Museums of Industry: Role of the Company Museum As Regards Its Presentation of Technology, for Use in Industrial Arts Education
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This dissertation has been microfilmed exactly as received g 8-8796 BEATTY, Charles Joseph, 1934- MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY: ROLE OF THE COMPANY MUSEUM AS REGARDS ITS PRESENTATION OF TECHNOLOGY, FOR USE IN INDUSTRIAL ARTS EDUCATION. [Map of United States with Location of Museums of Industry, page 230, not microfilmed at request of author. Available for consultation at The Ohio State University Library]. The Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1967 Education, general University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY Role of the Company Museum as Regards Its Presentation of Technology, for Use in Industrial Arts Education DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Charles Joseph Beatty, A.A., B.S., M.A, ******* The Ohio State University 1957 •oved by Adviser School of Education PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT Focused on museums that are company owned and operated, “museums of industry," this study developed from a concern that many industrial processes conceal themselves within modern factories. Recognizing that museums created by industries have a potential for revealing the char acteristics of both industry and technology, this study was directed toward exploring the nature of these museums and determining their effectiveness in reflecting industrial characteristics. The text describes the methods whereby "museums of industry" are studied and charts their growth and demise. Examination is made of museum contents, display techniques, publications and other elements. Representa tions of industry are detailed and related to their applications in the curriculum of industrial arts education. Acknowledgment is gratefully made to all parti cipating companies, curators, and directors of museums and especially to the personnel in "museums of industry" who were extremely cooperative in furnishing opportunities from which interviews, literature, photographs, and written ii reports were gathered. Professor William E. Warner generously supported the study from its beginnings and gave recognition to it at a presentation in a 1966 "Summer Forum" (one of more than 500 that Dr. V'/arner has presented since 1929). Immense help was given by the members of the advisory committee, Professors Edgar Dale, Robert M. Reese, and Robert Haws and patient encourage ment was supplied by my wife, Mary Ann. September, 1967 Charles Joseph Beatty iii VITA 1 June 1934 Born - Iron Mountain, Michigan 1955 . A.A., St. Lawrence College, Mount Calvary, Wisconsin 1959 • . B.S., Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan 1959-1960 Teacher, Central Lake Public Schools, Central Lake, Michigan 1961-1953 Teacher, Detroit Public Schools, Detroit, Michigan 1963 . M.A., Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 1963-1966 Teaching Associate, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1966 -- Assistant Professor, University of Maryland College Park, Maryland FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Industrial Arts Education. Professor William E. Warner Minor Fields: Higher Education. The late Professor Earl W. Anderson Audio-Visual Education. Professor Edgar Dale Trade and Industrial Education. Professor Robert M. Reese TABLE OF CONTENTS Page PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................... ir VITA .................................................. iv LIST OF T A B L E S ....................................... viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS................................. ix Chapter I. MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY.......................... 1 Background ... * ........ 3 Literature.......................... ; . 6 Statement of the Problem ................... 8 II. DEVELOPMENT OF THE STUDY .................... 12 P u r p o s e s.............. 12 Assumptions................................. 15 Terminology...................... 16 III. NATURE OF INDUSTRIAL ARTS EDUCATION.......... 19 Human Postulate............................. 20 Economic Origin............................. 21 Derived Functions........................... 23 Professional Purposes....................... 24 IV. MUSEUMS AND TECHNOLOGY....................... 26 History of the Museum............ 26 Origins in Ancient Times ................. 27 Renaissance Contributions................. 27 Nineteenth Century Industrial Museums. 28 Indirect Influences on Museums ............ 30 Museums of Science and Industry............ 34 Company Museums............................. 36 v Chapter Page V. PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION..................... 40 Ohio Historical Museum ................. .. 40 Early Craft Museums.......................... 42 Ford Museum................................ • 47 Smithsonian Institution...................... 