South County Museum Gazette
- info423968
- Aug 27
- 6 min read
September 2025 – Edition – Fall is on its Way!
Hello members and friends, we had a wonderful summer season and are excited for the events this fall!
Please note a few upcoming September closures as we prepare for special programs:
Thursday, September 4 – closed for Quilt Show setup.
Thursday–Saturday, September 11–13 – closed during preparations for our Art in the Barns Fundraiser – Instead of visiting the museum that weekend, we hope you’ll join us for the Art in the Barns celebration on Saturday, September 13!
After these events, we’ll return to our regular hours. And mark your calendars—our last day of the season will be November 1.
__________________________________________
39th Annual Folk Art Quilt Show: September 5th - 7th
Don’t miss out on our 39th Annual Quilt Show! It is going to be a great one! Over sixty historic and contemporary quilts will be on display. Visit our pop-up shop with a great selection of fabrics and patterns for sale. Each day at 11am, Museum Curator Rebecca Kelly will give a short talk on the history of late 19th-century “Crazy Quilts”. Stop by our demo table to see various sewing techniques and learn about incorporating naturally dyed fabrics into your quilts.
See beautiful quilts from regional quilters on display in the Metz Exhibition Hall. Vote for the People's Choice quilt and be inspired by our community of crafters!
Don’t forget to buy your raffle ticket for Spring Parade by Jane Reardon! One raffle ticket will be pulled on the last day of our quilt show, and you do not have to be present to win.
__________________________________________
Art in the Barns!
Join us for an unforgettable evening at our Art in the Barns night – a special fundraising celebration in support of the Museum. The event will be held on Saturday, September 13th, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.
Start the evening with a cocktail hour and a chance to explore our beautiful campus until 5 pm. Then enjoy a buffet and captivating live craft demonstrations showcasing the talent and tradition of our school of craft until 6:45 pm. The evening will conclude in the lower barn with a seated dessert and an exciting live auction starting at 7 pm.
By attending, you’ll be contributing to the preservation of over 25,000 historic objects and supporting our mission to safeguard and share cultural heritage through hands-on craft education and creation.
Tickets are $125 and can be purchased here. Thank you for supporting our museum and community. We look forward to celebrating with you!
Saturday, September 13,
4:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Pictured below is a sneak peek at one of our auction items! Keep an eye out on our social media for more of our auction items.
__________________________________________
South County Museum and Ocean House Hotel Present: Changing Silhouettes of Fashion: Corsets, Crinolines, and Bustles - Oh My!
Join us for the last of the lecture series on Tuesday, September 23rd, 3:30 pm in The Seaside Ballroom at Ocean House.
Fashion is often a reflection of an era's social, political, and cultural values, and nowhere is this more evident than in the shifting silhouettes of fashion. Key to the transformation of the female body in the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries were the corset, crinoline, and bustle—three crucial garments that dramatically altered shape and, in turn, how women were perceived and how they moved in the world. The magic of well-tailored menswear will be discussed in tandem, as the idea of modifying the body's appearance was not unique to women.
Tickets are $35 and include a delightful refreshment service. Tickets can be purchased on the Ocean House website.
__________________________________________
Halloween Exhibition Opening
Join us on Friday, September 26th, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm for the opening celebration of our Halloween exhibition!
A collection of early twentieth-century Halloween costumes will be on exhibit in the Metz. Come learn about these early 20th-century historic Halloween costumes and Halloween traditions in South County. For a more in-depth lecture on the topic, join Emma on Wednesday, October 15th, at 6:00 pm.
Please RSVP to info@southcountymuseum.org. Free to members or $10 for non-members.
__________________________________________
New in the Collection:
Kenyon’s Grandfather Clock
A grandfather clock that once stood in the lobby of Kenyon’s Department Store in Wakefield has recently been accessioned into our collection. The store was in business from 1856 until its closing in 1996. The clock was generously gifted by relatives of the Kenyon family in memory of Lillian Johnson Kenyon and Orrin Kenyon II. Since its arrival, one of our volunteers has lovingly restored it. Stop by our model General Store to hear it chime!
Ice Harvesting Tools
Two historic ice harvesting tools have also been donated. One, a pike, was used to move blocks of ice. The second tool is still under research—our donor suggests it may have been used to cut ice for storage. The word “Acme” carved into the tool may point to its maker. We look forward to learning more about these tools.
South County Appliqué Quilt
A beautiful appliqué quilt depicting scenes from the South County area has joined the collection. The quilt was originally raffled off by the South County Hospital Auxiliary during the 1976 Heritage Festival. In a stroke of luck, the donor’s mother purchased a single ticket—and won! Donated in memory of Linda C. Tucker, the quilt will be proudly displayed in our Metz Exhibition Hall next season.
__________________________________________
Farewell to our Summer Artisan Fellow, Alexa Vesterholm. During her time at the museum, Alexa immersed herself in many of our artisan barns, creating beautiful handmade items, some of which can be found in our gift shop!
When reflecting on her experience, Alexa shared that her favorite part was learning traditional crafts from experienced craftsmen and finding ways to add her own modern twist. “It feels great to participate in living history and to help keep historic craft alive,” she said. Alexa is heading to Belgium, where she looks forward to applying the skills and inspiration she gained here to her future artistic endeavors. We wish her all the best and thank her for her contributions to keeping South County’s craft traditions alive.
Welcome back, Erin Shaw! We are so happy to welcome back Erin Shaw. Erin recently completed her Master of Arts at NYU, where she specialized in Costume Studies. You may remember her role last year as a summer research fellow, and her exhibition and illustrated lecture on the folding fan. This season, Erin will be curating a new exhibition on shoemaking in Rhode Island, exploring the craft’s rich history and local story.
__________________________________________
A Few Save the Dates…
South County Museum’s Upcoming Fall Lecture Series:
Wednesday, September 17th - The History of Surfcasting in Narragansett by Marty Wencek. Marty is a member of the Narragansett Pier Sport Fishing Association and the Narragansett Surfcasting Club. He will share his own extensive collection of locally made lures and discuss the museum’s surfcasting collection.
Wednesday, October 1st – Selections from the Collection: Traditional Craft in South County with Local Historian, Tim Cranston. As the Museum prepares to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, we are considering the long legacy of traditional craft in the region. Tim’s talk will discuss craftsmen - Basketmaker Rouse Matteson and the famed “Weaver Rose.”
Wednesday, October 15th – Disguised: Unmasking Early Mass Market Halloween Costumes by Emma Manning. The Museum’s Assistant Curator, Emma, will take you “behind the seams” of her research and into the surprising history of unique costumes in the Museum’s collection. Come see the costumes and hear all the details!
__________________________________________
Saturday, October 25th, from 10 am to 3 pm - Textile Traditions: Preserving the Past and Considering the Future. There will be short talks, a community indigo vat, mending and sewing demonstrations, a pop-up textile boutique, and a clothing swap.
Please join us on November 1st, the closing day of the museum. We will be celebrating Halloween for one more day, so re-wear your Halloween costume and come trick-or-treating in our craft barns!
Join the Museum! Becoming a member of South County Museum is more than just a way to support the Museum—it’s a way to explore local history and traditional craft. As a member, you’ll enjoy benefits like free admission, early access to workshop registration, and special members-only events. Your support helps us preserve the history of South County and the traditional skills of printing, blacksmithing, woodworking, spinning, weaving, and natural dyeing, ensuring that these skills are passed down to future generations.
Comments