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Centre Daily Times August 17 2005
Museum takes patrons back to schoolhouse times
'School Days' display shown in newly remodeled historical facility
By Michelle Isham; For the CDT
"The women at the Bellefonte Museum for Centre County are very proud of their building. Museum docent Millie Ragosta walks from room to room of the Benner-Linn House, recounting its history in detail and stopping now and then to tell the story behind special features in the 195-year-old building.
The building, at 133 N. Allegheny St., had already been through a lot when it became the home of the museum in 1997. Most recently it was a bed and breakfast and gift shop, decorated in Victorian style to benefit from Bellefonte's reputation for having remarkable examples of Victorian architecture. Prior to that it was a bank, and before that, a newspaper office.
Over the course of eight years, museum members have been working steadily to return the house to its original Federal period decor.
The word Ragosta uses most often as she pilots the tour through the house is "anachronism." She says it again and again as she points out features that have been added to the house over the years. Several of these anachronisms already are slated for removal.
After years of making improvements that can't be seen by the public, such as a new heating system and new wiring, the museum members were finally able to have some work done to improve the appearance of the building's interior. Last winter, members of the Pennsylvania Conservation Corps stripped wallpaper and painted the walls, built Plexiglas display cases and refinished the wooden floors throughout the building. The work was done in time for the museum's summer exhibit, "School Days."
"This (exhibit) is my pride and joy because we've been pouring money into the house and now some of it has showed," Ragosta said.
"This is the first time it's starting to look like a museum," added Mary Kay Justice, another museum docent.
The "School Days" exhibit depicts a one-room schoolhouse in the late 19th century. Rows of tiny wooden desks equipped with ink wells face the teacher's desk and the recitation bench next to it. On one side of the room sits a crockery water cooler and the tin cup that all the students shared. A mannequin stands at the blackboard dressed in a long skirt -- hems were to be no higher than two inches above the ankle -- and two petticoats that were required of all female teachers.
The antique desks were loaned to the museum by community members. Many came from museum member Betsy Ames, whose home office is decorated with antique school furniture. Ames also loaned her collection of Crayola memorabilia and crayon boxes for the exhibit.
A highlight of the exhibit is several albums of elementary-school class photos dating back several decades that are on loan from the Bellefonte Area School District.
The photos have been very popular with visitors, who flip through them looking for familiar faces. According to Justice, one boy viewing the exhibit thought he could recognize one of his teachers in a photo but couldn't be entirely certain it was her.
Because being a fun and educational resource for children figures prominently in the museum's mission, its exhibits are planned with kids in mind. In this case, tours focus on the recitation methods, such as rhyme "twice times one is two, this book is nearly new," used to teach in the days before students began using books as learning aids.
"We try to do things that appeal to children as well as adults," Ragosta said.
The museum also provides resources for teachers. For the "School Days" exhibit, lesson plans for activities before, during and after the tour are offered."
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