The Curatorial Files Centennial Decade Preservation and Access Project at Mystic Seaport Museum, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) 2020-2024, was an initiative aimed at preserving and making accessible at-risk primary source materials and artifacts that had been inadvertently hidden for decades within the Museum’s Curatorial accession files.
The files, dating back to 1930, house an extraordinary and significant body of material documenting the curatorial holdings of America’s largest maritime museum. The materials within these files, and the extensive collection they represent, play a crucial role in enhancing our understanding and appreciation of the American maritime experience. The project focused on the files from 1930 to 1960, a period during which professional collections management and archival staffing at the Museum were limited.
As the project progressed, a number of manuscripts but very few artifacts were discovered. However, it successfully met the IMLS grant’s goal of preserving at-risk objects and improving access to key data, much of which had been hidden within the files. This previously unrecorded information included a wealth of details about people, vessels, subjects, and institutional history, all of which are now accessible to staff through the creation of a comprehensive finding aid.
This initiative also brought to light previously overlooked individuals, subjects, and vessels, thereby expanding the scope and impact of the Museum’s collection. In addition to the finding aid, the project discoveries led to new collections management system entries, updated records, and enhanced provenance and contextual information. This work has facilitated cross-referencing and the inclusion of new details or corrections to object records.
Notable findings and stories from the files are shared on this site.
Pop-Up Exhibit in the G.W. Blunt White Library: The Snow Baby’s Mother
Charle’s Hervey Townshend’s Double Reflecting and Repeating Circle
