Name/Title
CarvingDescription
Partially fired clay has been carved to depict a book open on a stand; there are designs carved on each side of the stand; the open pages of the book have been engraved with flowers, trees and ribbons; the pages have been painted to show the inscriptions more clearly. Inscribed on surface is: PRESENTED TO /W.I. PATTERSON/BY/B.F. MASON/H. BALLARD ENG./ Also: STONE FROM/GAS EXPLOSION/NEAR ST. PAUL AUGUST 11, 1890.
W.I. Patterson worked for S.B. Morris Department Store on Public Square
B.F. Mason was from St. Paul, known for making fences. First name may have been Ben
Exhibit label created 2019. Stored in box. It reads, "This partially fire clay carving to commemorate the gas explosion that took place on Flat Rock River in August of 1890. (This sentence needs to be rewritten and a new card printed.) Written on the piece is "PRESENTED TO W.I. PATTERSON BY B.F. MASON/H.BALLARD ENG. STONE FROM GAS EXPLOSION NEAR ST. PAUL AUGUST 11, 1890."
According to a writer for The Journal of Geology who investigated the explosion a couple days after it occured, "On the eleventh day of August 1890, a natural gas explosion of much violence occured near Waldron, in Shelby County, IN. The ground was disturbed, and fractures, crevices, and craters were formed over an area of several acres."Collection
Found In CollectionAcquisition
Accession
1982.009Acquisition Method
Found in CollectionMade/Created
Date made
1890Place
Neighborhood
WaldronTownship
Liberty TownshipCounty
Shelby CountyState/Province
IndianaCountry
United States of AmericaContinent
North AmericaNotes
Early Date: 1890Create Date
October 15, 2000Update Date
April 4, 2024