Hello all,
Hope you are having a wonderful holiday season!
We are a medium size county facility, located on the west side of Portland, Oregon. We are currently moving, re-organizing, and inventorying our sizable collection of artifacts, ranging from pre-contact all the way up to Silicon Valley tech.
We had a gentleman contact us a few days ago, asking if we would like an heir loomed bed, to add to our collection. The man inherited the bed from parents/grandparents and was told it was hand-made in Ohio. He brought the bed with him to Oregon in the early 1970's.
For whatever reason, this Listserv will not allow me to attach photos (grrr!), but the bed is beautiful and it is in perfect condition. Most likely solid oak (sorry, not an expert in wood types). The headboard is about 5 feet tall, ornately carved, with a gorgeous round center panel that shows a separate piece of wood, that has beautiful wood grain sort of in vertical stripes. Each side of the headboard has a separately carved added piece as well. The foot board is about 2 feet tall and ornately carved as well. The whole bed looks to be in extremely solid, clean, and well taken care of condition (inside a home and periodically dusted, even used by guests with a modern mattress).
However, our facility is not prepared to take such a large item at this time. Also, we feel it did not pertain enough to our local Washington County (OR) history. As we all know, it would be great to just take any and all items, but at this point in our organizational process, we must begin to be a bit more picky about what we can take on.
THAT SAID, this gentleman would like to know if there are any other museums or facilities here in the Pacific NW that would want to take this family heirloom. Other facilities outside of Pac.NW are also welcome (especially anyone in OHIO), but they will have to talk with him about any transport details and/or payments. The bed is still in his possession, but we are simply trying to help him find a home for it. He wants to ensure that it remains safe and unharmed and is not looking for any recognition or compensation.
If you are interested, please feel free to contact me directly at
503-645-5353 Ext. 110 or reply to this email. We will forward you photos and his contact information. Then we will let you take it from there.
Hoping someone will adopt this lovely piece!!
Thank you!
--
Liza J. Schade
Collections Registrar
Washington County Museum
Exhibitions & Education Center @ 120 East Main Street, Hillsboro, Oregon 97123
Archives & Administrative Offices @17677 NW Springville Road, Portland, Oregon 97229
Our Mission Statement:
The Washington County Museum ignites the imagination and brings to life the diverse cultures that so richly define this remarkable region.