Funding Secured.

Congressman Roy Blunt has announced that additional funding has been approved for the George Washington Carver National Monument.

The $300,000 secured by Congressman Blunt for the Monument will be used to plan for expansion of the visitors' center and other improvements to the national monument dedicated to Missouri's best known botanist and inventor.

Congressman Blunt said, "Park services and facilities are inadequate for the growing number of people---60,000 last year---who come to the national monument to learn about the contributions Carver made to agricultural science and its impact on our daily lives.

In addition, the 210-acre park received more than 14,000 area school students last year."

Scott Bentley, George Washington Carver National Monument Superintendent, said, "We are very excited that the vision of the Carver Discovery Center has been embraced and supported by nation's leaders. With the endorsement and funding by Congress this year, the park will be able to begin this tremendous and most appropriate, living memorial to the life and accomplishments of George Washington Carver. The Carver Discovery Center will be a hands-on learning experience designed to inspire the minds and spirits of students and adults to reaching new levels of educational excellence in tribute to one of American greatest educators and scientists of all time.

Carver said, "The thoughtful educator realizes that a very large part of the child's education must be gotten outside the four walls designed as a classroom. He also understands that the most effective and lasting education is the one that makes the pupil handle, discuss and familiarize himself with the real things about him...."

Bently said, "This new center will serve over 50,000 visitors, 40,000 students and 1,000 educators annually on site."

The funding will be used in long term planning for replacing the makeshift auditorium and modular buildings with construction of a two-story expansion of the visitors' center.

The addition would provide a 70-seat auditorium, the Discovery Center, and a multipurpose exhibit room. New office space and a storage center for artifacts will be part of the project.

What we really need ta be considerin’ is renamin’ the Carthage Landfill. The main reason is that it really doesn’t have a name anymore. Typically it is referred to as the "old landfill." They stopped fillin’ quite a few years ago and now have dumpsters that are transported to another location that is actually a landfill.

Of course there are a number of names that could be considered. The most likely, but least appealing is The Dump.

‘Course the facility now accepts recyclable materials so a more appealin’ name would be somethin’ like the Carthage reclamation center. The fact that just junk can be disposed of doesn’t get proper billin’ with that name I suppose.

I don’t know that there is a perfect name, but I’m open to suggestions.

This is some fact, but mostly,

Just Jake Talkin’.

by

Carthage Printing

COLLECTING

By Larry Cox

Postcards

Postcard collecting has pulled ahead of stamps to become the single most popular collectible in the world. Although most cards sell for a dollar or less, knowing how to recognize the valuable exceptions can mean the difference between an interesting hobby and one that is profitable.

Postcards weren’t available in the United States until 1872. In 1901, Congress allowed an expansion of the postcard, and they quickly became one of America’s favorite ways to communicate. Most collectors consider the two decades beginning in 1900 to be the golden age of the postcard.

Some of the more valuable cards are ones designed by famous artists such as Rose O’Neill, Frances Brundage, Louis Wain, Raphael Kirchner, Ellen Clapsaddle and Harrison Fisher. Popular advertising cards include those issued by Campbell Soup, Coca Cola and Cracker Jack.

In recent years, cards made from actual photos have become quite desirable. For example, a series of 24 cards depicting the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904 sold for $75 during an online auction. Others offered in the sale included a view of Denver from 1910, $25; one promoting the Jack Johnson-Jim Jeffries boxing match, $325; and a Walt Disney set of six featuring characters from his 1939 film "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," $90.

As with most collectibles, condition, scarcity and desirability help establish value. Collectors are interested in mint and near-mint cards. Age doesn’t necessarily translate into value. Floral cards from the early 20th century are often pretty but rarely sell for more than a dollar each.

Two of the better clubs for collectors are the Bay State Postcard Club, P.O. Box 334, Lexington, MA 02173; and the Tucson Post Card Exchange Club, 820 Via Lucitas, Tucson, AZ 85718. Martin Shapiro is both an advanced collector and expert. His address is 60-C Skiff St., Suite 116, Hamden, CT 06517. An excellent publication for hobbyists is Barr’s Post Card News, 70 S. Sixth Street, Lansing, IA 52151.