History is a cycle, like most things in the natural and man-made world. I've been the curator for the Farmington Historical Society and the Museum of Farmington History for almost a decade now and I have had a great time working in this position and advocating for the protection of the diverse collection of thousands of documents, photos,
and artifacts that span many eras and disciplines in North American
history and encompass treasures of local, regional, and national value.
My husband and I are nearing retirement and we have decided to move the next chapter of our lives to a different area. This means I won't be able to act and advocate in quite the same way for the Society or work in the museum in quite the same way. The Board has decided to allow me to work remotely for them once I'm not longer in Farmington, and continue my digitization efforts in the online museum.
As curator of the Farmington Historical Society and the Museum of Farmington History
it has always been my mission to not only preserve the stories of the
town and artifacts for
future generations to enjoy, but to make our history accessible to our
citizens for the 21st century. I've always thought it was important to
get them excited about our town’s future by
learning about our rich past, the determined people of our town, and the
many narratives woven into the art, photographs, costumes, tools, and
scientific representations in our collection.
When I started, not many people knew much about our collection, but, I think that has changed. For history to be
relevant in the 21st century, the people who want to learn about history need to
connect to it. I think one of the best ways we have to connect, is to bring history to
life by broadening exposure to it in both the physical realm and via
various forms of digital recreation. That is one of the reasons I felt
it important to develop office hours for the curator, redevelop the Farmington Historical Society website
for the social media age, and build an online museum for cataloging and
displaying our collections. The number of items you could see in the online in
the museum was limited a first, but that number has grown to about six hundred items, as
I've had time to add items
to the online collection.
I've tried to to take care of your
submissions in the most meaningful ways and protect donations to the best of my abilities. As a proud
community member, I relished hearing and recording your stories. I hope
you have found inspiration, solace, and perspective from the offerings and activities of the Farmington Historical Society and the Museum of Farmington History.
I would like to thank all all who helped me during my tenure. Having support from the community and direct aid from many local citizens has made my job much easier over the years.
I am honored to continue forward as a remote curator for the Museum of Farmington NH History. Until we are able to find a dedicated person to act as a local, on site curator, I will try to fulfill some of the obligations of that position, since I'm familiar with the responsibilities.
I would encourage you to donate items as you always have. Email communication may be slower than it has been. Currently, we audit email about once to twice per month. Research, identification, and general history inquiries during this time will be limited, so please adjust your expectations accordingly.
Thank you for a wonderful experience!
Kyle Leach, Curator
Farmington NH Historical Society
Museum of Farmington History
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