Issue 231 Winter 2014 INSIDE Features Annual Meeting Schedule, May 28-31, 2014: There’s Much To Do in Pittsburgh! by Dana Shoaf .......................................................................4 2014 Nominating Committee Report by Tom Elliott .......................................................................4 Charles Wilson Prine, Jr., 1926-2014 ............5 Regional Meetings Coming to Illinois, Virginia, & Maryland by Denise Richer ....................................................................6 2014’s Eastfield Historic Trades Sampler by John Verrill .......................................................................6 EAIA Web Committee Update by Gary Roberts ....................................................................7 The Fort Pitt Cannon. Pittsburgh, site of the 2014 EAIA Annual Meet- Endowment Fund Annual Update by Richard Cunningham ......................................................7 ing, is a modern city with a rich historical background. Departments The President’s Page By Paul Van Pernis, President EAIA .................................2 From the Executive Director by John Verrill, Executive Director .....................................3 Short Subjects .......................................................................8 Apply Now for 2014 Research Grants • Get Your Passport Updated for the 2015 Annual Meeting in Canada! • Connect to EAIA on Facebook • Colonial Armoury Featured at M-WTCA Meet in April • Crafts of NJ Announces Spring Auction • Old Sturbridge Village Offers Crafts & Cheesemak- ing • ALHFAM Heads to Calgary • Winter Conference in Williamsburg: Arts of the Coastal South & Millinery • Win- terthur Announces Forums on Furniture & Ceramics Welcome to the New Members of the EAIA ....8 Calendar ................................................................................ 12 EAIA Past President Tom Elliott at the 2013 Eastfield Historic Trades Sampler. This year’s event is set for July 17-20. The Early American Industries Association www.EARLYAMERICANINDUSTRIES.org The President’s Page John H. Verrill, Executive Director P.O. Box 524, Hebron, MD 21830 EAIA Continues to Move Ahead in 2014 [email protected] By Paul Van Pernis, President EAIA Welcome to e-Shavings eing president of an organization like EAIA is always a lot easier We hope you like this electronic version of Shavings, with its Bwhen you’re blessed with good people doing good work for the color illustrations and easy navigation. Please note that you benefit of the members of the organization. EAIA has lots of those can click on any item in the table of contents and you will good people! John Verrill in his role as Executive Director kept EAIA be directed to the proper page. The contents of e-Shavings in the black again during the last fiscal year, so EAIA remains finan- is the same as the paper edition except that this version cially stable. All of the EAIA board members have pitched in on our has color photographs and the contact information for all membership initiative headed up by Pam Howard, and we’re begin- officers, directors, heads of activities, and members listed ning to see growth in the number of new members. Under Richard above has been removed in order to protect their privacy. Cunningham’s leadership the EAIA Endowment Fund continues to You may find that information in theAnnual Directory or contact the executive director at executivedirector@ grow and provides much needed revenue to help keep EAIA finan- EARLYAM ERICANINDUSTRIES.org. cially sound both now and in the future. Dana Shoaf and Heidi Campbell-Shoaf have put together a All members receive the paper Shavings, and all members great annual meeting for 2014 in Pittsburgh. We’ll see some great for whom we have an e-mail address will receive both editions. If you find the PDF satisfactory and are willing historic sites and enjoy some great lectures and demonstrations as to forego the paper edition, please send an e-mail to well. The dates are May 28 through May 31. The meeting brochure executivedirector@EARLYAM ERICANINDUSTRIES.org, and we will be on the website and in your mailbox in the very near future. will take your name off the mailing list for paper Shavings. Come join us for lots of fun and learning in Pittsburgh. Put “Subscribe to e-Shavings” in the subject line. You will Denise Richer has also scheduled several regional meetings continue to receive all other EAIA mailings on paper. during 2014. A listing of those upcoming meetings is included in Officers 2013-2014 this issue of Shavings. Check it out and plan on attending a meeting or two. The Eastfield Village Historic Trades Sampler is sched- President 2nd Vice President: Paul Van Pernis Denise Richer uled for July 17-20. It’s a wonderful experience spending days Ashland, WI Baldwinsville, NY and nights in this collection of historic buildings learning historic 1st Vice President Secretary: trades in hands-on classes under the tutelage of masters. & Treasurer Robert Roemer Patrick Lasswell Bolton, MA The website continues to evolve. Gary Roberts and his hard- Spring, TX