ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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Here is a short list of the ones I can think of sitting here letting
my Memorial Day BBQ digest:
The Baltimore Museum of Industry (Printing presses, machine tools,
oyster canning equipment, treadle sewing machines and cutters, and has
a Kids Oyster Cannery that incorporates actual printing presses and
tin smith equipment in a role playing activity for kids canning
oysters and a similar role playing activity on the garment industry,
though I am uncertain how much are artifacts versus recreations. Also
ask about their 1906 Steam tug that still works once in awhile when it
can pass Coast guard inspections)
The National Museum of American History (Printing presses, precision
machine tools, steam engines and had treadle sewing machines in their
Hands On History Room)
The Baltimore Public Works Museum
Chesapeake Maritime Museum
Baltimore Maritime Museum
Historic Electronics Museum of Maryland
The American Precision Museum in Windsor Vermont
Boott Cotton Mills and the Tsongas Science Center in Massachusetts
The Hagley Museum and Eleuthurian Mills
The Crayola Factory in Easton PA has a few pieces off their factory
floor they demonstrate in fact corporate or factory museums would be a
great place to start. Since they are not historic agencies per se,
their ethics and standards are likely different.
Railroad Museums would be your best bet including, but not limited to
the B&O Railroad Museum, the California State Railroad Museum,
Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA, Altoona Railroad
Museum and Railroader's Memorial, etc etc
In fact, I doubt you can find many Industrial or Railroad Museums that
don't operate and/or demonstrate technological artifacts to some
extent. You should contact the Association of Railroad Museums. During
my brief stint at the B&O Railroad Museum the accepted wisdom was
that ARM was formed out of frustration at AAM over the issue of
whether historic artifacts should be operated or not. The relevant
committee of AAM held that artifacts should not be operated because it
shortens their life span. Railroad museums held that NOT operating
certain machines led to atrophy and deterioration. I am not a
conservator so I cannot speak to that, nor can I speak to the truth of
the "Accepted Wisdom" on this, but the curators and conservators told
the story often. It is worth looking into.
You should also look into aviation, maritime, automobile, and
electronics museums. There are hundreds and most of them. I haven't
worked with them so I don't know if there are relevant museum
associations, but they do talk, and my sense is they all operate or
demonstrate artifacts.
One issue that will need to be dealt with, if it hasn't already, is
that many times the artifacts on display at a museum do not always
belong to the museum, so are they artifacts? For example, automobile
museums often have car shows or parades or what not that invite
enthusiasts to show off their hobbies Railroad museums do the same
with model railroaders and some of them are historic. The National
Museum of American History has ham radio operators and telegraph key
demonstrations, but most of the equipment belongs to the volunteers.
Not technically a museum artifact, but the visitor does not
necessarily know that. Same with the Stanley Steamer Museums. There
are lots of enthusiasts who bring their own cars to demonstrate.
Anyway that's all I can think of right now. You should post your
request on other mailing lists related to the specific museum type and
associated academic field (peruse H-Net's list of lists) and/or
Museum-L.
Good luck,
Matthew White
Graduate Student
Department of History
University of Florida
[log in to unmask]
http://web.mac.com/mattadolphus
On May 26, 2008, at 5:33 PM, Sue Allen wrote:
> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology
> Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Hi all,
>
> Do you know any museums that have technological artifacts
> (especially cars / planes etc) that they display in working order,
> or even let visitors use? A colleague is doing an international
> study on the issues around this, from the maintenance angle as well
> as the visitor experience side.
>
> Thanks for any pointers to museums or people....
> Sue
>
> Sue Allen, Ph.D.
> Director of Visitor Research & Evaluation
> Exploratorium
> 3601 Lyon St
> San Francisco, CA 94123
> Phone: 415-353-0471
> Fax: 415-561-0370
> Email: [log in to unmask]
>
>
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>
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