Deb Spalding
A button is just a button, right? If you notice how many buttons you rely upon, you might wonder what a button would say if it could tell others about its day. Buttons, like their zipper cousins, are so often taken for granted. Yet, they steadfastly secure our clothing without a bat of their eye. In our everyday lives, it seems they only garner attention when they are not where they are needed to hitch our clothing together or embellish an outfit.
To Helen “Tip” Mackley, a life-long resident of Thurmont, a button is more than just a button. Those that are part of her late mother’s large button collection are cherished keepsakes that commemorate her mother’s beloved hobby. They are souvenirs of times gone by.
Tip displayed the Ruth Holdcraft Mackley Button Collection at the annual Thurmont and Emmitsburg Community Show in September. Many of the unique buttons in the collection have a history, a heritage, and some even have a story. Tip’s favorites are those with the best stories.
At this past Community Show, Tip shared some of the buttons’ stories. At a clothing drive that took place during World War II, her mom had sewn her name and address inside a coat she donated to the drive. The coat was purchased by a woman from Hungary. The Hungarian woman wrote to Ruth, and the two became friends. For years, they corresponded and sent buttons back and forth. There are several displays of the colorful buttons the Hungarian woman sent. If those buttons could, they would tell stories of travel and friendship.
In the battle of Iwo Jima. Tip’s uncle was a member of the Seabeas in the 5th Marine Division. One day, while the Marines were taking the air field, her uncle’s squadron was to stay below ground in a fox hole. Her uncle peeked out of the fox hole and noticed a Japanese soldier who was about to toss a hand grenade into their fox hole. Her uncle caught the grenade and threw it back at the Japanese soldier. Tip’s uncle sent her mother a button from the Japanese soldier’s coat. It was a Japanese officer’s uniform button. If that button could, it would tell stories of war and sacrifice.
Tip had another uncle in Ohio. A taylor from Austria had moved to his town and opened a taylor shop. When the taylor died, her uncle sent some of the buttons from his shop to her mother. If those buttons could, they would tell stories of serving a community in a new land.
While showing a long string of buttons, Tip called the string an Emory string. Back in earlier days, friends would exchange buttons and put them on an emory string. With a grin, Tip said, “When you reached 1,000 buttons, you were supposed to meet your husband.” If these buttons could, they would tell stories of friendship and possibly romance.
Tip’s father, Lloyd C. Mackley who passed away at age sixty in 1957, also contributed to his wife’s button collection. He was a member of several organizations. He picked up campaign buttons at different conventions he attended for work and volunteer interests. Also, Tip had another uncle in the service who was stationed in England in WWII. He became friends with some firemen over there, and they gave some buttons from their company. Some of the buttons had sayings on them. If they could, these buttons wouldn’t tell you any stories, because they speak for themselves.
Some very colorful glass buttons are part of the collection. They were made between 1870 and 1875. They were made to match material and were only made during those five years. If they could, these buttons would tell stories in patterns.
In the 1940s, one button on display was worth $28. It has a moon that was added with a different material after the button was made. This very ornate button may be valuable today. If it could, it would tell stories about its value.
The Ruth Holdcraft Mackley Button Collection consists of approximately 100 display boxes of buttons. Tip said, “Mom just loved buttons.” She subscribed to a magazine called
Just Buttons in the 1940s and 1950s. This publication can still serve as a resource for button collectors. Tip’s mother died in 1968. It is apparent that Tip enjoys sharing the stories of the buttons with others. The colorful, unique, and artistic buttons evoke “oohs and ahhs” from children, and admiration from adults. For those who express curiosity, they are entertained by Tip as she shares the buttons’ stories. Oh, the stories they tell.
