In the museum at Rocky Ridge, there are two slates on display, identified as belonging to Laura and Mary. I assume this means that one of these is supposed to be The Slate from On the Banks of Plum Creek (see Chapter 21, “Nellie Oleson”). The slates are of different sizes, and one has red string lacing around its edges.
Who identified these slates as belonging to Laura and Mary, if not Laura herself? When? How do they know?
While reviewing the manuscript for On the Banks of Plum Creek, Rose wrote a letter (dated June 13, 1936) to her mother, in which she asked: “What was the slate and slate-pencil like? Just like the ones that I used to have? Red paper around the pencil, and red lacings (string) around the slate, holding the wooden frame on?”
To which Laura replied: “The slate had a brown, wood frame, morticed at the corners, made to fit, no lacings. Pencils were just the smooth round slate no, trimming.”
This exchange has always made me think that perhaps the two slates in Mansfield belonged to Laura and Rose, not Laura and Mary. And yes, I realize that the laced slate could have been Mary’s from a later date, and the unlaced slate could have been the earlier one from Plum Creek.
If you want to put red laces on your own slate, simply drill small holes through the wooden frame evenly spaced around the perimeter, and “sew” around the edges with string, yarn, ribbon, or other cording. It seems that lacing was more than mere decoration or “holding the frame in place;” it was often used to secure a narrow band of felt or leather around the slate frame. This would act as a silencer of sorts, to muffle the sound of a wooden slate against a wooden desk top.
Back when I regularly did “Little House” presentations, I used to “play school” and ask the students to get out their slates and slate pencils. I then offered them the use of one of mine, having collected enough so that none would have to share. Let me tell you that twenty or thirty slates in action does make a lot of noise!
Instead of slate pencils, which can be pricey and hard to find locally (but remember that most of the “Little House” museum bookstores carry them), I passed out soapstone pencils used for marking pipes for welding. Find them at most hardware stores. They’re thin, white, and have no paper around them, and they’re much cheaper than slate pencils. Like slate pencils, they do break when dropped, but the pieces can still be used to write with. You can also wrap and glue thin wrapping paper around them to help protect them. Best of all, soapstone pencils can be sharpened with a pencil sharpener or knife, so you can keep them pointed.
Look for actual slate boards instead of the cheaper, painted pressed wood ones. An actual slate will be the same front and back, and these, too, will break when you drop them. For pete’s sake, don’t use chalk. You can’t hold it like a pencil, and it’s just plain wrong!
