By Monica Groth, Curator
The job of a Museum Curator is to safely handle, document, and house an institution’s object collection and design exhibits through which those objects can educate and inspire visitors. I am extremely excited to be joining the dedicated staff at the Chemung County Historical Society as I fulfill this role and I write now to introduce myself to you all!
I come to Chemung County from Aurora, New York, a small
village in Cayuga County where I spent my summers finding shards of pottery,
rusty nails, and fossils in the lake, gorges, and cemetery by my home. Many
years ago, while thinking myself a true archaeologist and with treasures in
hand, I visited my local Historical Society at a young age to proudly present
my finds. This is when I discovered the purpose and promise of Historical
Societies and Museums: to preserve the history of our lives and our
homes—the everyday and the unique things that make us who we are and our county
what it is to us.
One of my main tasks here at the Museum has been processing
new donations whilst exploring the Museum collections. In doing this work I’ve
discovered that much of the collection was donated by people very like the younger me. A 16-pound Civil War cannonball donated by Thomas Mallow was found
by his father, Glenn Mallow Jr., while digging a WWII victory garden on the
site of the Prison Camp. An Eagle Bottling Works Bottle, donated by Elaine
Harrington, actually dates to the 1880’s and bears a newspaper clipping
suggesting it was unearthed by a curious boy in the town of Chemung.
The donors to our Museum have given many fascinating objects
that memorialize the lived experiences of themselves, their families, and their
homes. Anne Beattie donated the clothes her parents wore on their wedding in
1939. Larry Bowman donated a collection of gifts received from Horsehead’s
sister-city, Bato-Machi, Japan by the 1993 delegation. Betty Clauss donated her
husband’s 1960-1964 US Air Force Uniform.
All these donations and more help the Historical Society
fulfill its mission, and those donated in 2021 will be on display in the “New
to the Vault” exhibit this summer!
I love working as a curator because it allows me to get up
close with these historical artifacts and the stories surrounding them. Before
working here in Chemung County, I studied at the Mystic Seaport Museum, Connecticut
and the National Museum of Bermuda. Some of the coolest maritime objects I
studied at these Museums include a whaling harpoon-gun, used on the island of
Bermuda; a 200-yr-old figurehead, once mounted on the bow of a ship; and a
barometer which used shark liver oil to predict the weather!
I am looking forward to the many interesting objects and
stories I’ll be showcasing here at the Chemung Valley History Museum. Visitors
are always welcome and I’m eager to meet the community whose stories I’m now
privileged to know. Keep exploring. And if you are willing to donate, come on
down to the History Museum and add to the amazing collection!