AURORA MUSEUM FOUNDATION

The story of Aurora, Colorado

January 2007

January 2007 Newsletter of the Aurora Museum Foundation

MUSEUM'S 2007 EXHIBIT CALENDAR OFFERS VARIETY

Visitors to the Aurora History Museum in 2007 will have a wide choice of exhibits to entertain and inform them. The museum's 1960's Suburban Empire exhibit, a nostalgic look at Aurora in the decade of the 1960's, has been playing since November 14 and closes on February 11. The exhibit's depiction of a 1960's living room is shown in the photo at the right.

Opening on January 4 in the history museum's community gallery will be Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation. The exhibit, under the joint sponsorship of the museum and the Aurora Public Library, explores Abraham Lincoln's transformation into "The Great Emancipator." Aurora will be the only Colorado stop on the seven-year tour of the exhibit which has been organized by the Huntington Library in San Marino, California and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in New York City in cooperation with the American Library Association's Public Programs Office. The exhibit was made possible with major grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission.

The attraction in the history museum's Gallery Two from February 27 until June 17 will be the Hensler collection of Native American Art of the Southwest. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the pottery, weaving, carving and other arts of Southwest native cultures. They'll be able to wander though the villages of Hopi, Pueblo and Navajo societies through the creative legacy of their history works.

From March 2 until June 17 the museum will fast forward to the 20th century and present an exhibit featuring Aurora's Mission Viejo. Mission Viejo was not just another Aurora neighborhood. Based on the Mission Viejo in Southern California, the Aurora subdivision built in the 1970's was an experiment and its unique planning, house design and amenities became the norm for suburban development across the country. Support for the exhibit has been provided by the Mission Viejo Home Owners Association, the Mission Viejo elementary school and Shea Homes.

One Day in Aurora will be a unique exhibit at the museum scheduled for display from June 8 until September 30. A group of Aurora residents will be invited to photograph what they believe to be interesting or unique in Aurora on April 30, 2007 - Aurora's 116th birthday. The best of the photos will go on display at the museum.

A couple of annual favorites are scheduled at the museum in October and November. The Gateway to the Rockies Art Exhibit will be on display throughout the museum October 2 until November 3 and the Festival of the Wreaths fills the community gallery November 9 to December 6.

The final exhibit opening at the Aurora History Museum in 2007 should be one of the most interesting. Hollywood Colorado will tell the story of the hundreds of movies beginning with the early days of silent films that used Colorado's unique scenery as a backdrop. Many of the films shot in Colorado have become Hollywood Classics. The long list includes Around the World in 80 Days, How the West Was Won, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, True Grit and Sleeper.

HISTORY MUSEUM IS ALWAYS CHANGING AND GROWING

The Aurora History Museum is always changing and growing. The high quality of our education programs and exhibits is reflected in our ability to attract diverse audiences. We regularly change our exhibits and occasionally we have changes in personnel as well. Mike Thomson, formerly museum assistant, has been promoted to curator of collections. He is busy researching exhibit topics for 2008. Each year brings new challenges and opportunities. Although we will continue to expand our programs and change in various ways, we will remain the same in some fundamental ways. We will continue to offer the best possible programs and exhibits and protect Aurora's landmarked sites.

In 2007 we are looking forward to hosting several traveling exhibits including Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation (January 4-February 23) being circulated by the American Library Association and the Huntington Library in California. Another is Mission Viejo (March 2-June 17) from Mission Viejo in California which will be complimented with images from Aurora's Mission Viejo.

This is the season for being thankful and giving and I would like to thank all of you for helping support the museum this past year. I appreciate your efforts as it really makes Aurora a better place in which to live.

My hope for you is that you have a wonderful and restful holiday season. Gordon Davis

BRIEFLY: The newest member of the Aurora History Museum staff is Motyka Johnson (left) who began her duties as museum assistant on December 7. Motyka grew up in a military family and was much traveled until she enrolled at Miami University at Oxford, Ohio where she earned a degree in art education. She has been a crew leader for the Southeast Alaska Guidance Association and more recently worked at the Glen Helen Ecology Institute in Yellow Springs, Ohio as director of day activities at the institute's Ecocamp and as curator at its Trailside Museum. Motyka and her husband, Ryan Johnson, live in Denver... Aurora Museum Foundation Membership Director Dean Hughes mailed dues notices to foundation members on November 14 and one month later 75 per cent of the members had returned checks to renew their membership. Dean will mail a second notice in January to members who have not renewed and those who have not paid by May 1 will be removed from the membership rolls'.. .'The Aurora Historical Society is planning an inspection tour of the Rapid Transit District's new Southeast Light Rail Line on Saturday, January 20. The society's members expect to board the RTD's new "G" Line at Nine Mile station in Aurora at 10 a.m. and travel to the end of the line at Lincoln avenue in Lone Tree. They will then transfer to the new light rail "F" line that will take them to the the 16th and California street station in downtown Denver. Following lunch, the historical society members will board the RTD's new "H" line for the return trip to the Nine Mile station in Aurora. Nine Mile station is located near the corner of Peoria street and Parker road in Aurora. Members of the Aurora Museum Foundation will be welcome to join the inspection tour. A phone call to Foundation President Bob Eide (303-337-5131) to request a reservation would be appreciated. . . . Several special events are scheduled at the Aurora History Museum while the exhibit, Forever Free: Abraham Lincoln's Journey to Emancipation is on display. An opening reception on Sunday, January 7 at 2 p. m. will feature Abraham Lincoln presenter and historian John Voehl. Refreshments will be served following Voehl's presentation. . . . Tentative date for the Aurora Museum Foundation's annual meeting is Sunday, March 4 at 1 p.m. Following the election of officers and directors foundation members will have the opportunity to hear Churchill Clark, great grandson of famed explorer William Clark, describe his retracing of the Lewis and Clark expedition in a talk entitled Trekkin With Lewis and Clark.

