast cancer in 1925. In the months leading up to the visit, Katie and the staff at Glen Helen had been exchanging materials and information related to the Birch family, and now they were finally coming to Bonnet House in person.

Collection Materials for the Flashdrive

My task was to collect both physical and digital materials that would be relevant and meaningful to share with the Glen Helen visitors. I searched through our collections database and binders for documents, photographs, and artifacts related to Hugh and Helen. One highlight was flipping through a photo album from an “Egypt trip” that Hugh and Helen took less than a year before Helen’s passing; a set of images that have never been shared publicly. I scanned a few of those photographs to include in the materials we prepared for our guests.
Egypt Trip Original Photos

We assembled a collection of items for Glen Helen that included an original copy of Capricious Winds (Helen’s poetry book), several copies of the Bonnet House historical book, and a flash drive with scanned photographs and documents. I also carefully reviewed our collection of Capricious Winds copies to select the one we were most comfortable parting with. Finally, we laid out some original artifacts (sheet music, photographs, and a Valentine from Helen to her father) for the visitors to view during their visit. I organized everything neatly on a table in the archive room so it would be ready when they arrived.

Copies of Capricious Winds

Repaired frame
A Conservation Victory
Also on Wednesday, Katie showed me the completed repair of the wooden frame I helped restore a few weeks ago. The fragment I had painted blended in perfectly, matching the surrounding wood and paint (a small but satisfying conservation success).






Thursday: The Glen Helen Visit and Exhibit Progress

Materials for Glen Helen visitors

Mylar sleeve I made
When I arrived on Thursday, I began by double-checking that everything was in place for the visit. I cleaned up my workspace, organized the archival table, and created a protective mylar sleeve for an original set of photos of Helen and her father that didn’t have any protection.

Once our visitors arrived, Katie and I greeted them and sent them on a tour of the property with one of our guides. While they toured, I used the time to move forward on the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial Exhibit that I’ve been developing over the past several weeks. I printed all of the exhibit signage and photos on standard tabloid paper to test the layout and make sure the dimensions were correct for the display board. After a few edits from Katie, like adding more photographs, updating some text, and inserting titles, we finalized the design.

Exhibit rough draft
When the Glen Helen visitors returned, we met with the Bonnet House CEO to bring them upstairs (which is normally closed to the public on Thursdays) to give a special behind-the-scenes tour. We also exchanged archival materials; they gifted us documents, a reprint of Capricious Winds, and a flash drive with additional Birch family information.


After the visit, I retrieved my printed layouts from the Education Building and began assembling a rough draft of the exhibit on the board. Now that the layout and sizing are finalized, I’ll print the final materials on cardstock and poster board next week and begin constructing the exhibit.






The Rooster Remains at Large
Despite my ongoing efforts, the metal rooster sculpture remains unfound. This week, I skimmed through four more archival binders in hopes of spotting a lead, but with no success. Still, I’m determined.

It was another full and rewarding week at Bonnet House, balancing exhibit work, collections management, and archival research. Next week, I’ll begin building the physical exhibit, a major milestone for the Helen Birch Bartlett Memorial display.

More updates to come.

Maria Formoso


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