I had a most interesting day down in Independence yesterday, seat of Inyo County, California, first having had a Grand Jury interview at the County Jail, then heading over clear across town [about 4-5 blocks] to the Eastern California Museum for an appointment with the Curator to review my substantial archival collections of ephemera and photos of the Carson & Colorado / Southern Pacific narrow gauge and Virginia & Truckee Railroads, along with other associated materials.
Blew the poor girls socks right off!
Other than their having the Baldwin Locomotive #18 (SPng) restored and operable, my collections are vastly more extensive with materials of far greater significance and mostly at a far higher level of preservation than most anything that they have or have ever seen.
Gratifying to say the least.
Of course, it was concerning the ultimate disposition of these materials that I arrange the meeting for a day when the museum is closed and without distraction, just to see how interested they might be in housing such a collection. Not really something that would display well for the average visitor, but of inestimable value to the historical researcher. I plan to campaign the materials to a few other potential future homes, and depending on their levels of enthusiasm and plans for making use of them, I should make my final selection of where some or all of it should eventually go. Of course, selling it all off as a whole collection, or individually piece by piece, is always an option that would at least ensure that some or several individuals would get enjoyment out of some of it, just as I do now, while also possibly maximizing my returns. But that is most certainly not my intent, as money is not the point really, which you can't spend when you're dead anyway, while historical preservation and maximum access is actually the main concerns.
Needless to say, it was a good day!
Choose facilities carefully Daniel, sounds like an irreplaceable cache of material, I would love to see it wherever it ends up.😊
I really like your thoughts re historical preservation and maximum access.
Gil
Choose facilities carefully Daniel, sounds like an irreplaceable cache of material, I would love to see it wherever it ends up.😊
I am being circumspect in my potential choices, as I know all too well that some less formal museums tend to sell stuff off after donation. But many museums' charters prohibit such activities, and that is mainly where my focus lies. Current short list includes the Nevada State Museum and the Nevada State Railroad Museum, both in the Capitol of Carson City, as well as the fabulous California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the Bancroft Library held at U.C. Berkeley, and the Huntington Library in So. Cal. Beyond that I suppose contacting the Smithsonian Institution might be worth consideration.
Best chance for you to see the collection in this lifetime would be to come and visit me, as I'd be delighted to share it with you any time! Past my lifetime, I cannot speak to what access might possibly be available wherever it ends up.
There is quite a bit of material to wade through as I have four large binders (12x12) bulging as well as another half a dozen regular sized binders (8.5x11) quite full with a couple of them bulging as well. Then there is a lesser amount of physical material hidden away in corners here and there such as spike head pry bars and a broken old king-pin from link-n-pin couplers, journal box covers, a few large brass locomotive builders' plates, the frame for a duck-under tell-tale and other such iron artifacts, none of which were shown to the curator the other day ..... and more.
Dear Daniel
I have a pair of skates from my great great grandfather as well as confirmation from a town on the lake that my great great grandfather skated across the lake 200 years ago. In our museum they had an exhibit about the rare events such as the lake freezing over. I gave it to the museum for loan - but found that it was never shown in the exhibit. Then after 10 years I asked for it back - it took them a week to find it. We all have smaller or larger collections and really have to think about what to do with them - it's really not about the money but about preserving the beautiful and rare objects.
If the board of directors or the statutes or the purpose of a museum changes - then it can also happen that entire collections are sold, that must not be forgotten either. There are no guarantees during and after life,
Arnold