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Current Projects
Work We’ve Done, Work We’re Doing and Work to Be Done...
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• Smithsonian Exhibit: Key Ingredients
• New Exhibit on Health Seekers in Oracle
• Other Museum Display Improvements
• Capital Improvements
• Collections Improvements
• Oral History Initiative
• American Flag Ranch
• Spirit of Oracle
• Lee Kannally cowboy paintings
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Key Ingredients Exhibit logo |
SMITHSONIAN EXHIBIT – KEY INGREDIENTS
The Society is proud to announce that it has been selected by the Arizona Humanities Council as one of six Arizona sites to host Key Ingredients: America by Food, a Smithsonian Museums on Main Street exhibition on the history of food in America. The exhibition will be held in 2011 (March 19 through May 1).
CLICK HERE to learn more about this exciting event.
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Turn-of-the-century ad for tuberculosis treatment. Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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HEALTH SEEKERS IN ORACLE
Tuberculosis and Treatment, 1890s-1940s
In November 2009, OHS will present a new exhibit devoted to the medical history of Oracle as a destination for sufferers from tuberculosis and other lung ailments. The exhibit, made possible with a grant from the Arizona Historical Society, is being curated by local history author Catherine Ellis and architectural designer Chuck Sternberg.
The early history of our area is in significant part the history of the fight against these diseases. With the generous loan of medical tools and equipment and other artifacts from McFarland State Park, OHS is able to give today’s Oracle residents an idea of what it was like for patients at Acadia Ranch 100 ago, when fresh air and a good diet were the only front-line treatment.
The exhibit serves as a reminder that while tuberculosis was rocked back on its heels with the discovery of antibiotics in the 1940’s, the TB strain continues to evolve and even today, particularly where immune systems are compromised, as by AIDS, it kills 3 million people every year.
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Early photo of west side of Acadia Ranch |
OTHER MUSEUM DISPLAY IMPROVEMENTS
In 2008, the Arizona Historical Society funded the creation of "Early Oracle Snapshots," a brand new introductory exhibit, located in the Acadia Ranch Museum’s entry hallway, that focuses on the rise of downtown Oracle, as well as the region’s early history.
In recent years, OHS has also developed temporary exhibits that deal with exceptional aspects of our history using the collections of local residents. These include "The Forgotten 'C': Arizona Citrus and the Artwork It Inspired," which featured Arizona crate label artwork; "Dudes & Cowboys: 100 Years of Rancho Linda Vista," an exhibit devoted to Arizona's first dude ranch, and "The Rossis: 3 Generations of Arizona Artists". Click here to learn more.
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Early photo of Acadia Ranch |
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS
The Oracle Historical Society is continuing down the road initiated a few years ago of making major improvements to the Acadia Ranch Museum's historic structure.
In September 2009, the public will be welcomed to an Open House to celebrate the recently restored Great Room. The most noticeable change is the disappearance the chipboard protective floor covering and the restoration of the original fir floor. Other improvements include the ongoing restoration of the outdoors porch trim and wooden doors, which will include matching and restoring the historic trim color (forest green).
Recent past efforts include roof repairs and the restoration of the Acadia Ranch Bath House, all funded by an $8,000 award from the Southwestern Foundation in 2005. We are happy to report that all major repairs have been made, including rebuilding and re-stuccoing of the exterior walls and adobe chimney, as well as major structural repairs to the interior wooden lath ceiling and plaster walls. The space currently serves as a staging ground for exhibitions and collections management.
In addition, water run-off has been diverted so as to mitigate impact on the exterior structure and other needed pruning steps have been taken to ensure that the the property's historic stone walls are preserved.
A number ofinterior spaces too have been restored, including the entry hallway which now features an exhibition entitled "Early Oracle Snapshots". This latter initiative has been made possible with a grant from the Arizona Historical Society.
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COLLECTIONS IMPROVEMENTS
The Acadia Ranch Museum is the fortunate beneficiary of several important collections, including a digital archive of over 250 photographs, the Huggett Fammily collection of ranching artifacts, the Alice Carpenter Hohokam Collection and the Lee Kannally Painting Archive.
In 2007, an Arizona Historical Society grant enabled us to update and weatherproof our collections storage facility, as well as purchase new museum management software. The latter is being housed on a state-of-the-art computer provided by the Sonoran Searchers of Questers. With the diligent efforts of our museum archivist and trained volunteers, this computer will ultimately house a searchable digital catalogue and digital photo archive for visitors to use.
Further donations from the Sonoran Searchers of Questers have allowed us to hire a summer archival assistant and continue with other much-needed building repairs.
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Early Spanish colonial map
(Library of Congress) |
ORAL HISTORY INITIATIVE
The Oracle Historical Society has for a number of years in gathered oral histories from its long-time residents. Spearheaded by Margaret Guyton, this project has received past funding from the Arizona Historical Society. We are now looking to broaden our efforts and reach out to diverse members in our community. One step in this direction was a recent Arizona Humanities Council-funded series of talks, Oral Histories Along the Border, which explored how oral history helps us to uncover histories that would otherwise remain hidden.
In the fall of 2008, OHS launched a schoolchildren's oral-history initiative, in partnership with local schools and RLV OracleArt, a local arts foundation, which was funded by the Arizona Commission on the Arts. We are also hoping to undertake the transcription of our oral history interviews in order to ensure their preservation and accessibility to the public. We will also continue to seek the voices of diverse members of our community. To find out more, please email us at oraclehistoricalsociety @ gmail•com or call 520-896-9609.
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American Flag Ranch |
AMERICAN FLAG RANCH
In the Fall of 1999, the Society acquired The American Flag Ranch on Mt. Lemmon Road. In recognition of its important historic role as one of Territorial Arizona's first post offices, it has been placed on the National Register.
Phase One of the project has entailed working with County officials and community partners, such as Kalamazoo Materials, to re-route Mt. Lemmon Road, so as to ensure the building's long-term preservation. We expect this phase to be complete by the end of 2007.
Phase Two will include the extensive restoration and beautification of the property, as well as the creation of public-use facilities geared towards hikers and horseback riders interested in exploring the adjacent portion of the Arizona Trail. Interpretive exhibits will complement those to be found at the Acadia Ranch Museum.
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Unknown Oracle horsewoman ca. 1908 |
THE SPIRIT OF ORACLE
In 2004, local author Barbara Marriot received an Arizona Historical Society grant to create a video on the history of Oracle. She received assistance from Jim Turner of the Arizona Historical Society, Bruce Dingus, Arizona Journal Editor and Alex Kimmelman from Pima Community College's Oral History Center. H. Tom Thompson, Oracle history expert, both contributed expertise and played the part of an early prospector who doubles as lead narrator.
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Painting by Lee Kannally |
LEE KANNALLY COWBOY PAINTINGS
Artist and long-time OHS member Andy Rush recently initiated the refurbishment of a collection of paintings by cowboy painter Lee Kannally. Lee, whose family owned and operated their ranch where the Oracle State Park now resides, was known as one of the most skilled ropers of his time.
Suffering damage from nerve gas poisoning during his service in World War I, Lee painted most of his work while bending over his bed with the canvas flat on the floor. You can see a number of these paintings on display at the Acadia Ranch Museum.
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