Benton County's Griffins

 These two objects from the Benton County Historical Museums collection are depictions of griffins.

 These mythological beasts had the body, back legs, and tail of a lion and the head, wings, and talons of an eagle. They were regarded as especially powerful as the lion was considered the king of beasts and the eagle viewed as the king of birds.  In many old legends, they guarded treasures.

These cast-metal griffins once stood guard atop the door to the vault in the County Clerk's office in the Benton County Courthouse. It was installed when the courthouse was built in 1888. The photograph  below shows the vault door with griffins on the far wall, behind County Clerk Victor Moses, circa 1900.

The “treasure” the griffins guarded included deeds and other vital records, plus evidence to be used in court cases. 

The griffins were not some fanciful addition, but were part of the vault as shown in catalog page below, reprinted in the 100^th anniversary booklet about the courthouse, The Flight of Time.

 

The griffins were removed during the building renovations done in the 1950s.  Local resident Agnes Flint Eckman purchased them at that time and used them as patio ornaments before donating them to the museum.

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon

Spice Boxes: Featured Artifacts

The “Consumer Culture” exhibition at the Benton County Historical Society's Philomath Museum contains a number of photographs that show how goods were sold before the development of our consumer culture. Unbranded items were measured out of larger store containers for sale to individuals.  Spices were no exception.  Because spices were expensive, households needed a way to keep them safe and avoid loss of freshness.  Some wealthy families had special, furniture-like cabinets with drawers for individual spices. More modest households used spice boxes like this bentwood box from the museum's collection.

Bentwood spice boxes

The larger box contains 7 small containers, labeled for individual spices: cloves, mustard, allspice, ginger, cinnamon, mace, and nutmeg. A slightly larger canister for pepper fit in the center.   Mary Jane Golden reportedly received this spice box as a wedding present and used it to carry spices to Oregon by wagon train.

Some spice boxes were made of metal. Both date from the 1850-1870 period.

19th C. metal spice boxes

I found it interesting that similar spices boxes are used in India where they are a common item in a brides' trousseau.

 By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon 

Shakujo

The object in the photograph below is one of many items from Japan in the Benton County Historical Society's collection. It was a gift from the donor's sister who served as principal of a girls' school in Kobe, Japan from 1882 to 1892. 

The object is the top part (finial) of a shakujo or Buddhist staff. Adding this metal piece to the top of a bamboo, wood, or metal walking stick served several purposes. As the monk walked, the rings jangled, scaring off snakes and small animals. Bandits were also a threat and the heavy brass finial with its pointed tip served as a weapon of defense.

In addition, monks who had taken a vow of silence could use the noise of the rings to alert homeowners of their arrival. If after three shakes, no one answered, the monk could shake five times and then seven.  Then, if there was still no answer, the monk had to leave.

The shakujo eventually served a more ceremonial role. Itinerant monks were required to carry a begging bowl and a shakujo as a means of identification. In monasteries, the shakujo serves as a symbol of the abbot's authority and is used to keep time during chanting.

Not all shakujos are the same but they have many features in common. The central shaft often contains the shape of a stupa (a place for storing sacred relics) and is surrounded by a circle (although sometimes two, or four loops) or trefoil. There can be 4,6,8,or 12 rings, evenly divided.  Six rings, the most common number, symbolize the six perfections that lead to nirvana:  generosity, morality, patience, vigor, concentration, and wisdom. 

By Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath, Oregon