This spring, Meadow Brook welcomed the Stoney Creek Questers #203 back for another valuable volunteer project – polishing and caring for some of the estate’s prized silver pieces.
An international organization designed to help preserve and restore historic buildings, sites, and artifacts, the local Questers chapter is a familiar fixture at Meadow Brook. The group has been focused on restoring the beauty of Meadow Brook’s vast collections through grants and volunteering since 2009.
Last year, the group drove the restoration of two significant artifacts – the Ballroom Chandelier Tassels and pieces of Historic Chinese Porcelain.
So far, the Questers have contributed 25 volunteer hours to the silver project.
The Questers and Meadow Brook’s curator, Madelyn Chrapla polished five historic silver pieces from the Meadow Brook collection. They took over the Dining Room with their slurry of calcium carbonate to polish the pieces – from serving trays to candlesticks.
Volunteers returned to prepare the polished silver for a protective layer of conservation-grade wax – which will help ward off tarnish and better protect the collection pieces when they are on display to the public. The process involved more polishing of the fine detail areas and cleaning the pieces thoroughly of all leftover polish residue and candle wax. Chrapla and a trained student intern from Wayne State University helped finish the project.
The Questers aren’t done yet! This is one of many volunteer and preservation projects from the Stoney Creek Questers #203. Coming up, the Questers will document Meadow Brook’s collection of spare glass light shades.
Additionally, the Questors have secured a Michigan State Questers Grant to conserve Meadow Brook’s historic and monumental portrait of Frances Dodge by renowned painter George Ford Morris.
From fixing damaged furniture to painting conservation to repairing historic dolls, the Questers have donated nearly 2,000 volunteer hours in recent years.
For more information about the Questers, click here.
