Sullivan Museum and History Center

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Sullivan Museum and History Center We offer thousands of pieces that bring the Norwich story to life.

Whether you're a student, alum, visitor, or just curious, we invite you to explore the people, events, and ideas shaped two centuries of history.

Welcome, Norwich families! 🍂While you’re on campus for Family Weekend, stop by the Sullivan Museum and History Center to...
10/23/2026

Welcome, Norwich families! 🍂

While you’re on campus for Family Weekend, stop by the Sullivan Museum and History Center to explore “Hidden Gems: Highlights from the Sullivan Museum Collection Vault.”

Take a break between games and demonstrations, enjoy time together, and discover some of the remarkable objects and stories that bring Norwich’s history to life. Whether this is your first visit or a familiar stop, we look forward to welcoming you!

🏛️ Museum hours: 10 am–4 pm

Coming home to Norwich for Homecoming? Make time for a visit to the Sullivan Museum and History Center on Friday, Octobe...
10/12/2026

Coming home to Norwich for Homecoming? Make time for a visit to the Sullivan Museum and History Center on Friday, October 16! We’ll offer guided tours at 0900, 0930, 1000, and 1030.

At 1:00 p.m., join the Friends of the Library, Archives, and Museum in the Kreitzberg Library Multipurpose Room for a talk by Dr. Kenneth Cohen of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. In “Crafting Independence: How the Gunboat *Philadelphia* Preserved the Revolution,” he’ll explore the remarkable effort to build a fleet on Lake Champlain in 1776.

As a Smithsonian Affiliate, the Sullivan Museum can bring Smithsonian curators and their expertise to campus. We’re delighted to share that connection with the Norwich community this Homecoming. Both the museum and the talk are free and open to the public.

Happy World Teachers’ Day!From its earliest years, Norwich University has embraced Captain Alden Partridge’s belief that...
10/05/2026

Happy World Teachers’ Day!

From its earliest years, Norwich University has embraced Captain Alden Partridge’s belief that education should combine knowledge with practical experience. Partridge established the American Literary, Scientific, and Military Academy—later Norwich University—according to his American System of Education, which joined a broad academic curriculum with scientific study, physical development, military training, and hands-on learning.

Among the teaching tools Partridge acquired for the Academy were terrestrial and celestial globes made by James Wilson of Bradford, Vermont. Remembered as America’s first globe maker, Wilson was largely self-educated, teaching himself geography, astronomy, mathematics, engraving, and instrument making. His globes helped make the study of the world and the heavens accessible to American students.

More than two centuries later, the Wilson Globes remain powerful reminders of Norwich’s longstanding commitment to experiential learning—a strength of the university since its founding. You can see them now in "Hidden Gems: Highlights from the Sullivan Museum Collection Vault" at the Sullivan Museum and History Center.

Hidden Gems: The Shark’s Tooth SwordWhat do you make a sword from when metal isn’t readily available?In the Gilbert Isla...
09/28/2026

Hidden Gems: The Shark’s Tooth Sword

What do you make a sword from when metal isn’t readily available?

In the Gilbert Islands—today the nation of Kiribati in Micronesia—craftspeople created formidable weapons from the materials available to them: wood, coconut fiber, plant resins, and shark teeth.

Gilbertese shark’s tooth swords are among the most distinctive weapons of the Pacific Islands. Rows of sharpened shark teeth were set along the edges of a carved wooden blade and secured with coconut fiber cord. The resulting serrated edge was designed to inflict deep, tearing wounds rather than cut like a conventional metal sword.

These weapons were used in ritualized warfare between island groups and were often paired with protective armor woven from thick coconut fiber. Variations included long swords, daggers, and spears adapted for different forms of combat.

The shark teeth carried meaning beyond their practical use. Sharks held cultural significance in Pacific Island societies and could symbolize strength, skill, and protection. Incorporating their teeth into a weapon therefore gave the sword both physical and symbolic power.

