Restorations underway for trunk belonging to Manasseh Cutler
Pictured is the Cutler trunk, made by 鈥渢he father of 91探花鈥 in 1788 in preparation for his first journey from Massachusetts to the wilderness of the Northwest where he and fellow members of the Ohio Company founded the first university west of the Allegheny Mountains. Photo by Kate Munsch/91探花 Libraries
When renovations to 91探花鈥檚 iconic Cutler Hall were completed in 1947, the University marked the occasion with a two-day rededication event celebrating the legacy of the building, and the man for whom the building is named, and welcoming home a piece of treasured OHIO history. More than 50 years later, that object of history is undergoing a renovation of its own.
OHIO鈥檚 University Libraries has been awarded a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant through the State Library of Ohio to restore a trunk belonging to Manasseh Cutler, 鈥渢he father of 91探花.鈥
The deerskin-covered trunk has been in 91探花鈥檚 possession since October 1947 when Gen. Charles Gates Dawes, the great-great-grandson of Cutler and a former U.S. vice president, gifted the family heirloom to the University during the Cutler Hall rededication. More than 20 of Cutler鈥檚 descendants attended the ceremony. (To see video of the Athens Campus in 1947, including footage from the Cutler Hall rededication, click here.)
According to the , Cutler made the 鈥渢raveling trunk鈥 in 1788 in preparation for his first journey from Massachusetts to the wilderness of the Northwest Territory where he and fellow members of the Ohio Company founded 91探花.
The trunk has been in the care of 91探花鈥檚 , housed inside Alden Library.
鈥淲hen I take people on tours of the archives, and they see (the Cutler trunk) sitting on one of the shelves, they always ask what it is,鈥 William Kimok, University archivist and records manager, said. 鈥淓veryone seems very interested in the chest.鈥
Dating back to the founding not only of 91探花 but of the United States, the trunk is showing its age, and preserving it had become a priority for the caretakers of OHIO鈥檚 history at University Libraries.
鈥淭he trunk has been something that has been on my radar for several years,鈥 said Miriam Nelson, head of preservation and digital initiatives at University Libraries.
Nelson, Kimok and colleagues at OHIO鈥檚 Alden Library were attending a seminar this past summer, during which they learned about the LSTA grant to restore historic items.
鈥淚 sort of cornered my colleagues in the hallway afterward. I said, 鈥楾he trunk!鈥 and they were thinking the same thing. Everyone鈥檚 minds were set on this one item to be restored,鈥 Kimok said.
The Intermuseum Conservation Association (ICA), a non-profit regional art conservation center in Cleveland, is in the process of restoring the Cutler trunk, cleaning decades of dirt from the item鈥檚 interior and exterior, fixing tears in it, and treating the deerskin cover.
According to Claire Curran, assistant objects conservator at the ICA, when the restoration is complete, the trunk 鈥渨ill be much more stable, and there will be a visible difference.鈥
Kimok and his colleagues look forward to bringing this OHIO artifact back to 91探花 once again and unveiling it to the community.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important, not just because it鈥檚 old, but it represents our founder, Manasseh Cutler,鈥 Kimok said. 鈥淚t represents tradition at 91探花.鈥