I’ve been hoping to write this particular blog post for a couple of weeks now—but I couldn’t until the display was finally up. And now I’m pleased (and yes, a little relieved) to announce that our newest South Gallery exhibit is complete!

The exhibit—Faith Documented—features a beautiful and moving collection of baptism, confirmation, and marriage certificates, dating from 1864 to 1941. Where we were able to trace family connections, we grouped those certificates together with family trees to help visitors follow the relationships. I’m sure we missed a few connections, but even if you don’t find a familiar name, these documents are worth seeing simply for their artistry.

What amazes me is how some of these certificates are identical in design—same artwork, same typeface—but one is in vivid color while another is only black and white. The contrast is striking.

This display has been a long time in the making. It all started when I discovered a plastic tub in the museum basement labeled: “Baptism, Confirmation & Marriage Certificates: Box 1 of ?” It was filled to the brim with mostly rolled-up certificates. (I wish I had taken a picture of it at that point, but here’s what it looked like with some recently found additions.)

Most of the documents had been tightly rolled for decades, making them extremely difficult to work with. So, I went digging for advice on how to flatten them—and discovered the wonders of a simple homemade humidification chamber.

Using a plastic tub, a cooling rack, plastic nacho trays, and a bit of water, we created a setup that allowed the paper to gently relax and uncurl. After a few hours, the certificates were ready to be pressed between sheets of watercolor paper and weighted down. Before long, they could be laid flat without immediately curling back up.

Once the certificates were flat, the next challenge was how to display them safely. I knew they needed to be covered to prevent further deterioration, but lamination wasn’t ideal—too permanent, too risky for archival materials, and too expensive.

That led me to discover encapsulation, a method used in preservation work that allows documents to be enclosed in plastic film using double-sided tape. Nothing sticks to the paper itself, and the certificate is protected without being altered. It was the perfect solution.

As you can see, the humidification process didn’t do a perfect job of uncurling the paper, but a little bit of weight held it in place while placing the plastic.

Thankfully, not all of the certificates needed such extensive treatment. A few were already encapsulated, some were stored flat, and others were found framed on different basement shelves.

Faith Documented will be on display in the South Gallery through the end of August. Don’t miss your chance to see this collection of beautifully preserved and deeply personal pieces of history.

And if you’re thinking, “Oh shoot, I didn’t get to see the 1925 Tri-State Tornado display!”—don’t worry. Thanks to the creativity of Tim Roth, parts of that exhibit has found a new home as a more permanent installation.

Hope to see you soon!