FANNING MILL- 1880

Built by Putney Fanning Mill

Company, Lyons, New York.

In early times, grain was harvested by local farmers, stalks and all, and brought in from the fields to be threshed, either by animals such as horses systematically trodding on it or by sledges dragged over it.  Cleaning the threshed grain then was accomplished with winnowing pans: the grain and chaff (husks of grains and grasses) were placed in a pan and tossed by hand into the air.  When all went well, the wind blew the chaff away and the clean grain fell back into the pan. Then about 1880, along came fanning mills like this one. It was high-tech in its day. It created its own wind, ergo, “Fanning” machine. Farmers no longer had to wait for a windy day to do their winnowing- any day was just fine.

Ask one of our volunteers to show you how it works.

We think it is visually beautiful because of all the different shapes contained in it? How many can you find?
A circle?  A square?  A rectangle?

This was donated to us by Paul and Virginia Truncali of Hillsdale.

The next time you buzz by the museum check out our shiny new wrought iron railings.  The money required for the purchase and installation of the much needed safety banisters was donated by Father Tom Norton of River Vale, Catholic chaplain at Pascack Valley Hospital.

Society volunteer John Clemen of Montvale, a retired attorney, put his professional researching skills to great use when he identified these baskets as those made by the Ramapough Mountain people in the 1800s. Although the baskets have been in our collection for many years we regard their newly identified provenances as a “ new acquisition of knowledge.”

Anne Marie Reynolds, center, of Park Ridge dropped in the other day with a shopping bag full of treasures for us.  She is seen showing an 1880’s silk and lace half-slip to Society trustees Helen Whalen, seated, and Eunice Kesper, right.  Notice the pile of letters from the 1920s she found in her house’s attic. She is a lovely soft-spoken, generous lady who has a heart of gold. Thanks Anne Marie.

STRIKE UP THE BAND-Society Trustee George Sherman got a “double surprise” when Hillsdale resident Leslie Moser walked into the museum with a large envelope under her arm.
Mrs. Moser easily identified George as her children’s history teacher when they attended George White School in Hillsdale—THEN she pulled out a 1914 copy of sheet music she purchased while antiquing in New England.
The cover of the sheet music bears a 1914 train schedule for the Pascack Valley.  She generously donated this rare find to the Society’s Howard Durie Ephemera Collection.
Thanks Leslie and come back soon.

Society trustee Barbara Farina can't help but smile when she accepts the wonderful caste iron stove, circa 1898, that John Sheerins (pictured) and his wife Mary donated ( and delivered!!) to the Society last month. The Park Ridge couple also donated a 1913 Edison Victrola, an elegant brass ceiling fixture and an antique etiquette book. The best gift has been Mary though! She was so taken with the museum and its friendly volunteers that she signed on as a volunteer. She comes to our weekly Wednesday morning work sessions
(10-12) and has taken to the inventory like a duck to water.

Joan Clark Collignon,left, and her big sister Alice-Mae Collignon Preisendorfer smile proudly in front of our museum's center display case containing many Collignon family items they have donated to us. Although they both live in upstate New York now, these River Vale natives, descendants of the founders of the famous Collignon Chair Factory in Old Tappan and River Vale, have never forgotten the Pascack Valley and the love they have for it and its people. Their generosity has set a record at the Society.

Remember these old tin matchbox holders?? They were usually hung on the kitchen wall right next to the stove. Sometimes, like in this case, they were used as advertising pieces by businesses. This one promotes the New England Piano Co. of NYC. (Circa, 1915) Donated by Laura & William Landau of Fort Lee.

We were lucky this year to get the vintage stove seen above and a brand new General Electric Stove seen here !! John Johl of Johl & Company ( Insurance) in Westwood and Debra Oberg of Oberg & Lindquist, also of the borough, put their heads and hearts together and surprised us with this much needed cooking tool. Within one week it was used for a special Colonial Baking program by our Junior Membership group. This will enable us to expand the types of programs and services we can offer the public- big and small.

A Westwood resident donated a terrific collection of vintage sheet music. Her generosity prompted us to start a sheet music collection in our ephemera department.  The history, fashion and mood of America is reflected in its music.  We hope to expand this collection and have a special display of it one day in the future.