Footnote #5
Fairfield Museum staff wanted to highlight the
burning of Fairfield during the Revolutionary War in this exhibit, but faced
the challenge that there are a limited number of possible objects to
include. This dented silver cann indicates the wealth of the community.
However, it was also included because it has an interesting story behind it.
According to the donor, the dent was created when the object was thrown down a
well to hide their valuables during the British attack on Fairfield.
A common issue museums face is only having access to a limited number of objects to use. If a museum does not own an object, it must borrow or buy it. As one of the staff members said: “sometimes it really just comes down to what we have in the collection.” In addition, some objects can provide more information about what life was like in the past, based on the stories associated with them.
A common issue museums face is only having access to a limited number of objects to use. If a museum does not own an object, it must borrow or buy it. As one of the staff members said: “sometimes it really just comes down to what we have in the collection.” In addition, some objects can provide more information about what life was like in the past, based on the stories associated with them.