Tag Archives: Stuart Heritage Museum

Serge Nekrassoff Shared His Skills with the Hutchinsons

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In the early 1960s Jim and Joan Hutchinson lived among the Seminole Indians on the Brighton Reservation near Lake Okeechobee.

Jim and Joan Hutchinson built a home in Golden Gate not far from the Nekrassoff home on Willoughby Creek. As kindred artists they became friends and Serge taught both Jim and Joan the basics of copper enameling.

Jim Hutchinson gained fame as a fine artist and was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame.

https://dos.fl.gov/cultural/programs/florida-artists-hall-of-fame/james-f-hutchinson//

Joan and Jim built their rustic home on Delmar Street in Golden Gate in stages.

I think I first heard about Joan and Jim from “Babe” Hudson, the mother of my brother-in-law, Dale Hudson. Mrs. Hudson was very worried about the “starving artists” who had been living on the Seminole Reservation at Brighton and now had a baby boy.

After Serge Nekrassoff taught Joan enameling skills, and allowed her to use his kiln,  she began taking commissions to paint people’s homes on copper trays. Mrs. Hudson became a patron, commissioning Joan’s pieces for gifts for friends and relatives. Two of Joan’s trays have remained in our family. One is of the Thurlow home on Riverside Drive and one was of Dale and Mary Hudson’s home Krueger Parkway.

Joan Hutchinson painted the home of Jane and Tom Thurlow . The house, though much modified, still stands on Riverside Drive at the end of Hibiscus Avenue.
This was Mary and Dales first home on Krueger Parkway. It has been demolished. Dale Hudson’s mother, Mrs. Dennis S. Hudson, Sr., commissioned the enameled tray .

I was able to photograph examples of Joan Hutchinson’s enameling but I did not know where I could find an example of Jim’s.

As is often the case, serendipity rules my life. Right after I visited Mary and Dale Hudson to photograph Joan’s enameled pieces, I drove to Florida Classics Library in Hobe Sound to buy books. When I stood at the counter to pay for my books, I glanced down and saw a copper enameled dish. It was Jim’s work! Val Martin, who founded Florida Classics Library was a close friend of the Hutchinsons. Jim had given the dish to Val Martin when his book store was across from Memorial Park in Stuart.

There is one other local person who learned copper enameling under Serge Nekrassoff, Jane Morrison, the granddaughter of George W. Parks who founded the merchandise store that is now Stuart Heritage Museum. Even though Jane lived all over the world after her marriage to Ray Fentriss, her experience with Serge Nekrassoff was mentioned in her obituary. The obituary, published in The Stuart News on August 24, 2017 stated “She also assisted and trained in copper enamel art under Serge Nekrassoff.”

Jane Morrison Fentriss stands in the Washington Square Gallery in New York City where a Nekrassoff exhibit was featured.

Today, an Internet search of “Serge Necrassoff” bring up many things. There are items for sale on eBay. My interest is primarily his copper enameling but the pewter pieces that cannot be replicated today are of interest to collectors and authorities on metalcraft.

https://www.kellscraft.com/Nekrassoff/nekrassoff.html

Serge Nekrassoff’s son, Boris and his wife, Lois, presented a program for Stuart Heritage Inc. in April 2000.. To complete this blog I am featuring the Nekrassoff display that is there for all to see at the Stuart Heritage Museum, located in the commercial building constructed for Jane Fentriss’ grandfather, George Washington Parks, in 1901.

https://www.stuartheritagemuseum.com

Mosquito switches of note

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This authentic pioneer mosquito switch appears on page 24 of Sewall’s Point The History of a Peninsular Community on Florida’s Treasure Coast published in 1992. It was barrowed from Garnett Rushing Early to be photographed.

Towns in southeast Florida could not grow because of pesky mosquitoes. Talking about and demonstrating the use of mosquito switches is an effective way of sharing regional history.

