TABLE OF CONTENTS


Descriptive Summary

Historical Note

Collection Overview

Restrictions

Online Catalog Headings

Related Material

Administrative Information

Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1. Annual Reports, 1877-1973

Series 2. Administrative, 1836-1985

Series 3. Accessions, Catalogues, and Inventories

Series 4. Images

Guide to the Wesleyan Museum Records, 1836 - 1985


Descriptive Summary
Repository Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University
Creator Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.)
Title Wesleyan Museum Records,
Dates 1836 - 1985
Linear Feet 9.25
Archival Boxes 12
Abstract The Wesleyan Museum was created in 1871 to supplement the science curriculum at Wesleyan University. Its collections of natural history materials as well as enthnographic artifacts made it popular with students and faculty in the late 19th century. It became less important to the university as new methods of studying supplanted the museum, and it was closed in 1957.
The Wesleyan Museum Records contains annual reports, correspondence, invoices, inventories, catalogues, accession books, photos, and other materials related to the operations and collections of the museum.
Call Number 2000-27
Location For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Special Collections & Archives staff.
Language of Material Material in English

Historical Note

The Wesleyan Museum (1871-1957) was an integral part of the science curriculum at Wesleyan University. Materials collected by faculty, students, and other donors were intended to help students study the natural world. Materials collected included shells, rocks, fossils, wood specimens, mineral specimens, birds, fish, animals, insects, and dried plants. In addition, American Indian artifacts, coins, certain artworks, and a mummy also found a home in the museum. Wesleyan closely followed the 19th century "curiosity cabinet" model of natural history museums.

The Museum opened on the third and fourth floors of Judd Hall in 1871. By the end of the decade, a number of students and faculty members were using the museum's materials in their research. It later expanded into some rooms on the second floor of the building in 1886. In the late 1880s, the museum added a focus on ethnological collections, related to humans.

Towards the end of the 1890s, the institution's interest in the museum lessened, with less funding alotted. The museum moved out of the second floor of Judd Hall. New faculty preferred laboratory work to studying museum specimens, and the museum became less relevant to the curriculum. The Museum remained open but largely unused in the curriculum.

In 1938, the museum had an offical re-opening to signify renewed interest in the museum. Funds were alocated for repairs and remodeling. School groups regularly toured the museum, and were perhaps its primary visitors until the Museum closed in 1957.

When the Wesleyan Museum closed, there were thousands of specimens to disperse. Many went to the Smithsonian Institution; others were donated or put on loan to Connecticut institutions. Some of the materials were divided up among science departments at Wesleyan. Other materials were dispersed to storage locations across campus, often without a record of the transfer.

In the 1970s, some faculty took an interest in cataloging the materials within their own departments, especially archaeological and anthropological materials. The museum's mummy came to national prominence in the late 1970s when it was unwrapped and studied by Professor Stephen Dyson.

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Collection Overview

The Wesleyan Museum Records contains annual reports, correspondence, invoices, inventories, catalogues, accession books, photos, and other materials. It is organized into four series.

Series 1 contains Annual Reports of the museum. Series 2 contains Administrative materials, such as correspondence, used in the daily operations of the museum. Series 3, the largest series, is Accessions, Catalogues and Inventories. These materials reflect the museum's natural history focus, with many bird, fish, mammal and insect specimens. There are also detailed lists of shells, minerals, wood samples, coins, marbles, and even a detailed description of the museum's mummy. There are also catalogs of some of the curiosities donated to the museum by collectors or groups. Series 4 is Images, a small collection of photographs and negatives.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

No restrictions. Some of the bound albums are fragile and should be handled with care.

Copyright Notice

Copyright for Official University records is held by Wesleyan University; all other copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

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Related Material

Vertical Files, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University

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Online Catalog Headings

These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.

Museums and schools.
Anthropological museums and collections--History.
Museum exhibits--History.
Museum techniques--History.
Museums--Acquisitions.
Museums--Connecticut--Middletown--History.
Natural history museums--History.
Photographs.
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.)--Curricula.
Wesleyan University (Middletown, Conn.)--History.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Wesleyan Museum Records, Collection #2000-27, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA.

