Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Wednesday in Wyoming -- March 28, 2018

What would an old-fashioned home be without a pantry? The one in the back of the J.C. Penney homestead holds such diverse objects as dishes, canned goods, and even a flat iron. 

It looks as if the cane-bottom chair could use some work, doesn't it? When I see something like that, I start spinning stories. Did mice eat the seat? Did an overweight person break it? Could the sun have rotted the caning?

What do you think? And did you enjoy your visit to Kemmerer? I hope so!

Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Wednesday in Wyoming -- March 21, 2018

Today we're going to look at a few items from the interior of the J.C. Penney homestead in Kemmerer.

Do you know what this is? That's right. It's a butter churn, but not everyone knew that. The guide told me that one of the volunteers thought it was used to wash clothing. I'm still trying to imagine putting clothes inside the churn. I suppose you could, but ...

The butter churn picture also gives you a close-up of the packing crates that were used to panel the enclosed back porch. Isn't the handwriting beautiful? That's become almost a lost art.

Did you know that J.C. Penney once sold its own line of flatware? Here's an example of one pattern, which was part of the table setting in the homestead.

I continue to be amazed at the variety of goods you could purchase in a Penney's store and, later, through the catalog.  As many of you said when I featured the Mother Store in blog posts last year, the Penney's name triggers happy memories.

I highly recommend a visit to the Mother Store and the homestead if you're anywhere near Kemmerer. It's a trip back in history.






Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Wednesday in Wyoming -- March 14, 2018

Remember the addition at the back of the J.C. Penney home? This enclosed porch is part of it. If you look closely, you'll see that the "paneling" on the walls comes from shipping crates. How's that for recycling or reuse?

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Wednesday in Wyoming -- March 7, 2018

One of the highlights of Kemmerer is the J.C. Penney homestead, which has been turned into a museum. Although it's very attractive with its porch and spindle-work trim, the original part of the house is small. Tall people need to duck their heads in the upstairs room.

A side view shows you that the house was built in stages, being expanded as the family grew. (Notice the unmatched siding.)

Are you surprised at how modest a home this was for a man like Mr. Penney?