The Main Street Museum is an eclectic display space for
material culture
Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...
and a civic organization in
White River Junction, Vermont
White River Junction is an unincorporated village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Hartford in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,528 at the 2020 census, up from 2,286 in 2010, making it the largest co ...
.
The museum's present form and activities resemble the 18th and 19th century "
cabinet of curiosities
Cabinets of curiosities ( and ), also known as wonder-rooms ( ), were encyclopedic collections of objects whose categorical boundaries were, in Renaissance Europe, yet to be defined. Although more rudimentary collections had preceded them, t ...
" and point to an interest in the historic roots of
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
s and
museology
Museology (also called museum studies or museum science) is the study of museums. It explores the history of museums and their role in society, as well as the activities they engage in, including curating, preservation, public programming, and ed ...
. However, the Museum also focuses on new technology, notably cataloging its collections and conducting online activity through its
Wiki
A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...
''(see below).''
Overview
The Main Street Museum was founded in 1992 by David Fairbanks Ford in an area of White River Junction known as the Old South End.
The museum's collections of
material culture
Material culture is culture manifested by the Artifact (archaeology), physical objects and architecture of a society. The term is primarily used in archaeology and anthropology, but is also of interest to sociology, geography and history. The fie ...
are seemingly unfocused, although this might be the intent of the museum's highly decentralized administration. Categories include: Flora; Fauna; significant objects from around the world; evidence of
tramps; Round Things; Tangled Things; journals; extraneous bits of local history;
sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed Book, books or Pamphlet, pamphlets ...
;
postcard
A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare.
In some places, one can send a postcard f ...
collections;
electromagnetism
In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge via electromagnetic fields. The electromagnetic force is one of the four fundamental forces of nature. It is the dominant force in the interacti ...
devices; relics from the head injury of
Phineas Gage
Phineas P. Gage (18231860) was an American railroad construction foreman remembered for his improbable survival of an accident in which a large iron rod was driven completely through his head, destroying much of his brain's left frontal lobe, ...
;
Elvis impersonators
An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and rock singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the worl ...
; live music; taxidermy and biological anomalies (dehydrated cats). It simultaneously pays homage to the eighteenth century Wünderkammern and a focal point of new technology through its website. The Main Street Museum believes itself to have been the first museum in the world with a (functioning) blog, initiated in September 2005.
Described by the ''Washington Post'' as "quirky and avant-garde", a heterodox assortment of the local public, scholars, musicians, artists, historians, scientists, drunks and all other types of people have been drawn to the museum's unusual demonstrations, lectures and entertainments.
Currently located at White River Junction's former fire station on Bridge Street, next to the railroad underpass on the banks of the White River, the museum has been acknowledged as an integral part of White River Junction's downtown revitalization and the
new urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement that promotes environmentally friendly habits by creating Walkability, walkable neighbourhoods containing a wide range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has ...
of the region. The museum has been host to prominent,
freighthopping
Freighthopping or trainhopping is the act of boarding and riding a freightcar without permission. This activity itself is often considered to be illegal, although this varies by geography. It may be associated with other illegal activities such ...
musicians and tramps since 1999. Current publication projects of the Museum include a Seminole War era journal and Dictionary of Seminole, or Muskogean Creek, words, from Florida, 1839 through 1842.
“The Main Street Museum forces one to contemplate the nature of museums and curating. Why do we save what we save? How do we decide what to discard, what to display, what to hide away, and what to destroy.”
— Joe Citro, ''Weird New England'', New York, 2006
The Catawiki
A catalog of the museum, as well as other pages describing the museum's collections and civic activities, was formatted and presented with
Wiki
A wiki ( ) is a form of hypertext publication on the internet which is collaboratively edited and managed by its audience directly through a web browser. A typical wiki contains multiple pages that can either be edited by the public or l ...
software in the year 2008. Museum goals include cataloging every item in their collections in this ongoing project.
The Catawiki
The Main Street Museum, USA.
Publications
*''What is It? We Have It! You Want to See It!'', Description of the organization. White River Junction, 2008.