 
HISTORY MAKERS SUPPORTED PRESERVATION

Accepting the Aurora History Museum"s 2006 History Makers Awards on December 3 were (left to right) Cheryl Twesme, class president for 2006 Leadership Aurora; Rich Haas, senior vice-president of The Weitz Company, and William Perrott.

Support for two significant preservation projects earned the Aurora History Museum's 2006 History Makers A wards for one individual, one business and one organization. The awards were presented on December 3 at the museum's community gallery by Mary Ellen Schoonover, education curator at the history museum.

The Aurora Chamber of Commerce's Leadership Aurora Class 2006 was the organization honored. It's members spent a long Saturday in May renovating the horse barn at the DeLaney Farm Historic District. Members,joined by Chamber and museum staff and other volunteers, scraped, painted, paneled and repaired the horse barn and shored up the farm's loafing shed. Their work resulted in useable education space that later in the summer would host three youth camps, several cook outs and a blacksmithing workshop.

William Perrott of Centennial was the individual honored as a history maker. Perrott contributed to the Aurora History Museum a 1913 trolley trailer that had traveled Colfax avenue until 1932. The trolley trailer had been incorporated into a farm home on East Colfax avenue built by William Perrott's father, veterinarian Dr Edwin Perrott, in 1950.

When the home incorporating the trolley trailer was to be demolished to make way for development on the property, the museum staff asked that it be spared and restored and preserved as an important artifact relating to Aurora's transportation history. William Perrott readily agreed and alerted the staff to the existence of a second historic trolley located in the mountains near Bailey. The history museum has been granted salvage rights to the second trolley.

Title to the trolley trailer solved only half of the problem. Enter The Weitz Company, recipient of the third 2006 History Makers Award. Its personnel supervised the careful removal of the farm home from around the trolley trailer and the company provided the crane that was used to hoist it onto a City of Aurora flatbed truck for its ride to the city's Potomac street maintenance facility where it is encased in plastic waiting for restoration.

The Weitz Company, a national full-service general contractor, design builder and construction manager with 20 offices nationwide has been doing business in Colorado for more than 50 years. The Weitz Company built the Aurora Municipal Justice Center as well as the new Aurora Municipal Center.

Previous recipients of the Aurora History Museum's History Makers Award were former U. S. Senator Bill Armstrong, Mary Bell and Ellen Steele in 2004 and Bob Akerley, Annabelle Dunning and the Aurora Historical Society in 2005.

 
Successful Fundraiser: Members of the Aurora Museum Foundation sold over $400 worth of museum store merchandise at Aurora's annual PumpkinFest on Saturday, October 14. Kathy Sanders made the attractive "Prairie Emporium" sign and selected and priced the candy, books and toys offered for sale. Members who helped staff the store included Sue Miller and Carol Drollinger (shown in the photo), Sandy Sweeney, Ruth Fountain, Fred Seybold, Harold Dunning, Stu Pyper and Bob Eide. There would have been a tenth volunteer had it not been for an unfortunate accident. Ruth Schmunk was walking from the Aurora Municipal Center parking garage to the PumpkinFest grounds at the Delaney Farm when she fell while crossing the street. She was transported to a hospital for treatment of facial cuts and bruises. The city's PumpkinFest celebration at the Delaney Farm attracted some 20,000 visitors. The launching of pumpkins from cannons and catapults is the event's big attraction.

 The Aurora History Museum's Brown Bag and White Linen lecture series will move in a new direction in 2007. January and February lectures will focus on the history of Aurora newspapers and on the city's business history.

The luncheons are held the third Wednesday of each month in the museum's community gallery and the cost is $3.00. Those attending are expected to bring their own brown bag lunch. The schedule for the next three months:

Wednesday, December 20: Donald Fletcher, Founding Father. Donald Fletcher arrived in Aurora sick and penniless. Within a decade he became a leading businessman and one ofthe real estate speculators who incorporated Aurora. Within another decade he lost his millions. Historian William Convery tells Fletcher's story.

Wednesday, January 17: The Making of a City: Newspapers. The newspapers are a vital link in creating a community. Aurora Sun and Sentinel Publisher Harrison Cochran traces the history of Aurora's newspapers and talks about the challenges of a newspaper man in today's market.

Wednesday, February 21: The Making of a City: Chamber of Commerce. The five stars on the City of Aurora's seal represent home, church, business, industry and education. Business will star in this presentation about Aurora's business history, leadership and future.

NEXT ANTIQUE APPRAISAL FAIR WILL BE HELD ON APRIL 28

The Aurora Museum Foundation's next Antique Appraisal Fair will be held on Saturday, April 28 in the community gallery of the Aurora History Museum. Once again professional appraisers will offer oral appraisals of heirlooms at a cost of $5 for each appraisal. Those participating will be limited to having five items appraised.

Reservations for the appraisals may be made by calling (303) 739-6705 after April 1. While reservations are recommended, walk-ins will be accepted on the day of the Appraisal Fair. The fairs are popular and reservations are often sold out days ahead of the event.

Once again, members of the museum foundation will be available to help those who have furniture or other large items. The Antique Appraisal Fairs are held twice each year and they are a major fund-raising activity for the Aurora Museum Foundation.