Memory is a delicate thing. Throughout history people have been keenly aware of how short it is. They have invented methods of remembering and reminding others of the deeds and accomplishments of their forebearers. Monuments, pyramids, statues, paintings, poems, written records, have been created in an attempt to remind the future of what was accomplished in the past.
Yet, for all its attempts to be remembered, the past is soon forgotten. Most of the greatest people and some of the greatest ideas have already been wiped from the public mind. Some of this history is preserved by a handful of archivists, historians, and others who believe we have something to learn from the past.
Our world is littered with statues of men and women whose deeds are long forgotten. Look in the parks and on the grounds of public buildings. Faces are preserved but the history of deeds accomplished are forgotten or at best have become a blur.
One such artifact is located on the second floor of the Madison County Courthouse [in Edwardsville, Illinois, a bedroom community near St. Louis, MO]. Hanging on the wall inside the courtroom of Circuit Judge Edward C. Ferguson is a 1922 painting which painstakingly reminds us of the Edwardsville which existed following the Great War. C.A.R. Benedict created an aerial view of the town which details every road, every building, every open space as it existed.
Many of those buildings are still recognizable. Others are replaced. The Bohm Building is there but the Schwartz Building is not. Purcell Street is there but the new County Administration Building is not. Hotz Lumber Company is there but the Superlot is not.
Time erodes even this memory. There is already a piece of the canvas which has been torn away. Cracks are forming as hands touch and heads bounce against the painted surface. The canvas bows away from the top of its frame. This unprotected artifact, this time capsule, this memory is being destroyed by a public which is unaware of its value.
The time has come to immediately restore and protect this remarkable work. C.A.R. Benedict's painting should be temporarily removed from the courthouse, expertly restored, covered with plexiglass (or other suitable material) and put back on public view.
The Madison County Historical Society, having been made aware of the condition of the painting is now moving quickly to save this time capsule before further damage is done. Yet this is only one of the many local treasures that have been ignored for too long. They can't wait and neither should we.
Lee A. Presser
