Please Note: All donations must be approved by the curatorial team and a formal donation inquiry must be submitted before accession. Walk in donations will not be accepted unless the curator is present to review and approve them.
Do you have an item connected to Willimantic’s local history that you would like to donate to the museum?
We are especially interested in objects that help tell local stories, including:
- Objects connected to mill worker’s work experience
- Historic maps or atlases related to the Windham area
- Documents related to the mills or local industry
- Objects used in the mills
- Materials related to immigrant experiences in Willimantic
These are only examples. If you have something else you think may be relevant, we encourage you to share details. What matters most is whether your item has a story worth preserving for future generations.
Because our storage space is limited, we cannot accept every donation. Submitting the form below does not guarantee acceptance. It allows our collections staff to review your item and determine whether it fits our mission and capacity.
Sewing Machine Donations
We generally cannot accept sewing machines because we have very limited space and already have many in our collection. In rare cases, we may consider one if it has an exceptional local story or historical significance.
Certain Singer Sewing Machines
We are actively seeking donations of Singer class 15, class 66, class 99, and similar machines alone or in portable cases, either motorized or hand-cranked (no treadles), for our forthcoming program where students will be able to clean, repair, and adjust machines that they can then take home after completing the class.
Other Types of Donations
We also accept certain in kind donations that are not added to the permanent collection, such as items for raffles, events, or the gift shop. We are also interested in rackmount servers, drive arrays (empty or full), and Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices to help store and safeguard our growing digital collection. We cannot accept all such items, but please indicate this type of donation in your submission.
The Windham Textile and History Museum is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Approved in kind donations may be tax deductible as allowed by law.
How to Submit a Donation Inquiry
To help us review potential donations, email us the information below to archives@millmuseum.org Our curator reviews all inquiries and will follow up if the item fits our collection. Please note that we are not able to provide immediate responses.
Please include:
- your name and contact information
- a description of the item
- approximate date or era
- size or dimensions
- its story, historical context, connection to Willimantic history, or appropriateness to a museum need.
- photos if available
- whether you are offering it as a collection donation, educational item, or in kind donation (If you are open to one or more of these options, you may specify more than one)
Because storage space is limited, submission does not guarantee acceptance. We are unable to review or accept items that are sent without prior approval.