Emery County Historical Society Christmas antique road show

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Emery County Historical Society’s Annual Antique Road Show and Christmas Party was held Dec. 11 at the Museum of the San Rafael. President Susanne Anderson welcomed the group of history enthusiasts and those that brought antiques to be displayed. She thanked those that brought their favorite Christmas goodies to share.
The first part of the evening’s program was a series of songs from an outstanding group of singers, with the name of “Curtain Call”, with students from grade school to high school led by Amanda Bennett.
Three young boys sang “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth”, followed by four girls singing, “Let it snow”. When they finished the high school students sang “Walking in a Winter Wonderland.” All three groups then combined to sing “We Wish You A Merry Christmas.” Everyone was very impressed with the performance of this group of singers.
The Master of Ceremonies, Commissioner JR Nelson mentioned that he was a third generation farmer living on his grandfather’s farm. His grandfather Andrew Nelson Jr. homesteaded on Ferron Creek in 1879. He had traveled with his 23-year-old bride from Manti to Salina and followed Goose Berry Creek South West to the Old Spanish Trail in the Fish Lake area and then traveled East and North. They briefly stopped at the home of Mike Molen on Ferron Creek. Andrew came with his saddle horse and an ox team. The ox team was used to haul his wagonload of household goods and supplies. JR Nelson displayed an old square nail used for construction in the 1800s and a beehive smoker purchased from Sears and Roebuck Company. JR Nelson announced the first Peach Days Festival in Utah was held at his grandfather’s farm. Pears from that farm in 1896 won the Worlds Fair best pear contest.
Evelyn Huntsman told a story of an old man who walked to the Nelson farm to get a queen bee to start a beehive. He put the queen bee in his bib overall pants pocket and visited for a while with Mr. Nelson. While bees swarmed around him and on his pants. After a while he said it is time to go my pants are full. Bees attracted to the queen bee covered and filled his pants. Those bees followed him home.
Ann Jorgensen showed an antique set of earrings given to her by her great aunt. They came from her great grandmother Annie Jones. She wore the earrings in the years around 1825. As a Utah Pioneer she brought the earrings with her to Utah. The earrings are very delicately made. Ann also displayed a broach that has been handed down to the oldest girl in each generation since 1827. Ann’s daughter Phyllis Jorgensen born in 1969 is the seventh in line to receive the broach.
Ann Jorgensen also had on display an old butter churn made out of wood.
Phil Fauver told about pictures taken with an old Rolleiflex twin lens reflex camera purchased in 1953 from a fellow army service man in Germany. He displayed a Kodak movie camera and discontinued Polaroid 210 camera with a case and accessories. The Polaroid was recently received from his 93-year-old aunt. He briefly described taking movies of Flathead Lake in Montana.
Evelyn Huntsman displayed an antique mechanical apple peeler that her grandmother Mary Rasmussen had owned. Evelyn said she as a young girl peeled a lot of apples with this apple peeler. She thought that this apple peeler once belonged to Mary’s mother.
Beth Black with the help of Evelyn Huntsman displayed a patchwork quilt made by Beth’s great grandmother that came over with the pioneers. Beth told of how Indians would come to the pioneer homes asking for food and other things and in exchange gave to the family two Indian made reed baskets. She then displayed one large bowel shaped basket and one smaller oval shaped basket.
Francis Swasey picked up a green fluted sherbet dish that her mother had given her. This was one of a set of four. Each of her sisters also received one of these sherbet dishes.
Francis displayed a Royal Ruby Vase made by Anchor Hocking and said this was in her grandmothers collection. Her grandmother had a complete Royal Ruby set consisting of a pitcher, water glasses and goblets. They always sat on the top shelf in her china cabinet. Francis said, “I have acquired a similar set.”
Kit and Annie Anderson explained an old phonograph for playing records housed in a well-preserved cherry wood cabinet. When the phonograph handle was turned to tighten the spring and the needle in the phonograph head placed on the record Christmas music came forth from the speakers.
This was a great evening for remembering some history and past adventures.
For refreshments that evening there were cookies, candy, fudge, cup cakes, chocolate cake and orange juice.