"Turning Over A New Leaf"

Hello, reader! I am thrilled to report that my meeting with Ms. Boykin went exceptionally well. Upon arrival at the Museum of the Apopkans, I made my way to the library where I was greeted by the Historian, Modesto. I took my seat next to Ms. Boykin, who informed me that the Gladden Collection binders were in her car. We carried the three binders back inside, leaving me to anticipate the treasures found within these three, seemingly unassuming files. Back in the museum, I perused their contents whilst Ms. Boykin related their multitude of sentimental tales to me. 

The plastic sleeves inside contained receipts, letters, advertisements, inventory lists, and more that I could barely scratch the surface of during the time I was at the Museum of the Apopkans. One of my most cherished finds within the first binder was a heartfelt love letter addressed to Mr. Michael Gladden Jr. from his first wife, Edith “Aileen” Means. Michael Gladden Jr. and Aileen were married on September 13, 1926- five years before this letter was penned on May 13, 1931. Aileen wrote a two-page note to Mr. Gladden from Montgomery Alabama, which survived into Ms. Boykin’s collection alongside its original envelope!

The letter expresses a longing from Aileen for Mr. Gladden to return, as well as fears for his safety while on a business trip to an unknown locale. The 1920s and 1930s were marked by a period of revolting racial violence, exacerbated by the Great Depression and the Great Migration through the forms of lynchings, race riots, and other acts of intimidation and terrorization. These heinous acts directed at minorities, especially Southern Black communities, were supported and encouraged by the second revival of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1920s, as well as the endurance of Jim Crow laws enforced by the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896). 

On the second page, Aileen indicated to Mr. Gladden that she “shall be home every night, waiting for you [Mr. Gladden]” and wanted to discuss their future together. After reading this document in full, Ms. Boykin informed me that Aileen ended up leaving Mr. Gladden for greater pursuits than the potentially confining, small-town nature of Apopka. What a twist of fate!

I spoke with Ms. Boykin for over four hours, even staying after closing just to converse and witness her passion for this project’s preservation. Ms. Boykin left the binders in the museum library for me to access at any time. After assessing the binders and their contents, I determined that my best course of action to tackle this project would be to begin sorting the Gladden and non-Gladden-related objects into groups. Afterward, I will scan the Gladden objects first and continue with the non-Gladden objects subsequently. My next steps after that are to contact Jessie, as Dr. French suggested, to borrow one of UCF’s portable scanners. Tomorrow, I plan to visit the museum to arrange a schedule to begin working on this captivating collection. Catch you later, reader!