Most surviving examples date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Sullivan Museum and History Center’s example was donated by Mrs. Jesse Gove. We do not know how she acquired it or the exact path it traveled from the Gilbert Islands to Norwich, but its presence in the collection reflects the global movement of people—and objects—during the nineteenth century.

Made without a metal blade, this remarkable weapon demonstrates how people can transform the materials available in their environment into objects that are practical, powerful, and culturally meaningful.

Images: Views of Shark's Tooth Sword, Gilbertese warriors of Tabiteuea, with shark's tooth trident Taumangaria about 1841 from Charles Wilkes: Narrative of the United States Exploring Expedition, George Musalas Colvocoresses (adopted son of Captain Alden Partridge) from Norwich University Archives and Special Collections

Hidden Gems: Mystery Solved!Did you guess what our mysterious “purse” really is?It’s a traditional Icelandic baptismal c...
09/25/2026

Hidden Gems: Mystery Solved!

Did you guess what our mysterious “purse” really is?

It’s a traditional Icelandic baptismal cap!

When museum staff began researching the Icelandic collar we featured on Monday, we also wanted to identify the small embroidered object that had been stored with it and labeled as a “purse.” After contacting the National Museum of Iceland, we received an answer from Lilja Árnadóttir, then Head of Artifact Collections. She identified it as a *skírnarhúfa*, or baptismal cap, and pointed us to similar examples in the museum’s collection.

That discovery led us back to the Norwich University Archives, where we found the final piece of the puzzle. The March 1908 issue of *The Reveille* reported that L. H. Janvrin, ex-’03, had recently returned from abroad and presented the museum with several objects from Iceland. Among them were “a christening cap” and a “girl’s silver embroidered collar.”

The additional image shows an eighteenth-century Scandinavian example from Museum Nord in Norway. Made of reddish-brown silk brocade and richly decorated with gold lace, it helps illustrate just how elaborate baptismal caps could be during this period—and how different they can look from the white christening bonnets more familiar today.

More than a century after the Norwich objects arrived at the museum, the collar and cap had finally regained their correct identities—and their connection to one another.

Sometimes solving a museum mystery requires looking beyond the label.

Thanks to everyone who took a guess!

Comparison image: Baptismal hat with gold lace, Museum Nord, Norway. Photo: Eirik Aspelund Linder/Museum Nord.

Visiting campus for Norwich University’s Fall Open House this Saturday, September 26? Stop by the Sullivan Museum and Hi...
09/25/2026

Visiting campus for Norwich University’s Fall Open House this Saturday, September 26? Stop by the Sullivan Museum and History Center while you’re here! We’ll be open from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and admission is free.

Hidden Gems: The Icelandic CollarSometimes, one of the most interesting stories an object can tell is the story of disco...
09/21/2026

Hidden Gems: The Icelandic Collar

Sometimes, one of the most interesting stories an object can tell is the story of discovering what it actually is.

For many years, this silver-embroidered collar was stored in the Sullivan Museum and History Center’s collection as a “Native American Girl’s Collar Donated by Mrs. Charles Plumley.” Stored alongside it was another small object identified as a “purse.”

But something about those identifications didn’t seem quite right.

While researching objects for Norwich University’s Bicentennial exhibit, museum staff used a reverse image search and discovered a similar collar at the Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum) in Sweden. With help from the Nordiska Museet and the National Museum of Iceland in Reykjavík, we learned that the object is actually a halskrage—a traditional Icelandic collar worn as part of a woman’s festive national costume. It most likely dates from the second half of the eighteenth century or the early nineteenth century.

Research in the Norwich University Archives eventually revealed how the collar came to Norwich more than a century ago—but it also helped solve the mystery of the supposed “purse.”

Can you guess what the “purse” actually is?

Take a close look at the second image and leave your guess in the comments. And no cheating by going to the museum website to look for the answer—give it your best guess!

We’ll reveal the answer on Friday.

