THE WAKEFIELD CHARITABLE TRUST MINERAL COLLECTION: DESIGNING AN EDUCATIONAL EXHIBIT

The Wakefield Estate was built in 1794 in Milton, Massachusetts. The Estate was passed down through the generations until the formation of the Mary M. B. Wakefield Charitable Trust in 2004 after the passing of Mary “Polly” Wakefield, a horticulturalist and landscape designer. Mrs. Wakefield bequeathed her estate and assets to the Charitable Trust with the wish that they be utilized for life-long, participatory learning. After an appraisal of the estate, a sizable collection of rocks and minerals was discovered in the basement of the main house. Most of the collection was purchased through brokers like W. Scott Lewis from California. The collection consists of four cabinets, large loose minerals and a number of crystal mounts. The collection is estimated to contain well over 1,000 samples, including a comprehensive suite of hydrothermal minerals and unique metamorphic mineral assemblages.

The purpose of the project is to identify each of the rocks or minerals using field guides, textbooks and basic testing techniques. A number of the samples came with identification tags provided by the dealer, so those specimens are simply confirmed using field guides. Once the samples are identified, they are photographed and cataloged in a detailed geospatial database. The database will contain any information supplied from the Trust, details obtained through identification and standard properties. For samples with a known location, a map will be created using ESRI ArcMap to display the origin of the specimen. Once all samples have been cataloged in this manner, an interactive, educational exhibit will be designed for the Wakefield Trust. The collection will be searchable by location, mineral name, elemental composition and other aspects. Ultimately, the collection will also be searchable on-line to enable collectors and researchers to access the collection and, when needed, request specimens for exchange and/or research.