By Christine M. Quirk — Christine@concordbridge.org
Military artifacts from World War I and even earlier are poised to play a part in Concord’s 250th celebration of the start of the Revolutionary War.
On the eve of Veterans Day, staff at the Concord Armory were working to have more permanent memorabilia in place for the April 2025 observances. Temporary cases now edge the drill shed, a large room available for functions such as a National Guard retirement ceremony this month.
The curating of the collection and the modification of the building at 19 Everett Street have been some time in coming.
After an event at the Massachusetts National Guard Museum, Maureen Steinmann approached curator Lt. Col. Geoffrey Love.
“She spoke to me briefly on the way out and said, ‘I’ve got some stuff of my grandfather’s, and I’ll look for it,’” said Love, director of historical services for the Massachusetts National Guard.
Steinmann’s grandfather was Capt. Michael Dee. In 1915, Dee was the first commander of the National Guard Armory, the building that now houses the museum.
Their conversation, Love said, is indicative of how artifacts come into his possession.
“It often starts with a phone call or an email, where someone says, ‘Hey, I have this stuff, are you interested in it?’” he said.
Moving pictures
The museum was established at the Worcester Armory in the 1890s, housing records dating to 1780. It closed in 2013. The contents were moved to the Concord Armory, which had been recently vacated, but a quick transition to a museum wasn’t feasible.
In 2018, the records were moved to the state archives in Dorchester; the artifacts stayed in Concord. In 2020, Love began to organize, catalog, and manage the collection.
“It had never been fully done because there wasn’t really a staff to do it right,” he said.
Love said some items are simply not appropriate for the collection. However, he works with other organizations, such as the Masons or military museums, to redirect particular donations.
“What we look for primarily is the stories, diaries, uniforms — in some cases, weapons — memorabilia, and papers of Massachusetts National Guard soldiers, either in peace or war,” Love said.
Steinmann’s donations, for example, included Dee’s insignia pins, commemorative ribbons, compass, binoculars, and footlocker.
“Capt. Dee’s collection hit so many right notes,” Love said. “It’s really like scoring a bull’s-eye.”
Processing history
After accepting a donation, Love and his staff prepare a deed of gift — a transaction record — and photograph it.
Artifacts are then boxed for storage using museum-grade materials. Everything is labeled, cataloged, and stored in a large, climate-controlled room on the second floor.
One such item: a portrait of Capt. Nathaniel Simpkins, personal aide to Maj. Gen. Clarence Edwards during World War I. In October 1918, weeks before the war’s end, Simpkins died of the so-called “Spanish Flu.”
Simpkins’ family commissioned William Thorne in 1919 to paint the memorial portrait. Thorne was a prominent artist of the day, Love said, and the painting includes minute details, such as the 26th infantry Yankee division patch on Simpkins’ uniform.
The drill shed boasts new display cases under the curved windows. The windows now have UV film on them, and Love is looking into light-filtering custom draperies.
“Visible light and artifacts don’t like each other,” Love said.
All this is done with an eye to the Patriots Ball scheduled for April 12, 2025, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
“That’s my time point,” he said. “I think in April, once we get the cases filled, we’ll be able to announce operating hours based on the best staffing that we can provide.”
If you find an old mess kit or military ribbon in the attic, the museum may provide a permanent home for it.
“We’re a good repository for these things,” he said. “We’ll take them, we’ll preserve them, but we’ll also use them, which is the whole point of having saved them in the first place.”
