My Life as a Museum

 Friday-Saturday, May 6-7, 2022

Today started out rainy. VERY rainy. And almost all day continued getting wetter and wetter. But somehow, we were very lucky. The rain let up while we drove into town, filled the RV with gas, and hooked up. From there we went straight to the Zanesville Art Museum to finally get inside and see the pottery collection.

Roseville and More Roseville

The collection lived up to its billing-- it was fantastic. SO much Roseville, as well as Weller, Owens, and other examples of the Zanesville pottery industry. We ooohed and aaaahed at the gorgeous glazes and examples of all kinds of shapes and techniques of pottery decoration. Joe said that seeing all the examples of Roseville made him more impressed with MY collection--I actually have two exact pieces which are on display in the museum! We really loved seeing it all.

I own 2 of these!

The rest of the museum, while not large, was also very enjoyable. There was a special photography exhibit by an Ohio photographer which we thought was excellent. There is a nice collection of art from various periods--a little bit of everything, really. It’s a small city and a small museum, but extremely well done and well worth the couple of hours we spent there.

Before leaving, we almost took a vase home with us! It turned out that we had noticed in the back of the museum there was a large painted vase in the vicinity of the back door, looking very forlorn and unloved. We surmised that it was one of the 7' vases we’d looked for yesterday, part of “Vasehenge.” We asked the man at the front desk as we were leaving what had happened to the Vasehenge display downtown, and he said the vases had become so decrepit that they had been taken down, because they couldn’t be saved. He added, “We have one of them out back.” So we were right! We asked what they were planning to do with it, and he said, probably throw it away. So we said we wanted it! He wasn’t sure what the plans were, but he took my name and number so they could get in touch with us about it.

We went back to the RV for some lunch, but about 10 minutes later, there was a knock on our door. A young woman working at the museum said, “The man at the desk told me you were interested in taking the big vase outside--was that a serious inquiry?” We said yes, it was (with Joe adding, “Uh oh!”) So I went with her to look at it more closely. She said they had been “trying to find someone to take it for a while.” Joe and I both thought it would be cool to bring it home, renovate it somehow (perhaps asking Beth to repaint it) and put it outside the house as a piece of sculpture.

Alas, I had to let my common sense overrule my heart this time. The vase was, indeed, about 7 feet tall, and dilapidated. There were chunks of plaster chipped out and the paint surface was significantly peeled. The plaster where the paint had come off had also started flaking off. That part didn’t bother me so much--I thought it could be sanded down to get all the old peeling paint out of the way, replastered, and repainted. The problem was the SIZE. It was simply too big for us to manage. I could not figure out any way to do it. It was too big for inside the Jeep (especially with the spare tire in the back) and the only way to take it in the RV, assuming the diameter wasn’t too wide for the door, was to let it take up our entire living space for the next week. I thought that would be a little bit too much--we would have to climb over it or squeeze around it constantly. As we ate lunch, we discussed putting it on the roof of the Jeep. But, it was so heavy (undoubtedly 100 pounds or more) and I couldn’t imagine how we’d get it up there and secure it. Sadly, we had to leave it for some other fool(s) who might want to rescue it.

Roseville Olympic

We left the museum after lunch, and drove for a couple of hours on I-70 to Buck Creek State Park. It rained on and off as we drove, but the heavy rain (and some lightning) arrived just as we were arriving at our destination. I scooted quickly into the office to register, and miraculously, the rain let up just then to let us unhook the Jeep before heading for our campsite. It began to rain again just as Joe was hooking up the electricity, so we curled up inside our little den and listened to the rain hammering on the roof for hours. At some point we had some dinner; I was deep into my book and I think Joe was reading and dozing on and off. Cassie was curled up by the bed too. And that was how our day ended-- LOTS and LOTS of rain. There was some pause around 11pm, so we walked Cassie then, and went to sleep as the pounding rain started up again.

Saturday: We woke up to a very wet campground, but at least the rain had stopped. However, the sky was heavily gray and it was quite chilly. We dressed in several layers, thinking how cold it seemed for May. I felt bad for the campers who had tents-- they looked pitiful. Most of us are in RVs though. The park is enormous, with a huge reservoir for boating and fishing, walking paths, and all kinds of amenities. But the weather certainly wasn’t great for enjoying them.

However, we are not huge outdoor enthusiasts anyway (except for Cassie). My day was spent antiquing. I left Joe and Cassie at about 10am and drove to the Heart of Ohio Antique Mall. I spent hours there, but wasn’t hugely inspired by the choices of Roseville I found. I had a small list of items i was interested in, but nothing made me jump for joy. I had some lunch at their small snack bar, then went out and drove 2 miles down the I-70 to the Springfield Antique Malls 1 & 2; yes, TWO huge buildings full of MORE antique dealers. The first one was a bust, but the second one had quite a bit, including a wall pocket for my collection at a very good price. There were also some more expensive items I was interested in, but I decided to wait, think about them, and come back tomorrow morning--I was very tired, and felt as if I wasn’t at my best.

