| Attached to the gavel is a tassel & tag which reads, Made of wood from the Estate known as Terra Rubra(red earth), the birth place of Francis Scott Key. In design, it is the exact replica of the gavel used in the convening of The First Continental Congress in 1774. |
|
Not long after I was presented th[s gavel I became curious of its
origin and how I was selected to be a recipient. I contacted Kiwanis International who
advised me they knew nothing about the gavel I described. They suggested it might have
been a project by one of the clubs in the northeast. I sent out a good many emails before
I received a response, but finally did. A Kiwanian in up-state Maryland said he heard about
a club that took on a bicentennial project. One of their club members who owned acreage
that was once part of the Terra Rubra Estate, told his club he had harvested a couple of
walnut trees that yielded a small quantity of boards. He would donate these for a club
project. There were a few member woodworkers who were interested in helping with a project.
Visits were made to Philadelphia museums looking for ideas. A couple of them were woodturners that saw a small gavel on display and believed there would be enough walnut to make a small quantity of replicas. On learning of its place in history, they requested and were given permission to make sketches, accurate measurements and photos of this unique gavel . It was my understanding that their project yielded about 17 gavels. Remember, this is all hearsay passed along by others. |
|
The remaining puzzle in my mind. How was the distribution of this
small quantity of replica gavels determined. Our Smithfield Kiwanis Club did participate
in a joint project with a Philadelphia area club. We sent two high school students to
Philadelphia who would be hosted by Kiwanis families. These families arranged day trips to
museums and places of historical interest during bi-centennial events. As president of the
club I arranged for the selection of the students, transportation and coverage of expenses.
Also, one of our club members had served on the board of Kiwanis International for several years. Or did I meet someone the year before during the Kiwanis convention that was involved in our club being included in the distribution? Total mystery to me. Before leaving Smithfield, I gifted the replica gavel to the Johnston County Heritage Center as an award presented to the local Kiwanis Club during the bi-centinial celebration in 1976. |