CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC June 17, 2020
A local writer has recently published a children’s comic book that . . .
explores the history of the Pontiac Museum.
Jennifer McCagg is a writer from the area and two years ago she worked as a summer student at the museum, located in Shawville.
“They had challenged me to come up with something to sell at the museum and I told them I was a writer and so we kind of got onto the topic of children’s books,” she explained. “I just kind of drew inspiration from the museum. I was like, wouldn’t it be neat if I could come up with something that would get kids interested in touring the museum?”
The story follows a young lad named Clayton who, along with his uncle Walt, travels through time and learns about local lore and the history of the Pontiac region.
The project took McCagg the entirety of the summer, and the story would have remained a personal keepsake if it wasn’t for local archivist Venetia Crawford.
“She just had it at home and nothing was going to happen to it, so really, I’m the push,” Crawford said with a laugh.
While Crawford did the first round of editing on the story, Historical Society President Robert Wills stepped in and did additional editing, as well as transforming the work into a comic book.
“He did a really amazing job turning it into something pretty,” Crawford said.
McCagg said that the process of revising and adding cartoons and photographs took about a year, and was pleased that the finished product was finally ready for distribution.
Both McCagg and Crawford had a booth at the Pontiac Farmers’ Market last Saturday to sell the books, but they will also be available at the museum when it re-opens to the public.
