When the first Plainfield Charter Township Historical Commission was formed in the early 70s, the intention was to provide the Hyser Rivers Museum as a home for artifacts that reflected the impact of the Grand and Rogue Rivers on local history.
Over the last 50 years, the donations from the community have often ranged far beyond that original charter. Therefore, many artifacts in our collection may provide interest from lifetimes lived within different historical periods. The following displays are described from this perspective.
The displays pictured here are a partial view of the Hyser Rivers Museum's rooms and contents.
Over the last 50 years, the donations from the community have often ranged far beyond that original charter. Therefore, many artifacts in our collection may provide interest from lifetimes lived within different historical periods. The following displays are described from this perspective.
The displays pictured here are a partial view of the Hyser Rivers Museum's rooms and contents.
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The Sewing Room
We are not sure how the bedrooms were used. What we presently use as the Sewing Room was probably used as a child’s bedroom. However, the Hyser family had three sons and one daughter and wherever Mrs. Hyser kept her sewing supplies it’s likely that she was a competent seamstress when required. The paper mâché dress form is mounted on yard sticks to facilitate measuring the distance of hemlines to the floor. The Wedding Trunk pictured belonged to Eliza Lamoreaux, a gift of Mrs. Morris Lamoreaux (Francis Buth). |
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Dr. Hyser’s Lab Equipment
When Dr. Hyser started his practice, he treated patients in his home. After he became financially secure, he built a clinic in Plainfield Village. We have a small glass alcohol “spirit lamp” with cloth wick – alcohol burns without smoke -- used to sterilize hypodermic needles. We also have items issued to Civil War soldiers, including the doctor’s metal canteen and a portable chess set. Sets like these were distributed to soldiers to fend off boredom during lulls between battles. |
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Cozy 1800s Kitchen
This kitchen, with a period look and furnishings, was actually added to the Hyser house after it was moved to its current position in 1976. Some of the woodwork, the wainscoting and flooring was preserved from the old Comstock Park High School before it was demolished by Suzanne and Gordon Carpenter. Mr. Carpenter actually laid the floor and wainscoting in the kitchen addition. The kitchen would not have been part of the original house construction in 1852 - indoor kitchens were avoided as a fire hazard. A kitchen addition was added sometime later, but it wasn’t fully tied into the house and it wasn’t salvaged when the house was moved off of its original site in 1973. Hoosier cabinet holds antique spice packages and china, though the table is set with tin dishes. |
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A Quiet Moment in the Master Bedroom
The desk in the back corner was donated by Donald Hunting, the last owner of home, who deeded the property to the township. A number of items in the room are not pictured, including a steamer trunk that dates back to 1930 and was used like a portable chest of drawers before luggage totes and suitcases. This room also features lady’s clothing, featuring the impressive corset, which fit around a woman’s waist to be laced tightly with pull strings. To keep her waist small, which was a Victorian imperative, she likely started wearing a corset at a very young age (10-12). The lacing and garters was donated by Donna Briggs and worn by her mother in the early 1900s. |
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Reflection at the End of the Day in the Master Bedroom
There was no running water or electricity when Dr. Hyser’s family lived in the house. On July 24th, 1880, Grand Rapids became the first city in the country to use water power to generate electricity for lighting. Probably even for some time after, men were still shaving by candlelight with a Straight Razor. The chest of drawers with mirror is part of a bedroom set donated by the Keeling family that includes a matching bed with carved headboard. Not pictured is what is delicately known as a “Honey Pot” or commode—often a preferred alternative to a trip to the outhouse on a cold and windy night. |
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Playing Chess... the Only Relaxing War Game
These chess pieces were part of Dr. William Hyser's kit during his time in the Civil War. In between battles, the chess pieces would come out for moments when he could engage in an honorable retreat into his mind—the peaceful engagement in thought while concentrating on the game with these colorful wooden pieces. |
Memorabilia Donations Appreciated
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DONATE your relics to the Plainfield Grand Rogue Historical Society
Dr. William Hyser Slept Here! ...in what is now the Hyser Rivers Museum. Obvious, right? But where is the desk he sat at? The record books he kept? His doctor's bag and medical kit? Back in 1981, Mr. and Mrs. A. C. Klynenberg purchased a number of items in the Albert N. Hyser estate sale, which they donated to the Hyser Rivers Museum. The items were from Dr. William Hyser's actual office, and so have become cherished artifacts we know he actually used. If somehow you acquired items from the Hyser family members during estate sales or other transactions—maybe you have an old letter, a bill, an article of furniture or Civil War clothing—we would love to know about it. You don't have to donate it, but if you would, we would be deeply grateful! We think others in the community would be as well. |
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