Curiosities
Welcome to our cabinet of curiosities; a place where we showcase pieces from our collection that can be of dubious origin and/or pedigree, factually eroded through the apocryphal nature of oral tradition, fascinating in their own right but not directly related to our mandate, or just plain odd. All of them raise questions that we continue to try and answer.
The Cannon
This one has it all - from the complete mystery of how it got to where it was found, to a long-standing family feud over who’s property it was found on, and whether it (or another one just like it) was found stuffed with stolen gold. Regardless, we think it looks pretty good guarding the southwest exposure of the museum.
The IBM Cheese Cutting Computer
Yes, that IBM. And don’t start with the “is it a hardcheese problem or a softcheese problem?” jokes - we’ve heard them already.
The Admiralty Anchor
This is a case of knowing exactly what a thing is used for, but not being able to pin down exactly what it was being used for, or when. Confused? So are we.
Jesse Clark’s
Treasure Chest
The comes straight out of an episode of “Antiques Roadshow.” An innocuous old blanket box sits in a basement for over forty years, until a secret compartment is discovered…