Preserving the Artifacts of Chester County Historical Society

FAIN: PG-51277-11

Chester County Historical Society (West Chester, PA 19380-2658)
Andrea Kent Cakars (Project Director: May 2010 to January 2012)

The purchase and installation of storage furniture to preserve the artifacts of Chester County Historical Society, which documents the history of one of the nation's earliest settlements. Among the museum's 8,000 objects are a 1732 desk and bookcase, scientific equipment from the 19th century, a Quaker textile collection, blacksmithing tools, agricultural equipment, and paintings by regional artists including Andrew Wyeth, Horace Pippin, Benjamin West, and Bass Otis. Founded in 1893, the society has been recognized by the National Park Service as a member of its National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom for its artifacts related to abolitionism and slavery.

The Chester County Historical Society requests a Preservation Assistance Grant for the purchase and installation of shelving for collections storage. The shelving in the plan would be Spacesaver 4-post and Wide Span Archival Quality Shelving with a Powder Coat Paint Finish. The shelving will be used in a newly created storage room which was formerly a staff lunchroom and Education Department classroom. Due to the move of the lunchroom and classroom to another part of the building and the loss of an off-site storage space, this room has become available for collections storage. The purchase and installation of shelving will make the room a safe and efficient location for the storage of collections. The room is secure and climate controlled. The creation of this storage area will address the concerns raised in CCHS's most recent Preservation Plan. The proposed layout was developed in consultation with Tony Lofton, a storage equipment vendor with Diversified Storage Solutions, Inc.