At some time in its past, this museum received various groups of old farm
implements including metal-rimmed wooden wagon wheels.  The gifts of these
batches are recorded but the items never accessioned and numbered.  There
exists no information on age, ownership, uses,etc.  They were laying behind
a shed when I arrived, most in various stages of rot.

We saved four of them for use in a pioneer farm setting.  Two are a matched
set.  They neither add to, nor subtract from, our ability to interpret
early 19th century Appalachian rural life.  But they have eye appeal and
folks love to be photographed beside one or two of them.

One of our Board members, a re-enactor and long a volunteer before joining
the Board, asks that the matched set be given to him.  He is building a
reproduction Civil War mortar and these wheels are the only ones he could
find that will fit.  He is a self-employed contractor who sometimes finds
work, but cannot afford to pay for them.

Such requests were granted in past years, evidently, as accessioned objects
are missing from the collection.  This is a rural, folksy region and the
Museum relies for goodwill on everyone's part to succeed.

The Board and I are fully aware, and have adopted, the Code of Ethics that
would mitigate against saying "yes" to this request.  But no one wants to
say "no" to a good-ole-boy.  Since the wheels are of no specific
significance, I have suggested that the Collections Committee merely
require that he find two substitutes in good shape that we can use for the
same purpose, i.e., somewhat "decorative."

I'd be interested in reactions.
Ross Weeks