*''Description of the Collections'', with pl., White River Junction, 2007.
*''The Arts; All Of Them, In White River Junction, Vermont'', Hartford, 2000.
*“There Ought To Be A Plaque,” article on Main Street Museum Building and White River Jct. history, ''Out In The Mountains'', Burlington, VT, February, 1998.
*''The Mangelsdorf Tripartite Theory of Corn Genetics'', Published by the Museum, with pls. Hartford, Vermont, 1998.
*''Pickled Eggs In Tar, An Intermittently Sulfurous Specimen'', fl;189;66;em, “Number 001 in the Series...Prepared Under the Auspices Of The First Branch Memorial,” Hartford Village, 1998.
*"The Diary of Sabrina Hoisington,” ''Vermont Genealogy'', vol. 1, no. 2 April 1996. (Separately published as a booklet, with pls, 1997.)
*''Big Fish and Good Looking Women'' (exhibit catalogue for the photos of Jack Rowell), Main Street Museum, White River Jct., 1996.
References
Bibliography
*Steve Zind, Feature on Main Street Museum, Vermont Public Radio, September, 2007.
*Joe Citro, ''Weird New England'', Barnes and Noble, 2006.
*Jody Tilman, “Main Street Museum to Move Into Old White River Fire Station,” ''Valley News'', 28 July 2003, p. a-1.
*Jeffrey Rouff, (independent film) “A Day in the Life” documentary themed on one day in the life of White River Jct. and the Main Street Museum, 2003.
*William Craig, “The Ivory Tower and Tunnel Town,” ''Valley News'', 12 June 2003, p. c-1.
*Joe Citro and Diane E. Foulds, ''Curious New England, The Unconventional Traveler’s Guide to Eccentric Destinations'', University Press of New England. 2003.
*James Bissland, “Watch Your Head,” ''Long River Winding'', Berkshire House, Lee, 2003, 223- 227.
*Jody Tilman, “House of Quirks in Search of Home,” ''Valley News'', Jan. 1, 2003, p. a-1.
*Mark Bushnell, “Life in the Past Lane” (feature) “An offbeat museum in Hartford sows confusion and fun,” ''Vermont Sunday Magazine'', (Rutland/Barre) 14 July 2002, pp. 6, 13.
*Pamela Polston, “Collect Calls,” ''Seven Days'', Burlington, VT, 23 May 2001, cover and pp. 8a-12a.
*Olivia Gentile, “David Fairbanks Ford; A Fan of Cyber-Space Creativity, He Believes That Art Is In The Eye Of The Beholder.” ''Rutland Daily Herald'', “In Person,” Rutland, VT, 3 November 2000, p. 9.
*————, “Artists’ Warehouse Thrives,” ''Rutland Daily Herald'', 26 March 1998, p. 15.
*James Bandler, “Exiles on Main Street,” ''Boston Globe'', Oct. 1997, also pub. Rutland Sunday Herald, with pls.
*John Greg, “No Cover Up,” ''Rutland Herald'', 12 Oct., 1995, pp. 8–9, with pl.
*“Elvis Art in a Jar,” ''The Burlington Free Press'', Burlington, VT, Wednesday, August 3, 1994, d-1.
*Yvonne Daley, “The King Is Alive In Vt. Elvis Wannabes Love Him Tender At White River Jct. Art Show,” ''The Sunday Rutland Herald and Sunday Times Argus'', August 28, 1994, pp. 1, 6, with pl. p. 6, and; ''The Boston Globe'', Sunday, 28 Aug., 1994, p. c-2.
*William Craig, “A Do-It-Yourself Art Museum,” ''The Valley News'', Thursday, 27 May 1993, p. 29, with pl.
External links
Main Street Museum official website
Main Street Museum Wiki
Appraisal of both the Main Street Museum and White River Junction
''The Boston Globe
''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Main Street Museum
Museums established in 1992
Museums in Windsor County, Vermont
White River Junction, Vermont
History museums in Vermont
Art museums and galleries in Vermont
Buildings and structures in Hartford, Vermont
1992 establishments in Vermont