Historic Collections

The Sutton Historical Society's historic collections continue to grow. Among the items in the collections are artifacts, historic documents, photographs, books and oral histories.

SHS is currently reorganizing its collections. Each collection will be listed at this site when the organizational work with the collection is complete.

Do you have an artifact that you wish to donate to the SHS or a document to contribute or a story to share? Please read the SHS Donations and Collections Policy (below) and ----

          Contact: Don Davis ~  603 927-4925 ~  [email protected]

              or        Jody Wells ~ 603 927-4939 ~  [email protected]
NOTE: Any item left at the Cressey House or any other SHS property, without first contacting us, will be considered a gift to the SHS without conditions and not a donation to the SHS collections. As a gift it maybe kept by the SHS, sold, given to another organization, or disposed of in some other way.
The SHS Donations (Accessions)

and

Collections Policy

 
I.  Acceptance and Maintenance of Objects Into SHS Collections
 
A)  Objects will be accepted or otherwise acquired for the Society’s collections when the following conditions are met:

  1. The objects are relevant to and consistent with the purposes and activities of the Society as described in our mission statement.
  2. The Society can provide for the storage, protection, and preservation of the object(s) under conditions that insure their availability for Society purposes and in keeping with professionally accepted standards.
  3. It is intended that the objects shall have permanency in the collections as long as they remain useful for the purposes of the Society.
  4. The clear title of the object is established and documented.  No item which has been acquired illegally, i.e., in violation of any state, federal, or international laws, or whose ownership or legality is in doubt, will be accepted.
 
B) Title to all objects acquired by gift, purchase, or trade for the collections should be obtained free and clear, without restrictions as to the use or future disposition whenever possible.  If objects are accepted with restrictions or limitations however, the conditions should be stated clearly (in writing), and a contract will be made part of the accession records, and conditions of the contract should be strictly observed by the Society.
 
C) An instrument of donation form setting forth an adequate description of the objects involved and the precise conditions of transfer should accompany all accessions and should be kept on file at the Society.  This document should be signed by the donor (or legal representative), and an authorized Society member (an officer or member of the Collections Committee).
 
D) Records of accessions must be made and retained for all objects acquired for the collections.
 
E) All donations are subject to the review of the Collections Committee, and acceptance of the donations is at the discretion of the Collections Committee.   If, after review, the Collections Committee decides the donation is not appropriate, the donation will be returned to the donor.
 
F)  It is not in the best interest of the Society to accept permanent loans. Because of limited time, space, personnel, and funds, the Society cannot store items for other institutions or individuals.
 
G) Objects representative of those known to be used in Sutton but which were made or used elsewhere, may be acquired on a selective basis in support of Society projects.
 
H) The responsibility of appraising all donations remains with the donor.  The Society is not allowed to provide written appraisals for income tax purposes.
 
II.  Relinquishment of Objects from the Collections
 
This policy has been developed to deal primarily with collections already in the possession of the Sutton Historical Society.  In recognition of its fiduciary responsibilities the Society will insure that any relinquishment of collection items will proceed in a legal and ethical manner.
 
A)  Objects in the Society’s collections should be retained permanently if they continue to be relevant and useful to the purposes and activities of the Society and if they can be properly stored, preserved, and used.  Relinquishment of any object may be considered when these conditions no longer prevail, or in the interest of improving the collections for the Society’s purposes and activities.
 
B)  Objects in the collections should be relinquished only after appropriate review and consideration and upon the recommendation of the Chairman of the Collections Committee to the Board of Directors.
 
C)  Before any object is relinquished, the following must be ascertained:
  1. The manner of disposition is in the best interests of the Society, the public it serves, and the scholarly or cultural communities it represents.
  2. Consideration should be given to placing the objects through gift, exchange, or sale in another tax-exempt public institution wherein they may serve the purpose for which they were acquired originally by the Historical Society.  If the objects are offered for sale elsewhere, preference should be given for the sale at an advertised public auction or in the public market place in a manner that will best protect the interests, objectives, and legal status of the Society. Items will not be privately purchased by any Society member other than at public auction.
  3. Archaeological objects will not be sold, but will be considered for placement in another tax-exempt public institution through exchange or trade.
 
D)  Before relinquishment of any objects from the collections, the Society must ascertain that it has clear title and is legally free to do so.  Where restrictions as to the use or disposition of the objects under question are found to apply, the Society will act as follows:

  1. Mandatory restrictions should be strictly observed.   If there is any question as to the intent or force of restrictions, the Society should seek the advice of its legal counsel.
  2. Donations made with conditions will be relinquished according to the conditions as stated in writing at the time of donation.
 
E) The Society recognizes that it is a criminal offense to possess property stolen from any individual, institution, corporation, Native American Tribe, or foreign or domestic government agency.  Sacred or ritual objects that have been obtained as a result of a group member acting against the wishes or without the knowledge of his/her organization shall also be considered stolen.  In the event that any stolen objects are discovered in the Society’s collections, the rightful owner(s) will be contacted and the relinquishment of these objects will be considered.  When there is a dispute over the legality of any object(s), the Society will abide by the decision handed down by a legal court of law.  Return of stolen objects is contingent upon the receipt of a written request from the affected individual  or recognized representative of the concerned group or agency.
 
F)  An adequate record of the conditions and circumstances under which items were relinquished and disposed of shall be made and retained as part of the Society’s collection records.