Ghosts welcome all to Woodland museum
By Elisabeth Sherwin/Enterprise staff writer

WOODLAND — With Halloween less than a month away, take a second look
at the Gibson House the next time you drive by.
Imagine it populated by ghosts, and try not to shiver.
Rachel Orlins Bergman, 37, the new director of the Yolo County
Historical Museum — also known as the Gibson House — said a group of
paranormal investigators came by to visit her at the museum last spring.

Bergman said they took scientific atmospheric readings plus infrared
photography. They stayed until well after dark.
Did they find any ghosts?
"Yes," said Bergman. "They claimed to have found the spirits of Mr. and
Mrs. Gibson, and two children, a boy and a girl, but they didn't know
who the children were."
Well, were they friendly ghosts?
"Yes," said Bergman. "They said it was a very benign place."

The house and grounds looked anything but ghostly last week as docents
led groups of school children here and there while other volunteers
groomed the lawn and worked in the gardens.
In 1857, W.B. Gibson bought a one-room house on the site where the
museum now stands. Gibson and his wife had three children, all boys.

Thomas, the middle son, died of typhoid when he was young. Could his
have been the spirit found by the investigators?
The 10-room brick mansion now known as the Gibson House was completed in
1875. It is the only remaining example of modified Classical
Revival-style architecture in the city, according to the museum.

Several years ago the museum purchased the modern ranch-style house just
to the west, at 508 Gibson Road, to house the administrative offices.
That's where Bergman's office is located although she also loves to walk
around the museum grounds.
"We have such great trees in this park," she said while showing visitors
around last week.
Bergman took over from Monika Stengert of Davis, who retired as the
museum director and curator in late 2005 after 20 years on the job.
Before heading the museum, Bergman was the co-executive director (with
Cath Posehn) of the Heidrick Ag History Center.

Recently, Bergman had a tough decision to make regarding the museum.
"We had to close the museum on Sundays," she said. "We have limited
resources and much of the work is done by volunteers. We have about 50
volunteers, including docents, but there are just not enough people to
keep the museum open on Sunday.

"We had to decide which day to close and we have twice as many Saturday
visitors — about 300 — as Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are open for
school groups. So we are now open to the public Monday, Tuesday and
Saturday or by appointment," she said.
One of the first tasks undertaken by Bergman: collecting museum data on
the computer and the installation of new financial systems.
"There's a lot to be done, and that's why I'm here," she said.

Bergman is a graduate of Woodland High School. She received her
undergraduate degree from Sarah Lawrence College and her master's in
museum studies at John F. Kennedy University in Orinda.
"I really want this museum to be an active participant in the
community," she added. "I want this place to come alive."

She said an Arbor Day celebration on March 11 was a wonderful,
collaborative success with the city of Woodland. The museum also was the
home for a Meals-on-Wheels fund-raiser in May and the grounds can be
rented for private parties and weddings.
The museum's fall festival is coming up Nov. 11-12. It will feature an
antique auction with a wide variety of items and prices.
"We'll have a rotating silent auction on both days," she added.

Bergman said she would like to reinstall and tweak a lot of the museum's
exhibits, which include Native American baskets, textiles and furniture
from Yolo County's pioneer history and items from Gibson family members.
The Gibsons were the only family to occupy the mansion and descendants
lived in the residence until 1963.
The museum has an annual budget of about $75,000 to which the county
contributes a small amount of cash but a lot of help with maintenance,
Bergman said. Most of the museum's money comes from its 400 memberships,
two annual fund-raisers, and grounds rental.

Bergman's father, Robert Orlins, works with the garden crew and also
helps his daughter identify artifacts. He is a retired archeologist who
worked for the state.
"I'm very happy here," Bergman said. "There's an awful lot to do, but I
have a very supportive team."

More volunteers are always needed to act as docents, to help with
reception and to take care of administrative details. Those who are
interested can learn more by calling 666-1045.