Museum Musings with Ms Morgan

“Love the convenience of ordering items from websites or catalogs and having them delivered to your home? Thank the Montgomery Ward Company and the Sears Roebuck Company! The first issue of a catalog for mail order retail was created by the Montgomery Ward Company in 1872 in an effort to reduce costs by eliminating the need for traveling salesmen. This idea was further explored and improved upon by Richard W. Sears and Alvah C. Roebuck who worked to expand their mail-order retail business from watches and jewelry to a wide array of goods that included everything from clothing to farm equipment to musical instruments and even houses! The vast and diverse selection drove popularity and sales, allowing the company to order inventory at wholesale prices, further reducing costs for consumers – allowing for general stores in more rural areas like our general store exhibit at Crowley! The first Sears Roebuck catalog was issued in 1893 and by 1900, it was one of the most popular publications in the United States with millions of subscribers – second only to the Bible. That’s even more amazing when you consider free rural mail delivery was not introduced until 1898!”

“I’m honor of the recent holiday, we’re highlighting the flag in the Crowley collection! From November 11, 1889 to July 3, 1890, this flag would have had an accurate star count with the admittance of Washington as a state – but not a government sanctioned one. Admittance as a state did not mean a state would be immediately added to the star count for the flag. The official number of stars was adjusted the following Fourth of July. 42 stars would have been the official count – if Idaho had not been admitted just before the star count was adjusted. This means that 42- star flags typically have several varying layouts for the stars as they were manufactured by different companies or individuals without a singular agreed upon design. 42 stars isn’t the rarest flag to find – that honor goes to the 13 colonies flag – but it’s still considered somewhat rare because of its unofficial star count. The flag is currently on display in the museum so plan a visit to Crowley and see it in person!”