Museum Rose Garden Wins Award

 

At the American Rose Society Palm Springs National Conference, November 11 through the 15th, the Stagecoach Inn Museum Heritage Memorial Rose Garden was awarded the designation of 'Best Small Public Garden in the Pacific Southwest District.'

 

This is the second honor for this garden, designed by Jeri Jennings and maintained by the Ventura County Rose Society in cooperation with the Conejo Valley Historical Society.  The plaque for this honor will be on display at the meeting before being transferred to the Stagecoach Inn Museum. 

 

We greatly appreciate the efforts of Sue Rosecrance and Kathy Ayers and all involved in making our garden a Best of Show! 

 

Perhaps you would like to remember someone special by purchasing an engraved brick to be placed on the beautiful path in the garden--see Gift Ideas below.

 

Visit one of the best collections of hairwork jewelry in the country! The collection is on loan from Andrea Tice. Andrea's Mother, Carmelita Johnson, was one of the first persons to write a book exclusively about hair art and Mrs. Johnson amassed one of the largest collections of the unusual pieces in the United States. 

 
During the 1850s in America, working hair into jewelry was a popular pastime. As a home craft, it was painstaking often requiring more than 80 strands of hair for one piece of weaving material.  Hair was fashioned into wreaths, pictures and jewelry by intricate twisting, braiding, weaving and made on tables just like lace-making. When finished the pieces were used as memorials, to commemorate important events, as friendship and love tokens, or just for decorative purposes.  
 
Godey's Lady's Book in 1860 pointed out "Hair is at once the most delicate and lasting of our materials and survives us like love."  And from another publication, "they are now almost as much worn by the 'upper-ten' as are golden ornaments; and that the effect-to say nothing of the pleasant ideal of thus wearing the hair of those we love and cherish-is incomparably superior to metallic jewelry, no person of good taste will venture to deny."The fashion for all mourning jewelry came to an end at the turn of the twentieth century with the death of Queen Victoria, a change in mourning customs, and the beginning of World War I.

 

The display is a wonderful opportunity to see many pieces of hair jewelry crafted as early as the 1700s.