Marcelle is back at Crown Gardens and Archives

Marcelle is back at Crown Gardens and Archives! I had been filling in for her since the end of April. She is at work on the next quarterly and newsletter. They should be out soon.

Crown Gardens and Archives (Dalton, Georgia) is the headquarters for Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. There really isn't much of a garden, unfortunately. There's a small library for genealogy, and some of the local clubs meet at the archives on a regular basis.

Tuesday, The Day I Was Ambushed by Civil War Soldiers...

Dalton, Georgia. Tuesday morning, I unlocked the door of the archives and was startled out of my wits by an ugly, hairy, bearded guy who had taken up residence on our elegant French Provincial sofa. His friend was a cold, angry-looking blond. Although my life didn't flash before my eyes, many thoughts flashed through my brain in quick succession. My initial fear was that I was late for work and people were waiting. Before I even had time to think, "No, wait ~ I'm early," it occurred to me that the door had been locked, the alarm set. "How did they get past the dead-bolt?" I wondered frantically ~ as an even weirder thought struck me: "These guys look dead." As Huck Finn said, "It most give me the fantods."

I recovered my wits to realize that Marvin had brought over two very real-looking dummies for the upcoming Civil War display. The Civil War soldiers ~ two mannikins ~ were dressed in woolen coats and hats, 1860's fashion, which should have tipped me off at once, but I was not prepared for the sight of them, sprawled out as they were, in the parlor just inside the front door.

Since that initial reaction of mine, they've given me a turn more than once as I've walked by or glanced through the window, forgetting their presence. They look quite at odds with our frilly lace curtains. They've given some visitors to the archives a turn as well. I'll be glad when we get them into the lobby and have them displayed properly ~ though I suspect that even then, I'll be scared many more times as I stroll into the room, distracted by morning routine...

(Crown Gardens and Archives is the headquarters for Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.)

Dalton's Church of Latter-Day Saints Service Project at Archives

Dalton, Georgia. Last Saturday, Dalton's Church of Latter-Day Saints performed a service project at Crown Gardens and Archives in Dalton. A large group of church members ~ men, women and children ~ arrived at 7:30 a.m., bringing lawn equipment and cleaning products. They trimmed the hedges and holly bushes, cut down weeds, vines and small trees that had overgrown the creek and cleaned out the gutters (some of which even had small trees growing in them). Their work made a dramatic difference. The entrance is now easily visible. Some visitors have commented that they didn't even know the archives was there until the bushes were cleared away. They also cleaned inside the museum, vacuuming, dusting, polishingj, and organizing the storage room. Crown Gardens and Archives is the headquarters for Whitfield-Murray Historical Society.

Dalton, Ga: Wedding at the Archives

Saturday was a first for me... we had a wedding at the Crown Gardens and Archives. Actually, the wedding was on the grounds, part of the Crown Loft apartments next door. They only rented our room for the reception. Our meeting room is very pretty, and the front parlor can be used for some individual pictures. It has an old-fashioned charm--though we could use some new carpet. Everyone loved the look of the place, said we have character. We had a little bit of cleaning to do, beforehand--character and cobwebs go together!

(Crown Gardens and Archives is located in Dalton, Georgia. Dalton is in the North Georgia region).

Mr. Carter: Undertaker in Dalton, Georgia

For the researcher looking for Mr. Carter...

A researcher came by the Crown Gardens and Archives today seeking information on Mr. Carter, a former undertaker and furniture maker in Dalton, Georgia. He was known for having owned or run West Hill Cemetery in Dalton. It got kind of busy at the archives and the researcher left without leaving us any contact information. I've found the first names ~ I believe they were Albert and Charles, possibly a father-and-son pair. (I don't have the source available at home, so please contact us to get the complete source information and to make sure I have the information right.) Sorry about that. It's unusual that we had so many visitors and calls at one time!