So...what's in the boxcar?
New exhibit at the West County Museum delves into the treasures in their archive
The West County Museum has a new exhibit opening this weekend. The title of the exhibit is based on what Museum Director Donna Pittman says is the most common question they get at the Museum, “So...what's in the boxcar?”
A lot, as it turns out — and its contents tell the story of Sebastopol through the artifacts and lives of the people who lived here over the years.
For this exhibit, Pittman and friends dove into the boxcar and found a fount of materials saved by Ed Trigeiro, a well-known and well-liked local realtor from the last century (he died in December 2000). Happily for the museum, Trigeiro was a bit of a pack rat and saved everything—including many articles and photos from the old Sebastopol Times.
One of the things he saved was a 100-year-old clipping from a newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota titled, “Like People, Like City.” The article began with the sentence: “I sometimes wonder if cities after all are not just like people, if they do not reflect the composite personality of the people who live, love and labor within their gates.”
That idea resonated with Pittman, who saw in Trigeiro’s life and collections the story of Sebastopol at mid-century. A section of the new exhibit is called “Ed Trigeiro’s Sebastopol.” Trigeiro’s daughter Joan will be at the opening reception for the exhibit.
Ed Trigeiro (1919-2000) was part of Sebastopol’s Portuguese community and an active member of St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church and the Holy Ghost Society, a Portuguese religious and fraternal organization. Owner of Best Feaks Realty, which he purchased in the 1940s, he was very active in the life of the town—a member of Rotary and a volunteer and booster of the Gravenstein Apple Fair, which, rumor has it, he lobbied for and saved when the city fathers were thinking of cancelling the festival.
In addition to the Trigeiro section, there are several pieces of early 20th century clothing (including military uniforms) and toys, as well as a display of the smallest physical donation the museum ever received (a gold nugget) and the largest (at the request of Pittman, we’ll let that be a surprise for visitors).
“We go into the boxcar and let it talk to us,” she said, explaining the wide variety of items in the show.
There will be an opening reception for the exhibit on Saturday, Jan. 6, from 11 to 2 pm at the West County Museum, 261 S Main St., Sebastopol.