An Update On The Maranda Project
The Find
I found a $1.99 friendship album at a thrift store, inscribed with the name Maranda Stewart. Friendship albums were a 19th-century tradition, friends and family would pass a book around, each contributing a page of verse, a message, or a drawing. The entries ran from 1860, when she was seventeen, through 1885, starting right as the Civil War began, a period when families were pulled apart and life changed fast.
For more details on the story, here is where it begins.
The Page That Started All of This
There's a signature page on the album in which names and hometowns are arranged in a beautiful geometric pattern. That was a real trend at the time, not something unique to her. But this page is what inspired me to begin this project.
That page is essentially a map of Maranda's life, every name on it is someone who touched her life in some way. And I wanted to add to it.
So I asked everyone who had been following along on YouTube to send me their name and where they’re from just like her friends did in 1860. Almost 200 people did, from all over the world. Malaysia, South Africa, New Zealand, Mexico and the list goes on.
I arranged them in a similar fashion to what Maranda did. I also wrote Maranda a letter explaining why a bunch of strangers from the future cared enough about her story to be a part of it.
To commemorate this project, I made some special buttons and tote bags. The print with the tulip was inspired by the title page of the album. The other print is inspired by the friendship album itself. For those interested in going to the Waterford event, it would be an easy way for me to find you!
Where the Album is Headed
The signatures sent in by our community, and my letter to Maranda, are going to accompany the original album as an addendum. This fall, I'm bringing the album home to Waterford, Virginia. The Waterford Foundation has agreed to take it into their archive, and I’ve been invited to speak about The Maranda Project at their annual fair the first weekend in October.
The Waterford Fair is a commemoration of Waterford’s heritage, artisans and historians as it is a highly preserved historic village.
Being a part of the preservation of history and connecting with my community around Maranda’s Album has truly been a privilege. I believe social media has a unique ability to positively gather people who share similar interests and who find meaning in these things.
There's a lot more to this research process I share in my Maranda Project livestream. If you want the full story, including how Jenny cracked the case (and the mystery behind who Maranda Stewart was), visit my Youtube Channel. And, if you're anywhere near Waterford in October, come find me! I'll be wearing one of my Maranda buttons.