Object Donations

Potential donations will only be accepted if the material is relevant to the MHA’s mission and statement of purpose and if it can be properly cared for.  The relevance of the material to the collection can be shown through its provenance, defining its association to Manchester’s history and, in the case of library material, through its Manchester-related content.

The Association collects materials relating to persons, businesses, and organizations that tell the story of the history of Manchester, NH. 

No, museum staff are not able to appraise artifacts for you. If you need an appraisal, please contact a certified appraiser in your area for assistance. If you are in New Hampshire, you can contact the New Hampshire Antique Co-Op at https://www.nhantiquecoop.com/appraisal-services.html or Devin Moisan Auctioneers, Inc. at https://www.moisanauctions.com/ to find a certified appraiser. 

The Temporary Gift Agreement allows the museum to temporarily hold your artifacts(s) for review by the Collections Committee. Once our Committee has reviewed the item(s), you will receive written notification of which of them have been accepted into the museum’s Permanent Collection. Those that are accepted will be listed on an enclosed Deed of Gift form, which you will then be asked to sign and return. The Deed of Gift form legally transfers ownership of the item(s) to the Manchester Historic Association. Items that are not accepted will be handled in the manner you indicated on the Temporary Custody Receipt.

We cannot guarantee if, how, or when any particular artifact will be exhibited. However, once it has been accepted and processed into our collection, an object is cared for safely in museum-quality storage and becomes available to staff, interns, students and researchers. Your donation thus expands the amount of local knowledge available, even though it may not be on display. 

The Research Center houses many of the collections not currently on view in the Millyard Museum, including (but not limited to) a large number of books, archives, newspapers, and local business ephemera. 

To preserve unique artifacts and provide new learning experiences for our visitors, we are continually updating exhibits and rotating the artifacts in our displays. When an artifact is taken off of display, it is carefully recorded and placed into our secure collections storage area. Donors may request an appointment to view donated artifacts that are not on public display.  Please note that requests must be made a minimum of 30 days in advance and that, even with advance notice, we may not be able to accommodate every request. 

In addition to the main Permanent Collection, the museum also houses an Education Collection. The Education Collection is made directly accessible to students through our education programs, and is generally composed of reproduction, duplicate, or poor condition objects that are of particular value for hands-on learning under the careful supervision of Museum staff and volunteers. Items not accepted for the Permanent Collection may still be accepted for the Education Collection. 

Collection items are sometimes lent to other educational institutions as part of traveling exhibits or for temporary artifact exchanges.

While the museum cannot accept every potential artifact donation, our staff carefully reviews each donation with our collections criteria in mind.