Name That Artifact: Can you identify these items from the Washington County Museum Collection? Answers at bottom of page.
Collections
The Life of an Artifact in the WCM Museum
Every item in the museum collection has a story to tell. Perhaps a pioneer made the difficult Oregon Trail journey with a keepsake too sentimental to leave behind. Jewelry, quilts and clothing belonging to a beloved ancestor were often handed down from mother to daughter over several generations. Here is one such story.
Rosa B. Smock and J.E. Morback were married on July 29, 1891 in Sherwood. The parents of the bride were pioneers who came to Oregon in 1853. Her father, James C. Smock, founded Sherwood. The groom was originally from Chicago.
Her wedding dress was a two-piece gown of silk faille, trimmed with lace and beads. On her head she wore a silk hairnet held by a wreath of orange blossoms.
Rosa and J.E. lived in Sherwood for the rest of their lives and had four children named George, Ivy, Edna and Gladys. J.E. Morback owned several prominent Sherwood businesses and purchased the Smock Store in 1901. The League of Oregon Cities gave him the title of dean of Oregon mayors, serving for approximately three decades – longer than any other mayor in the state.
In 1973, Rosa and J.E.’s grandson’s wife, Mrs. W.S. Bowen, and her sisters donated the wedding dress and a photograph of the couple to the Washington County Historical Society. The items were added to the museum collection where they could be protected for future generations.
The union of two well-known Washington County families is just one example of the many fascinating stories that can be told through the artifacts contained in the Washington County Collection.
Sources
- List, Clyde "Old Sherwood Town", 2002
- Schultz, Arthur W. ed., Caring for
Your Collections, 1992 (New York, NY:
Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated), 40-63. - Sherk, Ronald E, "History of Sherwood"
by, ca. 1936 - WCM Deed of Gift and Accession Record
Name that Artifact Answers:
1. Boot Jack
2. Wheel brake for wagon
