For my money, one of the most moving artifacts I have ever seen in any
museum is a tree stump on the third floor of the Smithsonian's National
Museum of American History, in the Armed Forces History section. It is about
five feet tall and 22 inches across, and its top and sides are covered with
shallow grooves about half an inch deep. Until May 12, 1864, it was an oak
tree that stood near Spotsylvania Court House in Virginia. On that day it
was completely cut down by rifle fire as Confederate and Union troops
swarmed around it in the fight that became known as the Bloody Angle. By the
end of the day, 2,000 men lay dead around it and the stump was all that was
left of the tree. I know of no other artifact that brings us so close to the
slaughter of the Civil War. I used to work at the National Museum of
American History, and I got cold chills whenever I looked at it. It always
reminded me that artifacts can stir deep emotions in ways that mere words
cannot.

By the way, I think your idea for a radio series is terrific. I hope other
readers on this list will contribute their favorite hidden treasures.

-Lonn Taylor
[log in to unmask]
----- Original Message -----
From: "H Baskas" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 9:25 AM
Subject: Seeking Help with Radio Project


> I am working on a public radio series titled "The Hidden Treasures Radio
> Project." The series will air on NPR's All Things Considered program and
on
> other nationally distributed public radio shows such as Studio 360.
>
> We're producing a series of features that will profile  museum objects
that
> are rarely or never displayed and then place those items in context with
> stories and interviews that describe the historical, social, cultural,
> artistic, or other circumstances that led to those objects being generally
> kept from view.
>
> Ideally, photographs of the Hidden Treasures featured, along with
additional
> information about the objects, will be made available on-line.
>
> I've located some objects I hope to feature in the series, including Bing
> Crosby's toupees, a quilt made from Ku Klux Klan robes, and a variety of
> objects just too darn dangerous to handle (poison-tipped spears, animals
> preserved with arsenic) and I'm looking for more - great objects and great
> stories to include in this 26-part series.
>
> So - What's not on display that you wish you could display?
>
> Any ideas, leads, contacts, etc. would be greatly appreciated.  I have a
> good team of museum-industry advisors and we're trying to get the word
out.
>
> Thanks so much for your time.
>
> Harriet Baskas
> Director, Hidden Treasures Radio Project
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
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