NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
News Release
805 Kidder Breese St SE
Washington, D.C. 20374
(202) 433-7880
For Immediate Release
Release No. 161014-001
Navy to Recover Historic Artifacts from New Jersey Naval Museum
From Naval History and Heritage Command, Communication and Outreach Division
WASHINGTON – In order to protect priceless, historic, publically-owned artifacts, the Navy will return to its collection a number of objects on loan to Hackensack’s New Jersey Naval Museum the week of Oct. 17.
There are about a hundred Navy-owned artifacts on display in the New Jersey Naval Museum. The remainder of the museum’s collection is not Navy-owned and will not be moved.
Navy officials determined it was necessary to take this step after it was learned this past May that the owners of the land on which the museum currently resides have terminated the museum’s lease and plan to redevelop the site. At that time, the Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC), which is responsible for the Navy’s 400,000+ historic artifact collection, sent a team of curators to the museum to assess the condition of the loaned artifacts, many of which are one-of-a-kind objects from naval history. The team determined that the lack of proper environmental conditions in the museum is causing general deterioration to artifacts owned by the Navy. Many of the artifacts, particularly those displayed outdoors, were found to have suffered serious physical degradation.
After the initial assessment revealed degradation of the artifacts, NHHC asked the New Jersey Naval Museum to provide a detailed technical and funding plan to relocate the NHHC artifacts to a suitable site, to conduct a conservation assessment and initiate conservation, and to improve accountability for loaned artifacts in keeping with their loan agreement and common curatorial standards. The museum was not able to provide a clear plan with funding sources by the deadline, so it was necessary for the Navy to recover the artifacts to protect the history they represent.
“We share the concern of veterans whose story is contained in these historic artifacts,” said Jay Thomas, Ph.D., NHHC’s assistant director for collection management. “This step is difficult, because sharing our Navy’s history is an important part of our mission. However, so is protecting the collection. We look forward to a time when the New Jersey Naval Museum has found a new home for its collection of artifacts and we can again begin discussion with its managers on how to once again share Navy artifacts with their visitors.”
In the meantime, Thomas says that after the Navy-owned artifacts are returned to Navy possession, they will be fully assessed and, as necessary, receive proper conservation to ensure they remain intact and ready for display.
NHHC, located at the Washington Navy Yard, is responsible for the preservation, analysis, and dissemination of U.S. naval history and heritage. It provides the knowledge foundation for the Navy by maintaining historically relevant resources and products that reflect the Navy's unique and enduring contributions through our nation's history, and supports the fleet by assisting with and delivering professional research, analysis, and interpretive services. NHHC is composed of many activities including the Navy Department Library, the Navy Operational Archives, the Navy art and artifact collections, underwater archeology, Navy histories, ten museums, USS Constitution repair facility and the historic ship Nautilus.
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NOTE TO MEDIA: For additional information about naval history, please contact Paul Taylor with the Naval History and Heritage Command’s Communication and Outreach division at 202-500-9946, 202-433-7880 or via email at william.p.taylor@navy.mil