History comes to life for preschoolers at Bushwhacker Museum

Friday, November 18, 2005
Terry Ramsey, Director of the Bushwhacker Museum and Jail applies homemade war paint, also called bluff paint, on Bronaugh preschooler, Paige Wait. The preschool class toured the museum on Wednesday.

By Afton Bugg

Nevada Daily Mail

The Bronaugh preschoolers visited the Bushwhacker Museum and Jail, in Nevada on Wednesday morning to learn about the history of Indians, war soldiers and how people lived more than a century or two ago.

The Bushwhacker Museum is introducing more children's exhibits then they have ever had in the past. School groups come to explore many museum pieces.

Once a year, the museum also has all Vernon County fourth graders visit to learn about history. They have chosen nine work stations that meet fourth grade standard criteria. Some museum teachings actually go into material children will be tested on in the class room.

The museum also provides programs on advanced history classes at the high school level. The student are able to interview historians and write an article about them. This teaches them a part of local history they may not otherwise have known about. The museum offers exhibits for all ages to enjoy.

The Bronaugh preschoolers had the opportunity to visit both the museum and the Bushwhacker Jail. Terry Ramsey, Director of the Bushwhacker Museum and Jail, tries to target all groups into the appropriate age setting. On this visit, Ramsey focused on the simpler exhibits the two buildings had to offer.

The most eye catching stop for the preschoolers was when they were shown an Indian statue. This Osage Indian dancer belonged with the Porkuoine group and was more than 200 years old. The eagle feather he wore on his Roach placed on his forehead indicated he was a warrior.

Ramsey also had the children interact with older pieces of history by feeling them. Several items were available to look at, feel, and ask questions about included hammers, gardening hoes, fossils, deer antlers, flint, stones, and tobacco pipes. Homemade Indian war paint was available for the children to wear. Most Indians were tall, up to seven feet; and most white men where short. The average white man was five feet, six inches tall. War paint, translated from Indian language, means bluff paint. Most of the time, it was simple enough for Indians to scare the common white man, by only wearing war paint, traditional clothing, and "bluffing" them with their height.

Ramsey told the children the story of Michael Airheart and his horse, Confederate Jim. He was a Mexican Soul Pony and a strong horse. He lived to be 30 years old and was found to have suffered a total of 16 gunshot wounds to his body that had occured during his years spent protecting Airheart in the Mexican war.

Ramsey also taught the kids about local people from the past, like John Younger. He was the youngest of the outlaw brothers killed in a gunfight with Pinkerton Agents in 1874, near Roscoe, Mo., located 35 miles east of Nevada.

Another person whose life Ramsey highlight for the preschoolers is James A. "Dick" Liddil, who was a gang member who came to Nevada in 1876 and lived with his father, James M. Liddil, at 403 S. Main Street.

Ramsey said that in November 1877, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Vernon County Circuit Court for stealing a horse. He was released after only two years and served as the state's star witness against Frank James in the trial at Gallatin, Mo., in 1883. Frank James also lived in Nevada after the war at 520 South Cedar Street. This home is still standing.

Next, the kids visited the Bushwhacker Jail. There they learned about the history of the jail. The County Court voted to build the jail in 1857, and it was first used in August 1860. The structure was not fully completed until after the war had started.

The county ordered a new roof, and a floor was laid in the upper room. It was assumed the building was damaged in the burning of the town. The original layout of the jail consisted of a square, two-story structure building made of stone, bricks, and logs, with access to the lower room though a trapdoor in the floor of the upper level. The final form was established in 1871 with a T-shaped front wing added to the floor plan. The jail was used for exactly a century -- until December 1960. It was reopened in June 1965 as the Bushwhacker Museum.

The front wing served as living quarters for the sheriff and his family. One of the stair wells in the living quarters lead to the seldom used women's jail. At one time the sheriff's daughter used the room as her bedroom. They also used the room to board visitors passing though Nevada.

Remodeling of the jail for safe touring and installation of heating and cooling cost more than $30,000. These funds were obtained though donations and contributions from the community.

The Bushwhacker Museum has several new exhibits, with a lot of them directed toward children. One of the newer exhibits relates to the Hornback House. The eye doctor room was a favorite room for the children because children tend to like "out-of-the-ordinary" things.

Another story included in the museum's history is about an American soldier who shipped a German gun to the United States in pieces. The reason for shipping it this way was to disguise what he was shipping. The soldier was told never to touch a German gun due to the possibility of its being booby-trapped. Ramsey told the preschoolers that children who grew up during World War II had the opportunity to collect stamps for the soldiers. The children of that era placed the stamps onto a poster and shipped them to the soldiers who them redeemed then for items such as toothbrushes, handkerchiefs, and other necessities.

In addition to offering these and more current exhibits, the Bushwhacker Museum is currently remodeling the building to adding more exhibits, of interest to children and adults of all ages. A new Norman store front leading into a part of the museum is planned and will include displays such as the Lewis and Clark exhibit, a medical doctor station and a hands-on railroad demonstration. Other hands-on demonstrations will include an agricultural barn-like room with life-like cowhide to feel. Also planned are windows to look though to see photos of farms in the Vernon County area. Ramsey researches specific item history when she is informed of a family member, who is connected to this item, will be visiting.

None of the remodeling and upkeep of the museum could be possible without donations from the community, Ramsey noted Ongoing contributions are needed to ensure further progress. For more information, Bushwhacker Museum contact Terry Ramsey at (417) 667-9602.

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