Mansfield Museum
You may have never heard of it, but Mansfield, Ohio has influenced your life in one way or another. Perhaps you've seen and enjoyed scenes from Shawshank Redemption; Mansfield provided the old prison for a good portion of the film. Or perhaps you've utilized one of any number of appliances that are generations removed from the now closed Mansfield Westinghouse Appliances Division. All the treasures from this amazing community, the great Trunk Line City, are preserved in the Mansfield Museum in the old Grand Army of the Republic Building.
The fellow above is a bobcat, Lynx rufus, that was collected locally for the first incarnation of the museum back in the late 1800s. The first director and curator, Edward Wilkinson, was a naturalist and collector, but focused, rightfully, on the local natural history and biogeography. He also had a keen interest in zoomorphic displays, which explains the top photo. The third floor of the building had no fire escape and so in 1955 when legislation was altered, the museum closed to the public. In the late 1990s, the now director and curator discovered the perfectly preserved Victorian museum on the third floor and asked permission to reopen it, moving the enormous original oak cases to the second floor. He's done a fantastic job preserving this piece and updating the collections on the lower floors.
There was an extensive section on the medicinal flora of Richland County, Ohio. Here's a common Eastern US woodland species, the common mayapple, Podophyllum peltatum. The medicinal information is as follows:
Part used: Rhizome or root
Properties: Cathartic or laxative, according to dose. Somewhat apt to gripe if taken alone; one of our best remedies in chronic constipation, especially where the liver is torpid.
Dose: 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce to the pint infusion.
Found growing in woods and fields.
Interesting how people used to be advised how to help themselves with common plants. Juxtaposed with today's ubiquitous pharmacy/drug store, the situation might be laughable to residents of 1890s Mansfield.