Godfather keyring

Object/Artifact

-

Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society

Name/Title

Godfather keyring

Entry/Object ID

2024.04.42

Description

Molded plastic replica of the horse token from the Godfather board game with a piece of rusted metal from the Chase Manufacturing site in Douglas embedded inside.

Context

On July 30, 2024 artist Kate Levy presented a Tuesday Talk about the environmental legacy of the Chase Manufacturing site and linked it to the history of the Gulf+Western corporation, that had its origins in Grand Rapids. According the Levy, the key ring is intended to be a "reverse rabbit's foot" — a reinterpretation of the traditional good luck token — that will inspire the community to not forget what happened on the Chase site.

Collection

Buildings: Lost, Nature, ecology, the landscape, Industry and manufacturing

Cataloged By

Winthers, Sally

Acquisition

Accession

2024.04

Acquisition Method

Found in Collection

Notes

Levy gave the amulets to audience members of her July 30, 2024 Tuesday Talk at the SD History Center.

Made/Created

Artist

Levy, Kate 1984-

Dimensions

Dimension Description

length of chain 1.25: key ring diameter 1"

Height

3/4 in

Diameter

1-1/2 in

Location

Box

199 Keys, Fobs & Keyrings

* Untyped Location

Sec 6E Shelf S3

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Haworth site/Haworth Plant/Chase Manufacturing

General Notes

Note

Promotional email about the Tuesday Talk: Join us for this week's Tuesday Talk and a trip from Douglas to Hollywood! Many people remember 200 Blue Star Highway in Douglas as the site of the former Haworth factory. But fewer people recall that a plating company named Chase Manufacturing operated there. In 1965, a large multinational conglomerate, Gulf + Western Industries purchased the plant. Paramount Pictures, the Hollywood studio, was also acquired by multinational conglomerate Gulf and Western in the late 1960s. In the mid-1980s, local and state officials discovered contamination in the city’s municipal wells, and toxic waste behind the elementary school. Ultimately, the state traced the contamination back to Gulf + Western’s operation in Douglas, though seldom is their name mentioned when discussing this still-contaminated site. For this Tuesday talk, Kate Levy, Artist in Residence at GVSU, will present a historical and poetic lecture about what she has learned about this site through historical research and conversations with various people in the community. The talk will also bring out the connections between the local plant, the history of filmmaking, and environmental history. This week's Tuesday Talk is sponsored by SDHC members Tim Farmer and Tom Slater Thank you for your support!

Create Date

July 31, 2024

Update Date

September 27, 2024