Fairbanks Museum

Artifacts that are part of the Fairbanks Museum have been in storage for nearly 50 years. The museum plans to dust them off and bring the artifacts back to life.

St. Johnsbury has been part of the Northeast Kingdom since the early 1700s and today artifacts from that era are finding a home in storage but more light may be shining on them in the future. The Fairbanks Museum may look the same to the eye but it is changing its focus, which now doesn't include the artifacts that are part of St. Johnsbury and even the state of Vermont. Executive Director, Charles Browne, tells us the direction the museum is going.

"Well the focus of the museum is going to continue to be on natural history and ecology, weather, climate, and astronomy because that is our strengths and that's what the museum is set up to do the best."

The museum has housed these artifacts at facilities that could not be disclosed of because of security reasons. Only when the museum does special exhibits some of these items may see light. Browne tells us more.

Charles Browne Museum Director

"The challenge we face is that the museum has served as the repository for St. Johnsbury history at least one of served repository for many decades and these things have no way to be displayed or celebrated in the museum."

The next step in finding a place to house such items is heading into town and finding a building that can hold the priceless artifacts. They would also need to be cared for because of how delicate they are. Director of Education, Peggy Pearl, shares the places they have inquired about.

"We have looked at some of the various places that have come up i.e. the armory, the armory is a big enough building

Director of Education Peggy Pearl

but it has a rather high price tag of making it worthy and we have looked at the church next door."

Since most of the items have been in storage most community members don't know what kind of historic artifacts they house but many of the items are very historic to the town. Pearl elaborates.

"From the founder Johathen Arnold socks to a water wagon that laid the dust on the streets here on St. Johnsbury so whatever building this has it, also needs to have a out building for some of the larger items."

Museum officials say that it may have nearly 100 historic items and wants to see them become a bigger part of the town.