I went back to Heart of Ohio, where I had left one piece that I thought was interesting and a good price, and before I bought it, I went back to look at the pieces I had been considering. I suddenly found a pedestal which I thought would be perfect for the new jardiniere Aimee got me for my birthday. I took a photo of it and sent it to Beth, who agreed it would work. By that time, the place was starting to close. So I decided the pedestal, too, could wait for the morning. I bought the piece I had had put aside earlier in the day, and drove back to Joe.

Joe, meanwhile, had spent the day with Cassie taking walks, resting, and just hanging out. He said they had a wonderful time! He made us a lovely steak dinner while I told him about my adventures, and he approved both my purchases and the idea of the pedestal for tomorrow. It’s made by Weller, not Roseville, but as it happens I have always liked these large Weller pieces. It should look quite attractive with my new jardiniere standing on it.

We finished the evening by listening to the Nava Tehila concert on the Anshe Emeth live feed. Now Joe’s asleep, and I am going to upload this blog. I hope I can get the photos of the museum up to go with it. Tomorrow, our plan is to leave here, stop at the Heart of Ohio right down the road again for the pedestal, and then head up to Delaware to our next Boondockers Welcome anchorage. The drive isn’t more than a couple of hours, so perhaps we will find a place to stop along the way as well. Meanwhile, I think I might be tired of antique malls for at least a little bit. (Or.... maybe not....)

A little bit zany in Zanesville

Thursday, May 5, 2022 

Yet another day which did not go as planned... that is starting to be the theme of this trip! I woke up expecting to go to the Zanesville Museum of Art to see their extensive art pottery collection. Then I had decided, based on the wonderful full color magazine touting all of the activities and attractions of Zanesville and Muskingum County to see an outdooor "exhibit" of 7' tall pottery vases ("Vasehenge"), the famous Y Bridge, perhaps have a lovely lunch, perhaps visit the National Road-Zane Grey Museum about 10 miles east in  Norwich. And of course, in case we passed any tempting-looking antique stores, hunt for the perfect piece of Roseville for my collection.

We woke up to gray skies, but it was not supposed to rain, and most of our activities were inside anyway. So we walked Cassie, had breakfast, and then headed into Zanesville to the art museum. We are staying a little south of the city, in Blue Rock, so we got to drive through the main north-south road, under I-70, and through some very nice neighborhoods until we got to the museum. I had made sure that it was open-- it is open Wednesday-Friday. But when we got there, the doors were locked! I called the museum phone number, and was told that oh, they are closed to do some work on their inventory, or repairs, or SOMETHING. But they will be open tomorrow. I sighed. I thought about our itinerary, and decided we COULD come first thing tomorrow on our way out of town. So... what can one do. It was now about 11:30.

The Y Bridge viewed from Putnam Park Overlook

 We decided to go see the circle of pottery vases. These were left over from one of those fund-raising exhibits where different organizations sponsor different artists to paint vases (like the cow parade in Chicago). They were placed in a circle in a clearing next to the Y Bridge, and locals called it "Vasehenge." It sounded like just our kind of thing. I found the description in the tourist magazine, but couldn't find a real address, so we headed for the Y Bridge, figuring we'd see both at once.

View of Zanesville, Ohio from overlook (with train on trestle)

The Y Bridge is the only Y-shaped bridge in the world-- it stands at the spot where the Licking River runs into the Muskingum River (which then flows to the Ohio River), and allows traffic to cross either or both rivers using one structure. It was first built in 1814, but this is the fifth version of the original (the first was washed away in a flood, and the third fell into the river.) We found ourselves driving onto the bridge itself, and then "turning right" in the middle of the bridge to get to the park with an overlook of the city, rivers, and bridge.

From the overlook, we had a fine view, as promised. A train approached the river from the southeast as we watched, and it had to use two bridges to cross in order to be north of the Licking River--first a trestle below the confluence of the two rivers, and then another one a little way upriver which crossed the Muskingum again--the larger river makes a curve around the city and the train tracks crossed it twice, ending up northwest of both rivers. But there was no sign of "Vasehenge."

7' Vase in Museum

We got mixed reviews by using Google--one saying it was no longer there, the other saying it was there as recently as a few months ago. So I suggested we go to the Visitor's Center, which was only a few minutes away. As we drove, we crossed the Y Bridge again, thereby utilizing all three of its "arms". Joey noticed an open green area on the northwest corner of the bridge, but there were no vases, and we guessed that they were indeed gone, and that that was where they had been.

