Where to donate NYC stuff?

Hi all,

In a box of owners manual manuals I picked up at a car swap meet (of all places) was a really old small manila folder with retirement documents from someone who worked on the NYC. He started out at age 13! (in 1903) working on the D&H as a section hand and then worked at Selkirk in the Motive Power department.

Some neat stuff including his NYC employee card from 1921. He retired at age 70.

What would be the best place to donate this stuff to? Preferable a place that keeps tracks of paperwork from the railroad.

Warren

I would suggest contacting the New York Central System Historical Society. http://nycshs.blogspot.com/

And if they aren't interested, the Madison County Historical Society in Anderson IN will take it. Let me know if you wish to send it to us.

This is an important, but difficult, question to consider, partly because of the expanse (and diversity) of the NYCS, and partly because of the fact there are no facilities or museums today that have the scale, location, and/or resources to qualify as the "pre-eminent" NYCS museum. This is in stark contrast to the situation of some friends with valuable PRR materials: at least they have the RR Museum of PA (PHMC) to consider!

The question of where to donate may better be approached, in my view, by the nature of the "stuff" being considered for donation.

For example, most "paper" has limited value and an identifiable relation to a particular region or community. Local museums and organizations are a "good fit", where they are willing to display the materials and tell the "NYCS story". Other paper, relating to the System or Corporate history, may hold greater value because of rarity and/or importance. As has been mentioned above, these items may be appropriate to donate to NYCSHS (as an example), or another important organization with a collection of some "broader scale" - and the willingness (read: the financial means) to care for, display, or otherwise make the gift available for viewing or research.

Similarly, other non-paper materials need to be screened in the context of rarity, value and relevance to the collection of the prospective recipient organization.

In the late 1950's, NYC donated a significant number of artifacts, including papers, hardware, and original calendars (including artist "studies") to the Albany (NY) Institute of History and Art. They (AIHA) have since added a few things to their NYCS collection and have - in my opinion - done a good job in providing for the care and display of these materials, and in the process, telling the good story of the NYCS. It has been several years since I have visited the AIHA, so would be interested in hearing the views of others who may have visited AIHA more recently...

I'm pleased to see this important topic has been opened for discussion.

Thanks for the replies.

Who with the NYCSHS would I contact?

I think the most important point to consider here is what does the museum or group have for facilities to display such items and will they use it to display these items? More than one so called historical and technical association has no facilities, no nothing to display anything and sometimes the valuable items end up in one person's cellar or attic which is a horrible place for things of this nature to end up. I am not comfortable with government organizations such as colleges either because a political change in the future could result in a library or historical site being shut down, cut back or unavailable for those whom might want to do some research.
Noel Weaver

Good point about a college library. Political considerations apart, the college may simply decide it needs the space and give the museum a deadline to get out. I know of one instance when that happened; the museum was given very little time, and the material did in fact end up in somebody's garage.

Currently the NYCSHS does not have a facility in which to display any of its collection. As far as I know the society has no immediate plans to develop any such facility although very long-term planning does include the acquisition of a permanent home. Right now the NYCSHS collection is housed in several storage lockers at a facility near Cleveland, Ohio. The society is conducting an inventory of the collection. H.T. Guillaume

BM6569 wrote:Hi all,

In a box of owners manual manuals I picked up at a car swap meet (of all places) was a really old small manila folder with retirement documents from someone who worked on the NYC. He started out at age 13! (in 1903) working on the D&H as a section hand and then worked at Selkirk in the Motive Power department.

Some neat stuff including his NYC employee card from 1921. He retired at age 70.

What would be the best place to donate this stuff to? Preferable a place that keeps tracks of paperwork from the railroad.

Warren

Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum! http://www.rgvrrm.org

We catalog all donations and have facilities to display them (and use them for research).

-otto-