The Massachusetts Archaeological Society seeks support from the Community Preservation Committee for “Preserving Middleborough’s Archaeological Collections at the Robbins Museum,” an undertaking that will help ensure the long-term preservation of the historically significant archaeological and cultural collections held at the Robbins Museum of Archaeology in Middleborough.
The goal of the project is to install—for the first time—a climate control HVAC system on the first floor of the Robbins Museum. This 19th century building, once a part of Middleborough’s local manufacturing industry, is now the headquarters and repository for the Massachusetts Archaeological Society (“MAS” or “Mass Archaeology”). As a statewide nonprofit founded in 1939, Mass Archaeology has stewarded important artifacts, ethnographic objects, rare books, maps, and manuscripts, and irreplaceable archival documentation on the Commonwealth’s singular archaeological and cultural materials. These number more than 150,000 items and trace the history of Massachusetts going back more than 12,000 years. In 1991, the Society moved its collections from the Branson Museum in Attleborough to its permanent home at 17 Jackson Street, where important records and artifacts associated with Middleborough’s earliest inhabitants, the ancestors of the modern Wampanoag Nation, are curated. The Robbins Museum building has never had a centralized climate control system, and therefore, has never been able to achieve the optimal temperature or humidity levels for the long-term preservation of the perishable artifacts and records (bone, wood, feather, shell, paper, etc.). An oil-fueled heating system with blower units installed in the 1940s or 1950s maintains average room temperature during the fall and winter months. But at present, there are only three small air conditioning window units (under 10,000 BTU each) in the front office and ethnographic gallery area of the Museum. These are under-sized and inefficient even for a limited area, and indeed not appropriate for a first-floor expanse of nearly 14,000 square feet. The remaining five rooms on the first floor—the bulk of the gallery, meeting, and record-keeping spaces—are not air conditioned. This is wholly inadequate to the task of slowing the degradation of organic materials, preventing the growth of mold, or deterring insect activity in response to fluctuations in temperature and humidity inside the building. Furthermore, this means that our visitors are subjected to the same uncomfortable room conditions that our collections are with each season.
The MAS has obtained quotes from reputable regional vendors for the installation of energy- efficient, ductless, multi-zone heat pumps and wall-mounted indoor fan units (mini-splits). These are the basis for the project budget noted above. The benefit to the community for this project would be immediate and two-fold. First, the objects that tell the unique story of Middleborough’s ancient past will be appropriately housed and better preserved for future generations of students, families, and visitors to our town. Second, the local community and new tourism visitors to Middleborough will gain a more usable, year-round space for participating in the calendar of cultural activities, events, and programs hosted by the MAS.
The project is eligible for CPA funding as an Historic Preservation undertaking designed for a Preservation purpose. As a founding member of the Commonwealth’s State Review Board of the Massachusetts Historical Commission, the collections at the Robbins Museum—several of them from significant archaeological sites listed on the State and National Registers—document key moments of technological adaptation, cultural resilience, and human innovation in this shared past. The project fits within the 2021-2025 Community Preservation Plan by aligning with community goals for education about the value of historic resources, for tourism by helping to create a welcoming destination for visitors, and for preservation of assets that reflect the rural, historic, and residential character of Middleborough. The “Preserving Middleborough’s Archaeological Collections at the Robbins Museum” project is an essential step in ensuring that the objects and histories that touch the lives of residents and visitors continue to be stewarded. As a previous CPA grant recipient, Mass Archaeology welcomes the opportunity to partner with the Town of Middleborough on another important effort to preserve this distinctive past. The Board of Trustees thanks the CPA Committee for its consideration of this Step One application.