In 1914, Lilas Gorsuch was on vacation with her parents at a Native American reservation in Michigan. While there, her father bought her two sketches which she kept for many years. She donated them to the Mercer County Historical Society in 1989. Though that may seem simple enough, that is where our mystery begins.

Our volunteers are in the process of preparing an inventory of all the items in the museum’s procession. This procedure, called accessioning, follows strict standards which require each item to be documented in its entirety. Every artifact is measured to the nearest millimeter and has every color present on it recorded for identification later. Furthermore, the artifact’s known history is recorded so that it can be protected for future generations. Finally, every artifact is given an identifying number so that this information can be connected to it when it is on display.

It was during this accessioning process that the volunteer recording one of the sketches removed the backing and discovered something quite special: a picture of a young unidentified woman!

When Lilas returned from her family vacation, the sketch was framed by a local photographer, F. Yacmett, of St. Marys, Ohio. When he framed the sketch, the photographer used a cardboard picture of a woman to give the sketch some support. Why did he use this photo of the young woman? Was it a rejected photo he still had in the shop, a photo that was never picked up? Do you have any idea why?

If you are interested in learning how to accession (we would love to train you!), or if you recognize the young woman in this photo, we would love to hear from you at the museum. Our email is mercercountyhistorical@gmail.com. The Riley House museum is located at 130 E. Market St. in Celina, Ohio. We are open Monday and Friday 9-5 and admission is free.