Wednesday, August 26, 2020 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon C O M M U N I T 3 Y Whispers from the past... Library will turn page to Is history slipping through our fingers? next reopening phase PHOTO BY JIM CORNELIUS The Sisters Historical Museum is housed in the freshly-painted white house with black trim located at 410 E. Cascade Ave. By Sue Stafford Correspondent Time was 4 and not that many years ago 4 that everyone in Sisters knew everyone else. Many of them were related by birth and/or marriage, making early fam- ily trees sometimes difficult to follow. Many shared com- mon first names like George, Sarah, and John, providing more confusion. One of the goals of the Three Sisters Historical Society and the new Sisters History Museum, is to bring those relationships off the paper and to life through stories, photos, family heir- looms, and everyday items that have been saved and handed down through the generations. Surveying those treasures provides a window into the life and times of early Sisters. Some of those treasures may have been misplaced or forgotten over the years, making for a delightful sur- prise when they are re-dis- covered. One board member of the Three Sisters Historical Society, Jan Hodgers, has a wonderful story of how an old family trunk full of let- ters, photos, receipts, and IOUs was discovered in the former Stevens Hospital in Prineville as they prepared to tear it down. The Stevens Hospital was started by Sarah Cobb Stevens, whose husband George was a judge in Prineville. Sarah9s mother, M a r t h a Ta y l o r C o b b Hindman (Hodgers9 great great grandmother), gave the trunk to Sarah for safe keeping and with time it was forgotten. A woman at the hospi- tal knew Hodgers9 mother, a descendant of the Cobbs, and made sure she received the trunk full of family his- tory. She passed it on to Hodgers who is generously sharing the contents with the museum. What makes it so special is that four of See HISTORY on page 23 The next chapter in Deschutes Public Library9s phased reopening will pro- vide the public with increased access to library buildings. S t a r t i n g T u e s d a y, September 1, Sisters Library will be open for more gen- eral use, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Sundays, Mondays.