Acquisitions Information

Materials were transferred from the Geology Department in August 1984.

Processing Information

Processed by Valerie Gillispie, June 2007

Encoded by Valerie Gillispie, June 2007

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Series 1. Annual Reports, 1877-1973
The Annual Reports contain summaries of changes in administration or procedure, major acquisitions, number of visitors, and any other notable happenings. The reports from the 1970s relate to the anthropology and archaeology collections, some of which came from the original Wesleyan Museum.
In most cases, the photocopies of the 1877-1892 annual reports should be used to prevent wear and tear on the originals.
Box
1 Original reports
Complete set in book box, 1877-1892
Folder
1 Fifth and Sixth Annual Reports, including a history of the museum from its formation, 1877
Folder
2 Eighth Annual Report, 1879
Folder
3 Ninth Annual Report, 1880
Folder
4 Tenth Annual Report, 1881
Folder
5 Eleventh Annual Report, 1882
Folder
6 Twelfth Annual Report, 1883
Folder
7 Thirteenth Annual Report, 1884
Folder
8 Fourteenth Annual Report, 1885
Folder
9 Fifteenth Annual Report, 1886
Folder
10 Seventeenth Annual Report, 1888
Folder
11 Eighteenth Annual Report, 1889
Folder
12 Nineteenth Annual Report, 1890
Folder
13 Twentieth Annual Report, 1891
Folder
14 Twenty-First Annual Report, 1892
Box Folder
2 1 Annual Report, 1931
Folder
2 Annual Report, 1938
Folder
3 Annual Report, 1948
Folder
4 Annual Report, 1957
Folder
5 Annual Report, 1970-1971
Folder
6 Annual Report, February 1972
Folder
7 Annual Report, 1972-1973
Photocopies of reports
Folder
8 Fifth and Sixth Annual Reports, including a history of the museum from its formation, 1877
Folder
9 Seventh Annual Report, 1878
Folder
10 Eighth Annual Report, 1879
Folder
11 Ninth Annual Report, 1880
Folder
12 Tenth Annual Report, 1881
Folder
13 Eleventh Annual Report, 1882
Folder
14 Twelfth Annual Report, 1883
Folder
15 Thirteenth Annual Report, 1884
Folder
16 Fourteenth Annual Report, 1885
Folder
17 Fifteenth Annual Report, 1886
Folder
18 Sixteenth Annual Report, 1887
Folder
19 Seventeenth Annual Report, 1888
Folder
20 Eighteenth Annual Report, 1889
Folder
21 Nineteenth Annual Report, 1890
Folder
22 Twentieth Annual Report, 1891
Folder
23 Twenty-First Annual Report, 1892
Series 2. Administrative, 1836-1985
Administrative materials include correspondence, reports, forms, registers of visitors, and other documents used in the administration of museum operations.
Correspondence and administrative documents
Box Folder
3 1 1836-1896
Folder
2 1911-1927
Folder
3 1930-1956
Folder
4 1957-1985
Folder
5 Undated
Folder
6 Exhibit and item labels
Folder
7 Loans
Box
4 Scrapbook
This item is fragile and must be handled with care. It contains correspondence and invoices dating from 1876 to 1896.
The Archaeological Collection of the United States National Museum, in Charge of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., by Charles Rau
This volume has a hole drilled through its upper lefthand corner and a chain threaded through the hole. The book was possibly used as a reference book for the employees or visitors of the Wesleyan Museum.
Box Folder
3 8 Supply catalogs
Registers of Visitors
Box Folder
5 1 1874-1896
Folder
2 1896-1929
Folder
3 1938-1952
Series 3. Accessions, Catalogues, and Inventories
New accessions to the museum, organized by genre, were carefully recorded by hand in bound volumes or notebooks. Each accession was assigned a number.
Catalogues are inventories of particular collections, usually assembled by a single collector or small group of collectors.
Inventories are lists or descriptions of items in the museum.
