COOUNTDDOWN TO 150 -- Sylvia's Treasured Belongings

 The bell that Sylvia used when she taught in Marysville’s schools is in the top left photo. One of Sylvia’s great granddaughters returned it to the museum for the collection. Once a teacher herself, she wanted it to be a tribute to her great grandmother.

A bell was the teacher’s primary management tool. It could signal the beginning or end of lessons, rotation between recitations for different age groups, breaks or recess, and the beginning and end of the school day.

The cotton skirt on the right above is thought to have been worn by Sylvia during her teaching days. It is made of brown and buff (or once white) striped pin cord cotton. The vertical seams look hand done; the ruffles at bottom were done by machine. Given the simple design and hand sewing, it is likely it was made by Sylvia. She was known for her sewing. She worked especially hard when she was dying to make blue dresses for her two daughters.

Sylvia kept a scrapbook before her marriage. It was fashioned from a well-used McNally's Geography book. Newspaper articles were pasted on top of its pages. It contained clippings from the time she was a teacher. One article was about an institute for teachers held in Waterville that she attended.

The several-day program gave its participating teachers pointers. It started with an inspirational essay, “Sunshine and Shadows of a Teacher’s Life,” and experienced teachers lead sessions on teaching botany, geography, reading, and English grammar.

These artifacts give us a connection 150 years later to Sylvia for whom teaching was important.