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No restrictions. Some of the bound albums are fragile and should be handled with care. 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. [Identification of item], Wesleyan Museum Records, Collection #2000-27, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, USA. Materials were transferred from the Geology Department in August 1984. Processed by Valerie Gillispie, June 2007 Encoded by Valerie Gillispie, June 2007 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 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. 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. These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs. Vertical Files, Special Collections & Archives, Wesleyan University 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. Administrative materials include correspondence, reports, forms, registers of visitors, and other documents used in the administration of museum operations. This item is fragile and must be handled with care. It contains correspondence and invoices dating from 1876 to 1896. 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. 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
Wesleyan University
Middletown, CT, USA
Book 1 only goes to number 280. 80 numbers not filled.
Made by Benjamin T. Roberts, Frank O. Blair, Ralza M. Manly, and Henry S. Noyes.
Arranged by A. Bigelow, S. Martindale, Jr. and S. Fitch, Jr., Committee.
Woods found growing about Portland, Conn., or vicinity.
All Indian relics recorded in this book were found about Portland, Conn., and in the neighboring towns within a radius of a few miles.
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.
The x-rays appear to be images of the museum mummy from 1978.