| Ted & Evelyn Keir and
Susan Fogel and I all attended the Grand Opening of the Jim Bressler
Native Indian Gallery in the Taber Museum, Williamsport, PA. It is
not often that Evelyn will attend these historical functions, as she
has told me many times, being Ted's wife, she has heard it all
before!!! Anyway I was glad she came along for once...I took alot of
great shots and wanted to share the experience with all of you... |
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Ted and Susan as we are
getting ready to go in the museum... |
| Williamsport
archeologist James Bressler (RPA) has spent 50 years working
with the Williamsport "Taber" museum, and was the guiding force of
the new gallery dedicated to the Native American Indian history of
their region. When Jim got up to the podium to speak, without any
notes, he gave a very concise summation of the Native History from
the Paleo Indians right through European contact. Ted Keir and I
discussed this later and Ted stated how hard that is to clearly and
eloquently tell a story off the top of your head that spans
thousands of years. I was impressed for the same reason as well. |
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Next, Jim cut the ribbon
and we were free to view the new gallery... |
| First, of course was the
Paleo Man, the earliest man we know of here in North America. They
were hunters and gatherers, and in this exhibit they are following
tracks of a great elk in the background there. |
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Note the Clovis points
on their spears... |
| This exhibit lacks no details, they
even have snow in their hair... |
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This is the same hunter
in the foreground of the above picture, as he stalks the great elk.
note the goose on his back.... |
| This Indian is squatting
looking at tracks in the snow...very well done.... |
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| Then directly acrossed from
the Paleo Indian exhibit, you find a really nice display explaining
all about the end of the Ice Age and the receding ice that allowed
the Paleo Indians passage into our area. |
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| Next - you find a whole exhibit that
explains how an archaeological dig works... |
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| They took their time and
explained each little piece... |
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Then next to the Archaeology Dig
exhibit, we see the explanation for the most common stone points,
pipes, and tools.... |
| Another exhibit shows the dating
methods, and how the artifacts and pottery help us to understand the
"who's" and "when's"..... |
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They really did a nice job with this...
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| It looks as if they used all
genuine artifacts as well...
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| They even had a dugout
canoe... |
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| They also have a spot where
they talk about Madame Montour, (Queen Esther's grandmother)
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| How well was this done????
A pretty sure sign of it being really well done is
that Evelyn even was interested! (or was she checking to make sure
they got it right?)
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| I came to realize that Jim told the
history so eloquently earlier because he followed each exhibit in
his mind as he told it, and it is all there for you to learn all of
it as well.
Visit the Taber
Museum in Williamsport when you can... Jim says he is still there
most Thursday afternoons!
My favorite part was meeting Jim Bressler and
having a discussion with him about Spanish Hill, my article in the
Pa Archaeologist and how important it is to have it published and
for it to be used in further research. He considered the Nation of
three villages a new theory that had not been considered before and
that it all made sense now...
When I first realized Jim was somebody I could
really like: When he said, "if you dig up
artifacts and you don't publish a report on the site, you have just vandalized."
I was honored to meet Jim, and I hope to go back
down and see him again soon.
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| To know that the creation of this
website and the subsequent article for the Pa Archeologist is really
making a difference is something I am slowly starting to
understand...To be recognized and accepted by a well-known
professional such as Jim, who is a lifelong student of PA
archaeology and history, as well (as a person of obvious integrity)
is something I will not soon forget. To know that I taught him
something that he found was very important for PA Archaeology at
large, is just amazing to me...In fact it rates right up there with
knowing that teachers in our area are now teaching the kids about
Spanish Hill and the Susquehannocks...and that people now know what
"Carantouan" was now... The only regret I
have is that
Louise,
LD,
General Clark, and
Ellsworth will never know that their efforts were in fact what
made it happen, even though it wasn't in their lifetime...
Because of them, "Our history did
NOT fade away." |
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