05/26/2026
Today we received a very fun new donation--a bistro table and four chairs from Clewell's Drug Store!
But what happens after an item is donated to the historical society?
Step 1: It is accessioned into the collection
Accessioning is the administrative process of officially recording, cataloging, and integrating a new item into a collection or archive. When you aren't seeing museum staff hosting public events, most of our time is spent taking care of our community's history and this all starts with the process called accessioning.
Each and every item that is donated to the historical society receives its own person accession number and record. This helps us keep track of all the items (over 120,000!!) in our possession.
Step 2: Each accession number is affixed to an object so that it can be cross referenced with paper records as needed. In these pictures, you can see museum director and curator Heather labeling the new items to match their accession number. This is a multi step process including a base layer, the number, and a top coat.
Step 3: Some items might go into storage until they're needed for an exhibit, but the Clewell's table and chairs are going straight on display beneath the Clewell's ice cream menu! Visit the museum today from 1pm-4pm to see this fun piece of history!
*This is also a good reminder that if you stick gum to the bottom of a public table, it will still be there over 50 years later!*
