The Story Behind The Storage

Explore our favorite museum collections and their unique storage tales

Storage is more than just a few new cabinets and shelves…

…Storage is about the value and history of what exactly is being stored.  It’s the story of why we keep artifacts in museums and the unique solutions for not only each collection, but each artifact. Follow along with us as we briefly explore a few of our favorite museum collection stories and their unique storage tales found in our The Story Behind The Storage brochure.

A Snapshot of Life 67 Million Years Ago

Research in the field of natural history is an iterative process, a great example of this would be Sue the T-Rex. Discovered in 1990 in South Dakota, Sue is one of the most complete T-Rex skeletons found to date. At more than 40ft tall it is also the largest ever found! Caring, preserving and storing this dino was no easy feat.

Sue has enabled scientists all over the world to do more detailed studies of the species’ evolutionary relationships, biology, growth, and behavior than ever before. Ensuring a long life for Sue and other dinosaur specimens comes down to proper storage —  Something only the storage experts can provide. 

The First U.S. Case of Human Led Extinction

Bugs, insects, pests, or carriers of important ecological history? The study of insects, or entomology, is a growing field with diverse research concentrations and findings. For instance, DNA from a 93-year-old butterfly confirmed the first US case of human-led insect extinction. 

The DNA sample was taken from a butterfly that has been in the Chicago Field Museum’s collection since 1928. This nearly 100 year old butterfly was stored in cabinets specifically designed for the job.  This project showcases the importance of appropriate storage for museum collections. 

How WWI Posters Helped U.S. War Efforts

A collection of World War I posters helped fuel the fires of patriotism that carried the U.S. from an isolated nation to a partner with the Allied Nations. Various posters were created to encourage citizens to purchase Liberty Bonds to help pay for the United States’ war efforts. Full of color and dramatic symbolism, these posters were created to influence patriotism and the will to sacrifice for the United States.

The care of these posters fell to the State Library of Pennsylvania. At the newly created Rare Collections Library, the storage solution needed to safely hold materials, accommodate thousands of materials with varying sizes and enable safe and easy access to collections.

The First U.S. Self-Propelled Torpedo

The Naval Undersea Museum in Keyport, Washington was founded in 1800, and for over two centuries they have been preserving U.S. Naval history. Unique to the museum is a collection of U.S. torpedoes, including the Howell Torpedo, the first self-propelled torpedo developed by the United States. These large artifacts weigh up to 600 lbs. and are not easy to store. 

The Naval Undersea museum is a testament to the value of storing and preserving feats of engineering for future generations to explore and learn from.

Want More?

We got a taste of our favorite museum stories behind the storage, and would love to share more about the unique solutions we have given several museums across the North American continent. There are some truly remarkable storage systems that care for and preserve such a wide range of precious artifacts. 

In fact, there are so many stories to tell that we put together an entire brochure, further exploring these storage stories and more.

Click the button to check it out!

Ready to get started?
Contact us today