Mission and History
The mission of the Wenham Museum is to protect, preserve and interpret the artifacts of childhood, domestic life, and the history and culture of Boston’s North Shore.
In 1921, the Claflin-Richards House was purchased by the philanthropic
Wenham Village Improvement Society for the purpose of preservation and
exhibition. Then Elizabeth Richards Horton, a former resident of the
house, donated her International Doll Collection to the WVIS in 1922,
marking the beginning of the Wenham Museum as we know it today. The
museum was incorporated as a separate entity in 1952, and Adeline P.
Cole presided as President over the grand opening in 1953, when the
Pickering Library and Burnham Hall meeting room were added. The Wenham
Museum was first accredited by the American Association of Museums in
1973 and underwent a major renovation and expansion from June 1996 to
August1997. Throughout 2007, the museum celebrates its 85th anniversary
with special exhibitions and an Anniversary Gala, also marking the 10th
anniversary of the Wenham Museum Council.
Timothy Pickering Library
The Colonel Timothy Pickering Library (1,400 items) is the headquarters
for the Massachusetts Society for Promoting Agriculture (MSPA) and houses
the Society's collection of books on agriculture, farming and horticulture.
The Library also contains a number of family histories and genealogies,
extensive manuscript material on Wenham history, a complete record of
all the early houses in Wenham's Historic District, books by local authors,
and an extensive collection of early town records and Essex County histories.
Among the reference books in the collection are many on quilts, dolls,
toys, costumes, needlework, antiques, and early American architecture,
herbs, and gardens. The Library may be used for research by appointment.
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