SECRETARY’S REPORT 33 
several conferences Miss Rogers has received the cooperation of sev- 
eral wool, cotton, silk, and manmade-fiber institutes and associations 
in supplying material for the new textile exhibits planned for the 
Museum of History and Technology. In the latter part of March 
1958 Miss Rogers studied exhibit techniques and storage facilities 
at Winterthur Museum, Wilmington, Del. From May 4 to 7, 1958, 
she had the unique experience of examining a 8-story woolen mill just 
outside Excelsior Springs, north of Kansas City, Mo. This mill, 
known as the Watkins Woolen Mill, was closed in 1886, yet remained 
completely undisturbed up to the day of Miss Rogers’ visit when 
the property was auctioned. She therefore had an opportunity to 
examine a middle 19th-century woolen mill even to the extent of 
seeing the original machines standing in the same position as they 
were in 1886, and in many instances the original leather belts were 
still attached to the main drive shafts. 
In September 1957 and again in March 1958 Paul V. Gardner, 
acting curator of ceramics and glass, visited museums and collector- 
dealers in New York City. He examined numerous collections of 
porcelain, glass, and enamels which will assist in identification of 
objects in his division; studied various methods of exhibition; and 
visited with philanthropical collectors who may present objects from 
their collections to the Smithsonian Institution. From May 21 to 27 
Mr. Gardner examined European porcelain and china-trade items 
at the Worcester Art Museum. He also visited collectors in Canton, 
Norwood, Newbury, Middleton, Sturbridge, and Boston, Mass. 
The head curator of civil history, Dr. Anthony N. B. Garvan, spent 
January 29, 1958, examining the well-documented Edward Andrews 
collection of Shaker material objects in New Haven, Conn. In Feb- 
ruary he visited Girard College in Philadelphia where he was given 
an opportunity to examine the Girard memorabilia. This collection 
represents an exceptional group of late Colonial and early Repub- 
lican examples of the history of taste. It depicts Girard’s nostalgia 
for France, pride in American achievements, and his hobbies of music 
and numismatics. In April Dr. Garvan was in New York City 
examining collections and consulting with experts on several phases 
of the new exhibits under his jurisdiction. 
On June 3 and 4, 1958, the acting curator of political history, 
Dr. Wilcomb E. Washburn, together with assistant curators Charles 
G. Dorman and Mrs. Anne W. Murray and museum aide James Chan- 
ning, visited the Chester County Historical Society, West Chester, 
Pa., Brandywine Battlefield State Park, Winterthur Museum, and the 
Hagley Museum in Delaware. This provided the staff with excep- 
tional opportunities to examine collections, study preservation tech- 
niques, and observe methods used in preparing exhibits. 
