Since September 2020, MHHM Wednesday Story Times have touched on what it means to be a collector. We have highlighted many different types of collections: toys and dolls, cartoons and comic books, trains, books, and more. MHHM founder, W. Parsons Todd (1877-1976), enjoyed collecting objects from the past, including objects that were handmade by people for centuries. Today, November 18, 2020, we remember Mr. Todd on the anniversary of his birthday.
Mr. Todd did not leave a lot of information about why he loved to collect things from the past or what his favorite objects in his collection were. What we do know is that Mr. Todd was kind, served as a public official, twice as mayor, in Morristown, supported many Morristown organizations, and founded his museum, Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, for Morristown. His advice for living in community is as necessary today as it was when he first gave it. Mr. Todd wanted everyone “to be friends and get along well with each other.”
We are grateful to W. Parsons Todd for establishing Macculloch Hall Historical Museum, preserving the building and opening the important collection to the public, and for his work as a philanthropist. During his long life, Mr. Todd supported many Morristown organizations including Morristown Memorial Hospital, Neighborhood House, Urban League, The Salvation Army, Morristown-Morris Township Library, the YMCA, the Red Cross, and United Way. W. Parsons Todd made his love for Morristown, New Jersey very apparent. His words and actions make clear why during his lifetime he was known as “Mr. Morristown.”
Join us for Guess & Go Story Time at noon today to hear stories about collections, with ideas about starting a new collection, and to see some of the “one-of-a-kind” pieces from Mr. Todd’s collection.
Topic: What Do You Collect?
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