Robbins Museum of Archaeology

For my second stop during my adventure in Middleboro, MA on the last weekend of August 2024, I visited Robbins Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which is run by the Massachusetts Archaeological Society (MAS). Its building stands across the street from Middleborough Historical Museum. This iteration of MAS’s museum opened in 1988. The building was previously Robertson Factory, and the museum was named after Massachusetts’ first state archaeologist, Maurice Robbins, who received this role at age seventy-two.

Robbins himself was an interesting person, as detailed in a WickedLocal.com article by historian Harry B. Chase, Jr. His day job was never in archaeology, and he did not hold a formal degree in the field. This did not stop him from co-founding MAS and the Massachusetts Historical Commission, along with leading multiple anthropology and archaeology societies. Unfortunately, Robbins’s methods of excavation were not up to modern standards, a common fault of most historians from his generation. Even so, his digs contributed greatly to the study of prehistoric Native American cultures in Massachusetts.

On display were artifacts familiar to the regular museum goer. A recently constructed mishoon or a dugout canoe, as seen earlier in the season at Heritage Museum & Gardens and Mystic Seaport, sat below a colorful painting depicting a Native American village in New England during the fall. Atlatl weights, arrowheads, and pottery were neatly displayed in plexiglass cases along the walls. I appreciated the signage explaining the difference between projectile point types and pottery design elements, allowing visitors to go more in-depth in their study or simply appreciate the talent of the original creators.

A diagram of a Late Archaic Village, which would have existed around 4300 years ago or 2300 BC, showed the temporary houses built by nomadic people in what archaeologists call Wampanucket, located not far away in Middleboro. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. Another nearby find was a mastodon tooth from the Mattapoisett River, and its shape was contrasted with a mammoth tooth from Siberia. I especially liked the tiny model mammoth set on the shelf above the giant teeth.

Among the most surprising items on display was a totem pole claimed to been created by a “Northwest Indian Tribe” for the Chicago World’s Fair, also known as World’s Columbian Exposition, in 1893. The Ferris Wheel was introduced at this event and the term “midway” was coined to describe the main road of the fair designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Harry Codman. This was also the preying grounds of serial killer H.H. Holmes featured in the 2003 bestseller The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. As for the totem pole, the museum is actively seeking information on who made it, especially photographs confirming that it was at the fair.

The Doyle Collection of Native American Dolls reminded me of the international collection featured in the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum. A pair of cute Mississippi Band Choctaw dolls in matching red outfits were created by Cleddie Ruby Ben Bell of Philadelphia, MS. Less comforting was the Abenaki Woman Doll designed by Martha White using a pinched, dried, and shrunken apple for the head. According to signage, the head “does not spoil, but it does become darker with age”.

Near the dolls were a collection of bags, moccasins, and a dress with intricate beadwork. Some designs that seemed modern due to their bright colors were actually created in the late 19^th century. The dress was worn by Mary Roberts Rinehart, best known as a mystery novelist and photographer. In 1916, she was adopted by a Blackfeet community living in Glacier National Park in Montana and given Pi-ta-mak-an or Running Eagle. Outside of her initiation ceremony, photographs show her wearing typical Progressive Era clothing for an upper middle class woman.

If you like museums featuring the personal belongings of people stretching across thousands of years and meticulously annotating the origin and maker of each item, this is the museum for you. One with an intense interest in American history before colonialism could spend the entire day poring over the cases and reading each sign. As someone with decent knowledge of this time period but a less intense interest, I spent just under an hour looking around.

The museum is open from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. most Saturdays throughout the year. It is fully accessible to those using a wheelchair and has some seating available. The space is generally well-lit. Admission is $5 for adults; $2 for children under 16; and $0 for MAS members, Middleboro students, and active duty military. If you have just stopped by Middleborough Historical Society and want even more history, this is a great add-on to your trip.

Abby Epplett’s Rating System

Experience: 7/10

Accessibility: 8/10