Sycamore History Museum Reaches Major Milestone

Many people enjoy going to museums, but few actually know what goes on behind the scenes. While it might not be glamorous (it can actually be quite dirty), taking care of the collection is the heart of most history museums. The Sycamore History Museum has recently achieved an important milestone. Every item in their three-dimensional artifact collection – a total of over 3,000 artifacts are now photographed.

The Sycamore History Museum’s collection includes jewelry, pictures and textiles in four rooms on the second floor of the museum. Each item has an accession number, a location, a complete description, classifications and an identifying photograph. This project has taken the better part of a year to accomplish and is now complete. The objects are as small as a piece of petrified wood donated by Ann Rosenfeld’s granddaughter, and the largest item being a desk from the DeKalb County Courthouse used by County Clerk Joiner. The textiles include a wide range of items including two wedding dresses, a collection of hundred eighty six handkerchiefs and military uniforms from two world wars. Committed to sharing Sycamore’s history with as many people as possible, you can see many of these important artifacts on the Museum’s website.

Collection volunteer Susan Dowden explained, “Speaking for myself, this project has been hard work, but I have loved every minute of it. I learned a lot and appreciate the fact so many individuals from Sycamore have been interested and willing to donate a large cross section of Sycamore’s history.”

The image is one of the more unique items in our collection. It is a kerosene iron. Glad I did not have to use that in my house!

This project would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of the Museum’s volunteers. This is a very exciting achievement. Having the collection completely photographed is very unusual for an organization the Sycamore History Museum’s size. Way to go SHM!