Sneak Preview: Dr. Jackson's Office

By: Erin Crissman, Curator

Ironically, I’ve been fighting off a cold and working on the exhibition plan for the newly restored Dr. Jackson’s office this week. Here are some updates on this project, scheduled to open on July 4th weekend. Interior restoration is almost complete. The plaster has been repaired and new paint applied. This bold ochre color is a historically accurate hue from one of my favorite publications--Historic Colors of America--a paint chart developed by Historic New England. The floors still need painting. The original floor boards were quite worn in some areas and needed to be patched. The paint will help us to protect the floors for future generations. The space will be used much differently for this new exhibition. Previous exhibitions in this building showed each small room as part of Dr. Jackson’s work space. Today, we know that only the front part of the office was available in the 1840s. The back addition was constructed by Dr. Drake, who took over the building and practice when Dr. Jackson died. This time, the front part of the building will be a sparsely furnished office like Dr. Jackson would have used; the back will feature an exhibition highlighting some of The Farmers’ Museum’s medical collections. When we develop exhibitions, there are always changes from the original plan. Come by in July to find out if this drawing (not to scale) resembles the final product!