The National VA History Center has a permanent home
In May, the National VA History Center moved from its temporary home in Building 401 to our long-term home for collections in Building 126. Moving on the Dayton campus required logistics and planning. We were moving artifacts and historical records, so we couldn’t use a company like Two Guys and a Truck. The pre-move planning was intense and stressful, but now the collections are in a better home.
The most exciting part of the move is that we now have a loading dock and freight elevator. That may not seem significant, but imagine trying to get a half-ton printing press upstairs and through a narrow door. Imagine the Friends cast in the episode when they are trying to get the sofa up a flight of stairs while Ross keeps yelling “PIVAT” repeatedly. Our scenario includes yelling directions on how to maneuver a telescopic forklift. Robyn calls it a scorpion lift—yeah, she’s right; it does look like a scorpion.
Building 126 was built to serve as a warehouse, providing better space for preserving the artifacts and archival collections. Now, we can store large pieces of equipment, showing the evolution of health care. It also provides better flexibility for making those collections accessible to you when we open to the public.
We recently installed a new art rack to store art in the collection properly. Emma Miller’s portrait was the first piece installed. She was the Matron at the home and served in various important roles. Miller’s Cottage bears her name due to her contributions to the home. She also received the honor of being the first woman buried in the Dayton National Cemetery.
We have also started reorganizing the collection, and the Collections Committee is actively considering objects for inclusion in the permanent collection. It is a long process, and we anticipate completing it by the end of the fiscal year (September 2024). We are also entering objects into the collections management system, making everything easier to track and inventory. We plan to start a project in 2024 to add compact shelving, providing additional space to expand the archival collection.
In October, we installed a temporary exhibit in Building 126 to highlight medical equipment the Denver Acquisition Center shipped directly to veterans. The exhibit includes a variety of objects used to assist veterans with their health. We will rotate this case every six months to share objects in the collection. There will also be an online exhibit of the same objects.
Robyn set up her lab on the third floor for processing, preserving, and digitizing archival material. Just like Batman, she has some wonderful toys. These include a humidification chamber for rehydrating and removing creases and wrinkles from paper. She also has equipment to digitize a variety of materials. The crown jewel is the DC Titan. It can digitize large flat documents and books and even create 3D renderings of objects. It also uses unique cameras and software to look at the layers of a document, painting, or object to see if previous writing, painting, or inscription exists.
By Kurt Senn
Curator, National VA History Center
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