The Current River Heritage Museum has announced the addition of three new displays which showcase early Ripley County life on Current River.
According to museum curator Julie Braschler, two of the displays focus on gigging and fishing, and she also offers a third which showcases a variety of individual collections. Those include, but are not limited to insects, minerals and folk art.
“This is my miscellaneous display. Andrew Michel donated a beautiful case, and we have filled it with a mix of things, such as a tobacco twist, and an old toll box which was used by Pennington’s Mill,” explains Julie.
The tobacco twist was typical of the “chaws” which were purchased at general stores back in the day.
The box, which dates back to at least the 1890s, is unique in that it has carvings on several sides, which give details about its history.
“On one side, the carvings show us that the box was used to play fox and geese, a child’s game which was played with grains of rice,” says Braschler.
Fishing and gigging have always been a part of the Current River culture.
In these most recent additions to that section of the museum, a curio cabinet has been added which holds antique lures and tackle boxes.
“Most of these were gifts from my brother, David Braschler. The cabinetry was donated to the museum by Steve Bear,” says Julie.
Another part of the gigging and fishing section is dedicated to Earnest “Uncle Punk” Murray, a boatmaker and avid outdoorsman who lived in the central Ozarks during the early 1900s.
Murray handcrafted jon boats, push paddles and paddles for river navigation.
The paddles on display feature sassafras wood, which Murray carved using tools such as draw knives, spoke shaves, keyhole saws and a chopping ax.
Once fashioning the paddles he hand-sanded them to a smooth, fine finish, and treated them with linseed oil.
His particular, unique design also features a saw blade affixed to the end, wrapped with metal flashing and secured with brads.
Murray added this feature for strength and durability when “pushing off” gravel bars and rocky river bottoms.
The paddles were donated by Charles Braschler of Pratt for Jim Foltz.
The display also includes a set of paddles found at Worley Rock by Ray Joe Hastings, another river enthusiast best known for his gigmaking.
The museum is open Monday through Friday 10 am until 4 pm and Saturday from 9 am until noon. The museum is closed Sundays.
There is no admission charge for touring the museum.
For more information, call 573-996-5298 or message them on Facebook or email at: rctourism@doniphanmissouri.org