Week 3: My First Day and the Rooster Mission



Hello Reader,

Today was my first official day in person at the Bonnet House Museum and Gardens. After preparing for several weeks, it felt good to finally be on-site and begin working in the space I’ve spent time researching.

When I arrived, I was greeted by my supervisor, Katie, who gave me a tour of the property via golf cart. She shared a brief overview of the house’s history and pointed out key features around the grounds. Afterward, she introduced me to members of the curatorial staff and brought me to her office, where we went over my schedule and upcoming responsibilities.

Later in the morning, I went on a more detailed tour with Sid, one of the museum’s guides. He gives about ten tours each week and has a strong understanding of the house’s history and interpretation. It was helpful to see how the museum presents its narrative to the public, and it gave me useful context for the work I’ll be doing behind the scenes.

The Rooster
My first assignment as an intern involves investigating a metal rooster sculpture that had previously been on loan to the nearby Birch State Park. Unfortunately, the Bonnet House’s archives are not yet completely digitized, and the staff has been unable to locate the original file associated with the rooster. My task is to go through the physical archive binders in hopes of identifying the object’s catalog number and learning more about its significance to the collection. Although I didn’t find it today, I’ll be continuing this project over the next few weeks.

Moving forward, I’ll be at the Bonnet House for 10 hours each week, primarily on Wednesdays and Thursdays. I’m looking forward to getting more familiar with the archival process and learning more about how museums like Bonnet House preserve and organize their collections.

More updates to come next week.

I will find this rooster.

Maria Formoso

All the binders (about 100) that could hold the secrets of the rooster.

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