50 The Chicago Museum of Science and Industry . 54 The Columbus, Ohio Center of Science and I n d u s t r y .................................. 57 Museum Standards............... 62 VI. RESEARCH T E C H N I Q U E S .......................... 72 Pilot Project................................ 72 Survey of Eighty-Three Museums ........... 73 Discontinued Museums^. ................... 77 Museums Under New Control................. 87 Additional Museums ........................ 89 Review of the Population............... 91 Selection of the Sample.................... 93 Methods of Instrumentation ................. 99 Guides ...................... 100 Contact with Museums in Sample . 101 VII, DEVELOPMENTAL PATTERNS IN MUSEUMS................ 104 Location .......................... ..... 104 Formation..................... 109 Accession.................................... 118 Preservation ...............................122 Attendance and Admission .................. 123 VIII. PROCEDURES OF PRESENTATION....................... 129 Content. ................................ 129 Orientation.......... 130 Extensiveness.............................. 134 Display Methods ...................... 158 G u i d e s ....................................... 158 Media................ ...» ........... 160 vi Chapter Page Publication............................. 166 IX. INDUSTRIAL ELEMENTS REFLECTED IN MUSEUMS . 170 Divisions of Industry............... 170 Elements of Industry ...................... 175 X. CURRICULUM IMPLICATIONS ............... 180 Orientational........................... 182 Technical. ............................ 185 Consumer-Cultural...................... 187 Recreational .............................. 189 XI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSTIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS . 192 Summary. .......................... 193 Conclusions........................... 200 Recommendations........................ 202 APPENDIXES A. LIST OF EIGHTY-THREE MUSEUMS ........... 205 B. SURVEY INSTRUMENT AND REPLY C A R D ............ 211 C. POSTAL CARD AND LETTER SURVEY INSTRUMENT . 213 D. LIST OF ADDITIONAL MUSEUMS ............. 215 E. LOCATION, TOUR, INTERVIEW AND PHOTO SECTION. 216 - F. LETTER OF PERMISSION AND ACCEPTANCE......... 228 G. MAP OF UNITED STATES ......................... 230 H. DATA ON SAMPLE OF MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY. .. 231 I. DATA ON ADDITIONAL EXISTING MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY ............................... 242 BIBLIOGRAPHY ......................................... 253 vii LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Frequency of Company Museums by States and Canada ..... ................... ..... 75 2. Company Museum Survey Returns. * .......... 76 3. Response Regarding Existence of Museums Listed by C o l e m a n ........................... 73 4. Survey Results from Museums of Industry........ 92 5. Reasons Cited for Discontinuing Museums of Industry..................................... 94 6. Characteristics of Museum Location ............ 106 7. Museum Building Characteristics .............. 107 8. Formation of Museums of Industry.................Ill 9. Annual Attendance at Museums of Industry .... 125 10. Development in the Technology and Cost of the Light Bulb ................................145 11. Types of Displays Used in Museums of Industry. 161 12. Museum Purpose as Stated by Curators .......... 167 13. Divisions of Industry Represented in Museum Sample............................. 171 14. Revised Divisions of Industry Represented in Museum Sample ................................174 15. Frequency and Degree to which Museums Reflect Characteristics of Industry ........ 177 viii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure Page 1. Line and Staff Structure ..................... 68 2. Number of Items Displayed in Each of the Museums Studied..................................13b ix c h a p t e r I MUSEUMS OF INDUSTRY Skyrocketing technological advancements have generated an economic and industrial explosion far greater than that of the Industrial Revolution (1750-1850). This heritage from American industry must be recognized by the school. In order to develop meaningful curricula, it must be translated into useable instruments for the classroom and laboratory by educators who search for experiences that effectively enrich and stimulate learning. At the turn of the century, it was possible to watch a craftsman fashion the tools or products of his trade. Neighbors were able to view the blacksmith making horseshoes, the carpenter building a house or barn, the cabinetmaker styling furniture, and the potter forming dishes or bowls. Such processes were out in the open for all to see; however, with the emergence of large scale industry and mass production and automation, such work was of necessity performed behind the walls of buildings. The technological advances brought about by automation limit even further one* s ability to see actual 1 operations, modern