We stopped at the Visitor's Center-- a beautiful new building with light and airy windows and excellent bathroom facilities, but with no one at the front desk or anywhere to be seen. I think if I had stood there and yelled "Hello!!" at the top of my voice, someone might have appeared from one of the offices or downstairs, but I decided not to bother. 

 

So now it was almost 1:00 and we had done nothing other than look at the Y Bridge from above (and drive over it twice.) We decided to go to the other museum--the National Road-Zane Grey Museum. This time we called to double check whether it was open, and it was. Ironically, it was at the same exit we took last night when we left I-70 to get to our camping spot. So we drove about 10 miles east, discussing the fact that we hadn't had any lunch yet. I suggested getting off at an I-70 exit and getting Arby's, but Joe said, "Let's just go to our exit, and see what we find there. So we did that--and there was NO food whatsoever at the exit. We went into the museum and explained our dilemma, and the nice lady there sent us back 4 miles west again to the previous exit, where we had a lovely luxurious lunch at McDonald's. NOT what I had planned, as I said.

We returned to the National Road museum after lunch, around 2:00. We had finally made a good choice-- the museum was actually quite a find, really three museums in one. The first part was dedicated to the history of the National Road. I had been noticing "Historic National Road" signs from time to time ever since we had started driving in southwest Pennsylvania, but didn't know what was "historic" about this particular road. Turns out that the "National Road" was the first interstate "improved" highway, running from Cumberland, MD on the Potomac to Vandalia, the then-capital of Illinois. It was built between 1811-1837, and was a major east-west route for settlers and for goods to be sent east and west, allowing major interstate commerce.

Original Roadside Marker on National Highway.

Through the years, the landscape of the road changed--it became lined with inns for travelers, rest areas for drovers of herds of various beasts; later it gave rise to motels and small towns catering to travelers. It was, in short, the eastern version of Route 66, which runs west of the Mississippi. The museum had an excellent series of dioramas showing the development of the road through the years, along with very good descriptions and insights into life on the road. In the center of that room was a Conestoga wagon, the primary transportation before the railroad was built. I had forgotten how enormous those wagons were! The funny thing was, we drove through Conestoga, PA in Lancaster County a few days ago-- that was where the wagons were built, and why they are called Conestoga wagons!

The Conestoga Wagon wheels were almost as tall as Joe.

Diorama of Conestoga. It was driven by the guy on the horse in front.

After learning all about the National Road, we segued to the exhibit on Zane Grey. It turns out that the original Mr. Zane was the first to try to find a route to take commerce west, and was involved in the original creation of the National Road. Zane Grey, who grew up in Zanesville, was his great-grandson. Grey, of course, is famous for his stories of the wild west. He was a great outdoorsman, hunter and fisherman, and he eventually moved out to California to be closer to the movie studios which produced movies based on his books. The exhibit on his life was very interesting, with original documents, first editions of his books (with their colorful covers), movie posters, etc. He was the best selling author of his time, and there was even a magazine advertisement warning people to buy new tires, which included an original story by Zane Grey of some poor guy who had run off the road when his tire blew out. Another link to our trip!

Zane Grey movie posters and displays

I didn't mention, but just before we went to the museum, we had driven a few miles further in hopes of finding some food. We came across this historical marker, commemorating the first highway fatality on the National Road in Ohio! It happened when a stagecoach was confronted with a herd of pigs--the horses shied, the coach turned over, and the man who was killed died when he was thrown from his seat next to the driver and the coach landed on him. Joey's comment: "What a way to go. "Cause of death: Hogs." 

The third part of the museum was unknown to me until we arrived--but they had a nice little exhibit featuring the art pottery studios of Zanesville. It was quite heavy on examples of Weller pottery (which I admire but do not collect), and very little Roseville. But they had a lot of other examples from other companies as well, including tiles, utility wear, and figurines, as well as decorative art pottery. It was just a taste of what I expected to see at the museum in the morning, but hopefully I'll get there tomorrow.

We left the museum at about 3:30, and after stopping at two antique places (Joey stayed in the car, and I didn't find anything), we retraced our drive of yesterday evening through the back roads and some rather roller-coaster hills back to Blue Rock and our RV. I felt quite tired by this time, and took a nap before Joey woke me up at some point to have dinner. And that was our evening--napping, dinner, and blogging.

Tomorrow we will hook up the Jeep again, and head back to Zanesville to the art museum. Then we have about a 100 mile drive to our next stop-- Buck Creek State Park in Springfield, where we will stay until Sunday.