The Wesleyan Museum was created in 1871 to supplement the science curriculum at Wesleyan University. Its collections of natural history materials as well as enthnographic artifacts made it popular with students and faculty in the late 19th century. It became less important to the university as new methods of studying supplanted the museum, and it was closed in 1957.
The Wesleyan Museum Records contains annual reports, correspondence, invoices, inventories, catalogues, accession books, photos, and other materials related to the operations and collections of the museum.
For more information, please refer to the finding aid available at http://wesleyan.edu/libr/schome/FAs/mu2000-27.xml.