Capturing History: A Trunk For All To See

What a journey! Drockenburg, Germany to Tucson Arizona in 1879 by boat to the U.S. and then by train to Tucson. Arriving at the train station was relief not to be bouncing around on train tracks and bumping into whatever is close by! Of course, now in a strange city, quite unlike anyplace I have ever been before – dusty streets, animals roaming around everywhere, and very hot!

 
What is the next part of the journey? Well, history doesn’t say exactly where I ended up, but it must have been downtown Tucson somewhere and then, a year later, into a very nice house on South Jackson Street (where the convention center is now) and then, much later, out to Oro Valley where I am now.

 
No, I’m not a person. I am the steamer trunk that Mathilda Feldman Pusch used to bring her belongings to Tucson and Steam Pump Ranch where I can now be seen in the historic Pusch House Museum on Saturday mornings. And wait until you see me now! A lifetime member of the Oro Valley Historical Society, Joe Frannea, made me beautiful again. Don’t you agree?

 
Here’s what Joe knew about me so that he could make that transformation.

 

I’m a dome top trunk which made it hard to place something on top of me thus avoiding much damage during transport, and the shape also permitted rain to run off should I be placed outside in inclement weather. Plus, the dome shape made me much more attractive, so I could be used for storage even after a long journey and placed in a visible area of a home for decoration.

Come see me at the Pusch House Museum on Saturday mornings from 9 a.m. – noon (except for December 23), along with the detailed notes of the renovation that Joe did to make me a safeguard for valuables again – items that could be transported from Germany to America in the 1800’s.

 
And on December 9, meet Jim Williams, author of the new book Oro Valley: The First Fifty Years. Yes, Oro Valley is much younger than I am, and you will meet the author and be able to purchase his book to see how Oro Valley came about, and how we have matured.

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WE WANT YOU! 

The Oro Valley Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit volunteer organization, whose mission is “To promote research, preservation, education, and dissemination of historical information related to the greater Oro Valley area.” We invite you to become a supporter and/or a volunteer. Visit us at ovhistory.org and help keep Oro Valley history alive!


We are currently looking for enthusiastic volunteers who are interested in becoming docents at the Pusch House museum and for Steam Pump Ranch tours. Training sessions are being scheduled. We hope to hear from you. Contact: Tina at tinhow@comcast.net In addition, we could use some help with social media, fundraising, and gardening – there’s something for everyone because history loves company!

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