When Garnett Early was selling her antiques in 1992 I purchased the same mosquito switch I had photographed for my Sewall’s Point book. The mosquito switch had hung by the door in Garnett’s grandmother, ‘s house on Detroit Street in Stuart near the Martin County Courthouse for as long as Garnett could remember. It has been made by her grandmother’s husband, Fred Kummer. Since Garnett was 69 at time, the mosquito switch was many years old.

The girl with the bow is Garnett’s mother, Clara White. Her grandmother, who later became Elizabeth Kummer, stands in the middle. This photograph was obtained from a glass negative supplied by Stephen Dutcher who was Garnett’s realtor when her house was sold.

http://Historical Society of Martin County

Garnett’s mosquito was donated to the Elliott Museum on Hutchinson Island.

This photograph shows the interior of the Capt. Henry Sewall House in Indian RiverSide Park. One of my replica mosquito switches has been hanging by the door since I gave history talks on Wednesdays. Bruce and Barbara Osborn have been hosting visitors on certain Wednesdays since I “retired.”.

Pioneers not only walked around swinging mosquito switches, switches were hung outside doors so the pests could be swished off as a person quickly entered a screen door and closed it. After photographing the mosquito switch in the Capt. Henry Sewall House I went to the Stuart Heritage Museum on Flagler Avenue in Historic Downtown Stuart to photograph their mosquito switches.

The mosquito switches hanging the the Stuart Heritage Museum are both authentic pioneer examples and replicas made by members of Stuart Heritage in the 1990s.

Lauri Bradfield was President of Stuart Heritage, Inc. in 1992. She became an enthusiastic supporter of using mosquito switches to tell about pioneer days. She learned to make them and even made tiny switches to sell for Christmas tree ornaments.http://Stuart Heritage Museum

Celebrating Martin County’s Centennial in Many Ways

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I must be forgiven for worrying about Martin County’s 100th Birthday being properly celebrated.  Initially, I thought my blog would be the best way for me to share our county’s history.

Then, Gregory Enns said his Indian River Magazine would publish a special Martin Centennial edition and asked me to join Donna and Rick Crary as a writer. My ability to access historical photos was more than helpful.

Michelle Moore-Burney, Indian River Magazine’s design editor, created a charming collage of historic photographs for the centennial cover. The magazine is available at no cost at the Stuart Heritage Museum while they last.

Shortly after the Indian River Magazine came out in January, Stuart Heritage had a change in plans and asked me to present a program on February 11th. It provides a perfect opportunity to share a PowerPoint presentation “Celebrating Martin County’s Centennial.”

The program will take place in the Flagler Building, 201 SW Flagler Ave. at 7:00 pm, February 11, 2025.
Stuart Heritage has this notice on Facebook. http://Stuart Heritage on Facebook

Yesterday, David Yankwitt, of Indian River State College, asked me to give a centennial presentation at the Chastain Campus for his history students and the public at large.  It is tentatively scheduled of March 7th at 11 o’clock in the Susan Johnson room in Clare and Gladys Wolf Center.

Additionally, Martin Digital History is going strong. Georgen Charnes is doing a wonderful job. She has “Martin County is turning 100 years old!” on her publicizing bookmarks. 

Georgen Charnes selects photos of interest for bookmarks. I shared this one long ago when Robert Crowder ran for Congress. http://Martin Digital History

Robert Crowder, an officer in the Stuart Junior Conservation Club, and Robert Routa, also an officer, release Green Turtles nurtured at Gilbert’s Bar House of Refuge in Ross Witham’s sea turtle “Head Start” program in October of 1961.  

I looked in my “Sheriffs File” and thought his image illustrates the historical importance of Robert Crowder.

With all the activity launching and selling my daughter, Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch’s and my Pictorial History of Palm City, and preparing for presentations, I have let my blogging lapse.

Now I must be forgiven for promoting the ways I am helping to celebrate Martin County’s 100 years!