In my hometown of Secaucus, New Jersey, there is a museum which displays many artifacts of our town’s history. While the building holds the name “museum” I have found it to be a mix between that and a visitor center. There are several displays which include objects like antique telephones, collections documenting the Titanic, old fireman’s gear, beautiful Norman Rockwell memorabilia, etc. These objects do, at times, paint a picture of the town’s history, but are more a display for visitors to interact and gawk at. They can be quite general and have little to do with the town and more to do with donations of resident’s collectibles. Some of the donations come from people I know and friends of mine which to me feels more like a novelty rather than a true documentation of the town. At the same time, however, these do lend credence to an overall collective history. Our own mayor has donated his old fireman’s suit which is significant for Secaucus since we have an all volunteer fire department. The reason I bring this up is because while the museum may be more in line with a visitor’s center, it still has a museum feel to its own residents. The significance of knowing someone in the town or remembering an era long gone that was shared by the citizens of the town is historical preservation in line with a museum. I find it helpful that there is also staff there to facilitate the understanding of the significance of certain objects. There are statues and busts scattered throughout the town that commemorate important members of Secaucus such as former mayor Paul Amico and a dedication to Christopher Columbus, an important figure for the large Italian population of the town. The target of the museum is in line with the targets of these statues: to remember those who played a part in the development of Secaucus while also paying tribute to its current residents. I find the museum to be a time capsule; a place where time stands still and can be interacted with as it would have been all those years ago. There is little interpretation involved in the museum, rather it is a simple display of artifacts accompanied occasionally by text explaining what the object is. Few stories are associated with the objects unless they are necessary for context, but most of the time it is up to the viewer to interpret how the object was used and whom by. The museum is effective in its goal since it is merely meant to document some artifacts as well as allowing newer generations to interact with them such as inviting children in to type on a typewriter or dial a rotary phone. Old street signs, barber chairs, school desks, and stoves give a sense of how times have changed, but allow people to revisit the times in which these objects were manufactured and used. It is a building meant to transport the visitor back to a different Secaucus, a slice of time long passed, but still here in this small building. It is a town effort to bring people into this world and to remember what it was like juxtaposed with how it is now. The education provided here is minimal outside of certain pieces like old railroad equipment which the town is known for i.e. Secaucus Junction, a major transport hub for the region. The education that is provided is more interactive which I find to be enriching especially for younger people and children. The target audience is mostly Secaucus citizens though I am sure the town would be thrilled if outsiders took an interest as well. I can see that the people who assembled this collection had a clear desire to preserve what little we have from the past of Secaucus and that many members of the town have donated their own collections in order to add to it. There is a passion for history and town pride, something of which I only hold the former, though visiting the museum can enrich one’s town pride in some way. The members who do collect these artifacts have a clear dedication to remembering the many changes that happened in our “land of snakes,” the apparent translation of the word Secaucus from its native language. Even in the junction, travelers may find plaques and pictures of how things used to be or looked back in throughout the 20th century. Secaucus was once a pig farm as many of the surrounding towns like to mock us for, but the town takes great pride in. It was transformed into a place for offices, markets, and shopping outlets over time and now has several large office buildings for Uber, beer distributors, technology companies, and even the MLB. The town museum wants to remember the changes while reflecting on how things are now. It is interesting to see how such a small town still holds pride in its evolution throughout time. I find it to be something that public history is about: preserving history while helping people understand its context in the modern age. The way that the museum attempts this is through its many artifacts, but even with a toy train collection. There are attractions there akin to a visitor’s center, while also displaying objects in the same vein as a museum. It is impressive how such a building can help educate, even if it is only a small experience, members of the town on the changes it has gone through. I think it is not necessarily a staple of the town, but something that visitors can find to be interesting and worthwhile to visit. It is active public history and it can provide different experiences to each visitor that stops by. If you are a townie it could be something of pride, if you are an outsider it can be a novelty display, and if you are just someone interested in the local history it can give context to how the town has formed.
