From - Tue Jul 22 08:42:39 2003 Received: by gasherbrumII.peakpeak.com (mbox snowbear) (with Cubic Circle's cucipop (v1.31 1998/05/13) Tue Jul 15 00:26:26 2003) X-From_: snowbear@peakpeak.com Tue Jul 15 00:26:20 2003 Return-Path: Received: from peakpeak.com (mt14.peakpeak.com [206.168.3.158] (may be forged)) by gash2.peakpeak.com (8.9.3/8.9.3.1) with ESMTP id AAA10496; Tue, 15 Jul 2003 00:26:14 -0600 Sender: snowbear@gash2.peakpeak.com Message-ID: <3F13A3DA.FA488E87@peakpeak.com> Date: Tue, 15 Jul 2003 00:48:59 -0600 From: Pam North X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.61 [en] (X11; U; Linux 2.2.12-20 i586) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: "Douglas, Laura" , "Green, Guerin" , "North, Pam" Subject: Article Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mozilla-Status: 8001 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 X-UIDL: e9e06529c5110000 CLARA BROWN - NEW EXHIBIT AND NEW BOOK by Pam North There's no question about it - Clara Brown is hot this summer. A legendary black woman of great kindness and generosity, a freed former slave and entrepreneur who lived in Central City during its early gold rush days, Clara Brown is the subject of a new opera, Gabriel's Daughter, that is being presented in its world premiere this month at Central City's historic Opera House. The heart-rending story and memorable libretto of this presentation is not to be missed, according to the enthusiastic comments of those who have already seen the production. The Gilpin History Museum, at 228 East High Street in Central City, is featuring several special exhibits to tie in with the current focus on Clara Brown. A backyard scene, complete with clothes hanging on lines, real dirt underfoot, and chickens wandering about, commemorate Aunt Clara's successful occupation as a laundress for the miners who populated the area during its rowdy mining days. Extra touches such as red long-johns, soap bars, a copper kettle for heating the water and a wooden fork to lift the clothes out of the steaming washwater, and a dasher stick (manually-operated agitator) complete the authenticity of how laundry chores were done back when it was undeniably hard work. A hands-on display, of heavy old irons and a bucket of water weighing 21 pounds, gives visitors to the museum a feel for the effort involved in washing and ironing clothes in the old days. Another scene depicts Aunt Clara in her kitchen cooking a meal, again with the stove and utensils appropriate to the 1860s period. One very special memento is the original deed, dated June 26, 1864, that conveyed the title of a lot on East High Street to Mary Myers from Clara Brown herself, and sealing the bargain is Clara's own X as her mark. The selling price was $28.00. While Clara Brown was instrumental in the building of the St. James Methodist Church on Eureka Street, she was a member of Presbyterian church, which once was located between the Opera House and the Teller House. A pulpit from the Presbyterian church, torn down in 1926, is now on display at the museum, as are the old Opera House chairs with the names of Clara Brown and Barney Ford (another prominent early black resident of Central City) carved into their backs. A fine exhibit of quilts is also being showcased as part of the focus on Clara Brown. These quilts number about 35, of which over a third are antique, and all have been made by African-Americans. The quilting group, Wa Shonaji, has loaned the quilts for the showing, and the quilts have been divided between the museum and the Teller House for viewing, so both locations must be visited in order to see the whole collection. The Gilpin History Museum will be open Fridays through Mondays, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., until Labor Day. It is also currently featuring a Native American exhibit of arrowheads, pottery and pottery shards. Its gift shop is amply stocked with Roger Baker's new book, Clara: An Ex-Slave in Gold Rush Colorado, a well-researched and nicely-written account of Clara Brown's fascinating life, a perfect venue for those who wish to know more about her. The shop also has a variety of additional books to offer, including a second printing of Alan Granruth's informative book, Mining Gold to Mining Wallets, and a diverse selection of other gifts as well. Discover Clara Brown by opera, by book, or by exhibits; all will provide illumination into the character of this amazing pioneer woman.