Curator's Corner The Hamill House artifact collections continue to grow

Since our last newsletter, HGI has added some wonderful artifacts to our collection, thanks to the generosity of several our members and friends:

Terry and Sue Shakespeare of Glendale, CA, owners of Creative Capers Entertainment, donated many, many items for both the collections and the benefit auction to be held this August. Included on the list of auction items are: 9 Schwinn Bikes, a 19th century bed head and foot board, a partner's desk, tools household goods and an antique wood framed painted cigar advertisement mirror. A circa 1880 bamboo tête-à-tête will be added to the Bowman-White House furnishings. Sue and Terry are Life Patron members of HGI. They recently sold their home on Alvarado Road.

Regular member Charlotte Van Brunt of Denver, donated exquisite period bed linens including a circa 1850 coverlet that will be used in the Hamill House bedrooms and a ceramic chamber pot decorated with peach flowers and trimmed in gold. She also gave HGI a Bavarian Porcelain dinner service for twelve including all the serving pieces.

Gerry and Renee Tewell Life Patron members also of Denver, gave HGI a Barton Hotel door key; a circa 1930 women's silk afternoon dress, owned by Mrs. Clark of Taos St., Georgetown; an 1891 fan shaped autograph book owned by Howard Spruance and pair of women's gold-rimmed eyeglasses.

Friend Richard Worthen of Denver donated 27 glass slides of the Hamill House and other views including some of the house prior to the 1974 fire. To you all, many thanks.

The Costume Committee, headed up by Membership Services Director, Parthena Moore, is busily archiving the large collection of clothing and accessories HGI has acquired over the years. Members have recently finished making padded hangars to safely hang and store the many pieces of attire. The group will eventually display the costumes for the public to see. The committee members are: Marge Acker, Ann Champion, Elaine Dunn, Lois McNeil and Julie Wood.

A grant from the State Historic Fund has been given to HGI to conduct an interpretive study for the new visitor center, scheduled for construction beginning January, 2001. The grant will help fund a study of the use and design of space of the new, larger facility.

BBC Television, London, England, selected the Bowman-White House as a back-drop for an interview to be included in an upcoming series entitled "Mountain Men." Tim Jordan, Associate Producer of the series, decided on the location after logging on to HGI's website, which features photographs of our properties. The crew arrived on the morning of March 11th to interview mountaineer Walt Gonnason, who discussed pioneer mountaineers on Mt. McKinley. The series will air in the United States on "The Learning Channel" sometime next spring.