The collection includes letters, diaries, manuscripts, maps, books, journals, paintings, textiles (such as clothing, quilts, costumes, and beaded purses), artifacts (such as clocks, spittoons, buttermolds, and trade signs), photographs, photographic slides, glass plate and film negatives, agricultural items (such as ox muzzles), decorative and fine arts, sound tapes, archeological and ethnographic artifacts, furnishings, and other items that date from the mid-1700’s to the present time. Many items in the collection are rare, unique, irreplaceable, and of considerable historical significance. Examples of items in the collection are:
An original 1776 letter from George Washington and Israel Putnam requesting the release of the Congregational Church minister from his duties so he could serve in the Revolutionary War
Native American photographs from the late 1800’s-early 1900’s, and artifacts (e.g., a pestle found in Samuel McClellan house and a basket).
Original pre-colonial maps
Town records from the 1700 and 1800’s