Costume designer joins historical society volunteers

Milford — The Pike County Historical Society is proud to announce the addition of Dixie Crawford-Rich to their volunteer staff. Crawford-Rich has over 50 years of experience in the theater as a costume designer and theater manager. Her seamstress talents are endless and she has signed on with the Pike County Historical Society to head up the Museum’s vintage clothing committee. Dixie has an extensive list of productions which she has designed the costuming for, including “Dracula” at the Stonington Opera House in Maine, “Isadora” at the Gorilla Theater in Tampa and she also worked with the Boston Ballet for five years. Dixie had to give up her passion for design when her husband became ill. She is happy to spend some time at the Columns Museum, working to repair some of the gowns and detailing the histories of the collection. Mrs. Crawford-Rich comments that “the Columns’ clothing collection is fabulous, although some of it needs a lot of work that cannot realistically be completed without a great amount of funding, but we can reconstruct some elements and document any alterations in the event the clothing becomes a candidate for detailed restoration.” The first showing on her agenda will be of hats. The Columns has some interesting pieces, including “lids” that belonged to William Jennings Bryan and Queen Elizabeth. The exhibit of hats is on display in the dining room of the Columns until mid January when they will be replaced by an exhibit on Jeannie Gourlay, the woman who brought the famous Lincoln Flag to Milford. The exhibit will include her stage costumes and the famous “Stars and Stripes” gown among others. The Pike County Historical Society’s Columns Museum, located at 608 Broad Street in Milford, is open Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. For more information on programming offered at The Pike County Historical Society’s Museum visit us online at www.pikecountyhistoricalsociety.org.