working committee are using their skills to continually improve the Directors 2013-2014 website. Gary has a full report on the progress in this issue of Shav- Chris Bender Rodney Richer ings on page 7. The new site should be up and running this spring. Shoreham, NY Baldwinsville, NY Clarence Blanchard Marshall T. Scheetz I’d encourage you to visit the new site then (www.earlyamericanin- Pownal, ME Williamsburg, VA dustries.org) and see what’s new, and let Gary know what you think Richard Cunningham Dana Shoaf about the website changes. The website also needs your content; Forest, VA Burkittsville, MD photographs, articles, and interesting tidbits, and especially your Ross Gibson Roy Shoalts North East, MD Wainfleet, ON, Canada input to help EAIA reach out to anyone with an interest in early Pam Howard Bruce Van Hart American tools and trades and hopefully our association. Brasstown, NC Prince Frederick, MD I’m very grateful for all of the members of our Board of Di- David Lauer Don Wallace Churchville, PA Haddonfield, NJ rectors and standing committees. They’re working hard to make EAIA better. If you have the opportunity, take the time to thank a Committee Chairs Board member or committee member for their hard work. Annual Meeting Regional Meetings And finally, thanks to all of you who have renewed your mem- Dana Shoaf and Heidi Denise Richer bership, given gift memberships, or encouraged someone to join Campbell-Shoaf Research Grants Awards Jay Gaynor EAIA! Your continued interest in Early American Industries and Roger K. Smith and Dan Semel Web-site Committee your ongoing support of EAIA both financially and by your par- Endowment Fund Gary Roberts ticipation in the programs and activities of EAIA are what make it Richard Cunningham www.earlyamericanindustries.org Long-Range Planning Sara Holmes, webmaster all possible. Thank you! I hope you’ll take the time in 2014 to enjoy Denise Richer webmaster@E ARLYAMERICAN all the publications, programs and benefits of EAIA membership. INDUSTRIES.org Membership Pam Howard Whatsits Terry Page Nominating 6655 Soper Rd., Perry, NY 14530 Tom Elliott (585) 237-5098 Publications [email protected] Clarence Blanchard From the Executive Director by John Verrill, Executive Director Shavings appy New Year! It is always exciting to begin the year with all of its Hpromise for new and interesting experiences. For the EAIA staff, the Number 231 Winter 2014 new year means processing your membership renewals, looking for new Patty MacLeish, Editor ways to serve you, encouraging authors to contribute to the store of knowl- The Early American Industries Association preserves and edge that gets published in The Chronicle, disseminating information about presents historic trades, crafts, and tools and interprets their the Research Grants program, and working with various committees to see impact on our lives. Membership in the EAIA is open to any that the work of the association continues. person or organization sharing its interests and purposes. We are also working to get all of the information for the Annual Meeting compiled so that we can get our brochure printed and mailed For information about the EAIA or to join, please visit out to you by the end of January. Our Annual Meeting hosts this year www.EARLYAM ERICANINDUSTRIES.org. You may also contact Executive Director John Verrill, P.O. Box 524, Hebron, are Dana Shoaf and Heidi Campbell-Shoaf. He has worked diligently to MD 21830 or e-mail him at plan a meeting that is sure to please everyone with its variety of activi- [email protected] ties and opportunities for having fun. Dana has plans to introduce us to a Pittsburgh that many of us may not know existed. Although the city Shavings is the newsletter of the Early American In- is still home to lots of industry, it has also been transformed into one of dustries Association, Inc., and is published quarterly the country’s most desirable small cities with clean air, great museums, in February, April, July, and November. An electron- beautiful parks, and lots of interesting attractions. We hope you will plan ic version is available to all members who have pro- to attend. More information is located in Dana’s report elsewhere in this vided the EAIA with an e-mail address. To opt-out issue just in case you want to get a jump start and make your reservations of receiving the print version of Shavings e-mail [email protected]. early! Oh, and lest we forget, we hope you’ll begin searching your shop for The current and past issues (beginning with issue 204) of things that can be added to the silent auction. Shavings is available at www.E ARLYAMERICANINDUSTRIES.org. Regional meetings are great fun and a chance to share our common interests, but to me they are also a very important tool for helping to keep Editor: Patty MacLeish, 31 Walnut St., Newport, RI the EAIA a robust and growing association. We really do encourage all 02840; 401-846-7542; [email protected] [Include members to think about having a regional meeting at an historic site or “Shavings” in subject line.] museum in your area.