Somerville Museum Historic Collection
The Somerville Historical Society collection began in 1897. The Museum’s Federal Revival building was constructed in the 1920’s to house the growing collection of the Somerville Historical Society. In the 1980’s, with a changing demographic and the need to expand the mission of the Society, a handful of committed individuals raised the funds to fully renovate and restore the building. The result was the newly consecrated Somerville Museum, which officially reopened in 1988.
Even with the rebranding of the Somerville Museum, the historic collection continues to be an integral aspect of the mission. The collection consists of historical structures, properties, and objects. The objects include, but are not limited to: paintings, works of art on paper, metalwork, woodwork, ceramics, glass, and other decorative or fine arts; military and veteran-related objects, coins, paper currency, and medals; photographs, film, slides, and negatives; costumes, accessories and textiles; maps and architectural drawings; books, periodicals, and other printed or handwritten archival materials and manuscripts; digital objects such as oral histories, digital images, and video. The collection is given the highest degree of care, documentation, and accountability that the Somerville Museum can reasonably provide.
The collection is maintained by the Collection Care Committee. Due to a limitation of space, not all donations will be accepted into the collection. If you are interested in donating to the collection please complete the form below.
Link to the Collection Care Policy
Donating to the Somerville Museum’s Historic Collection
Interested in donating to the Historic Collection? Please note that all donations are contingent upon approval based on space and relevance to the collection.