These materials reflect the museum's natural history focus, with many bird, fish, mammal and insect specimens. There are also detailed lists of shells, minerals, wood samples, coins, marbles, and even a detailed description of the museum's mummy. There are also catalogs of some of the curiosities donated to the museum by collectors or groups; for example, the Missionary Lyceum, an 19th century Wesleyan student group, recorded African, Indian, and South American materials in their "Catalogue of Curiosities".
Accessions
Box Folder
6 1 Articulata: Crustacean Vermes
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-720
Book 3, no. 721-760
Folder
2 Articulata: Insects and Arachnids
Book 1, No. 1-360
Book 2, No. 361-720
Book 4, No. 1081-1440 (2 copies)
Book 5, No. 1441-1800
Book 6, No. 1801-2160
Book 7, No. 2161-2219
Folder
3 Birds
Book 2, no. 361-720
Book 3, no. 721-1080
Book 4, no. 1081-1440
Book 5, no. 1441-1770
Book 6, no. 1771-2130
Book 7, no. 2131-2422
Folder
4 Birds: nests and eggs
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-479
Discarded book 2, no. 361-
Folder
5 Botany
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-689
Book 3, no. 691-782
Folder
6 Fishes
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-720
Book 3, no. 721-1090
Box Folder
7 1 Insecta [Rhopalocera] and heterocera
Book 1, no. 1-210
Book 2, no. 211-342
Folder
2 Mammalia
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-690
Book 2, no. 361-646 (copied)
Mollusca
Box
8 Bound catalogue, no. 1-3570
Bound catalogue, no. 3571-7190
Box Folder
7 3 Book 1, no. 7191-7550
Book 1, no. 7191-7550 (copied)
No. 7191-7786, Plants no. 398-458 (copied)
Book 2, no. 7551-7854
Folder
4 Protozoa
Book 1
Folder
5 Radiata
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 1 only goes to number 280. 80 numbers not filled.
Book 2, no. 361-600
Book 3, no. 601-811
Folder
6 Reptilia and amphibia
Book 1, no. 1-360
Book 2, no. 361-720
Book 3, no. 721-783
Folder
7 Vertebrata
Book 1, Recatalogued
"These specimens have been re-catalogued in the special Catalogues of Mammals, Birds, Reptiles and Amphibia, and Fishes."
Folder
8 Loose page, unidentified
Box Folder
9 1 Deaccessions
Catalogues
Folder
2 Barratt Cabinet
Folder
3 Curiosities belonging to the Missionary Lyceum, June 1848
Made by Benjamin T. Roberts, Frank O. Blair, Ralza M. Manly, and Henry S. Noyes.
Folder
4 Cuvicarian Cabinet, March 24, 1838
Arranged by A. Bigelow, S. Martindale, Jr. and S. Fitch, Jr., Committee.
Folder
5 Frankfort Cabinet
Folder
6 Minerals, Wesleyan University
Folder
7 Minerals, Wesleyan University, May 1838
Folder
8 Minerals from Prescott Cabinets
Folder
9 Collection of woods from the Charles H. Neff collection
Woods found growing about Portland, Conn., or vicinity.
Box Folder
10 1 Local collection of Charles H. Neff
All Indian relics recorded in this book were found about Portland, Conn., and in the neighboring towns within a radius of a few miles.
Folder
2 Sea shell collection of Charles H. Neff, Portland, Conn.
Folder
3 A complete list of stuffed birds and mammals in collection of Charles H. Neff
Box Folder
11 1 Field notes of Charles H. Neff, 1874-1910
Inventory
Folder
2 Birds of Connecticut
Folder
3 Coin collections
Folder
4 Marbles
Folder
5 Mummy
Folder
6 General
Folder
7 Old artifact lists
Folder
8 Items sent to National Museum
Series 4. Images
The photographs include images from a dig in Tennessee, shrunken heads, and a person dressed in an Inuit costume, as well as images of the museum and some of its items. These appear to be from the early 20th century. There are also several photographs from the 1970s of a mortar the was uncovered in Portland, Connecticut.
The negatives include images of pottery and Brazilian, Polynesian, and Egyptian materials.
The series also contains X-rays of the Wesleyan museum mummy.
Folder
9-11 Photographs
Folder
12 Negatives
Box
12 Oversize Photographs
X-rays
The x-rays appear to be images of the museum mummy from 1978.