Hidden Gems: Samurai ArmorFor more than a century, this remarkable suit of armor at the Sullivan Museum and History Cent...
09/14/2026

Hidden Gems: Samurai Armor

For more than a century, this remarkable suit of armor at the Sullivan Museum and History Center was identified simply as "Chinese Armor." It had been brought to Norwich in 1902 after General Charles A. Coolidge, Class of 1863, recovered it from the Palace of the Seventh Prince in Beijing during the Boxer Rebellion.
Modern research, however, revealed a very different story. Careful examination, X-rays, and forensic analysis showed that it is actually 16th–17th century Japanese samurai armor, handcrafted from iron plates, leather, and woven textiles. The discovery transformed our understanding of one of the museum's most iconic artifacts and raised new questions about how a Japanese cuirass found its way into a Chinese royal palace.

Researchers also discovered traces of centuries-old human blood on the armor. Early DNA analysis suggested African ancestry—a fascinating result that recalls the story of Yasuke, Japan's first recorded African samurai. While there is no evidence connecting this armor to Yasuke, the finding reminds us that Japan's history was shaped by a far more interconnected world than many people realize.
Discover the full story on our website:

🔗 https://www.norwich.edu/campus-resources/library-archives-museum/sullivan-museum-and-history-center/exhibitions -section-10396

Visit the Sullivan Museum and History Center to see this extraordinary artifact in person and learn how history, science, and detective work came together to uncover its remarkable story.

⚙️ Building America: Norwich Engineers at WorkThis Labor Day, the Sullivan Museum and History Center celebrates the work...
09/07/2026

⚙️ Building America: Norwich Engineers at Work
This Labor Day, the Sullivan Museum and History Center celebrates the workers, engineers, innovators, and builders whose vision and hard work have shaped our nation.

In 1826, the American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy—now Norwich University—became the first institution in the United States to offer a program of study in civil engineering. Captain Alden Partridge believed engineers should learn not only in the classroom, but also in the field through observation, measurement, and hands-on experience—a philosophy that remains part of Norwich's legacy today.

The mural shown here, painted by William H. Earle, depicts Edward Dean Adams, Norwich Class of 1864, directing the construction of the first hydroelectric power plant at Niagara Falls. As president of the Niagara Falls Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company, Adams helped transform one of the world's greatest natural wonders into a source of electrical power, marking a pivotal moment in the history of engineering and industry.

Today, Norwich's pioneering role in engineering is recognized as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers.

This Labor Day, we honor not only the workers who built our communities but also the educators, engineers, and innovators whose ideas continue to improve the world around us.

From all of us at the Sullivan Museum and History Center, we wish you a safe and happy Labor Day!

🎨 Hidden Gems: Fortunino Matania's “A Capture Under Shell-Fire”Fortunino Matania (1881–1963) was one of the twentieth ce...
08/31/2026

🎨 Hidden Gems: Fortunino Matania's “A Capture Under Shell-Fire”

Fortunino Matania (1881–1963) was one of the twentieth century's most celebrated illustrators, renowned for his vivid and realistic depictions of World War I. His dramatic painting, “A Capture Under Shell-Fire: British Troops Bringing in a Captured German Battery under Fire,” captures the chaos of battle through rearing horses, soldiers taking cover, and the devastating human cost of war.

What makes this work especially remarkable is that the Sullivan Museum and History Center not only holds the finished painting but also Matania's preparatory watercolor study. Together, they offer a rare glimpse into the artist's creative process, showing how a pencil sketch evolved into a powerful finished composition.

These works are even more significant because many of Matania's original paintings and sketches were destroyed when his London studio was bombed during the Blitz in World War II. Their survival makes them an extraordinary part of the Sullivan Museum's collection.

Discover the full story on our website:
🔗 https://www.norwich.edu/campus-resources/library-archives-museum/sullivan-museum-and-history-center/exhibitions -section-10396

Visit the Sullivan Museum and History Center to see this remarkable work—and many other hidden gems from our collection.

Address

158 Harmon Drive
Northfield, VT
05663

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 4pm
Tuesday 8am - 4pm
Wednesday 8am - 4pm
Thursday 8am - 4pm
Friday 8am - 4pm

Telephone

(802)4852183

Website

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