Shelburne Museum Incorporated

“Description of organization's collections: Shelburne museum was founded in 1947 by pioneering collector Electra Havemeyer Webb whose lifetime passion for early American material culture forms the museum's core collections. Mrs. Webb was the daughter of sugar magnate H.O. Havemeyer and his wife Louisine, who amassed one of the finest collections of impressionist and old master paintings. Mrs. Webb inherited their love of collecting; she began at 19 and is recognized as a seminal collector of folk art and Americana and as the only woman to create and endow a major art and history museum. She was a leading figure among a group of collectors that included Henry Francis Du Pont (founder of Winterthur), Henry and Helen Flint (historic Deerfield) and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (Colonial Williamsburg) that was highly influential in reintroducing early American aesthetics and themes to the mainstream in the 20th century through their roles in the colonial revival and in creating the first museums to celebrate American material culture. Mrs. Webb collected cultural artifacts that best exemplified the ingenuity and craftsmanship of 18th and 19th century America. The over 150,000 pieces held at Shelburne museum today include quilts, weathervanes, rugs, tools, toys, furniture, circus figures, dolls, decoys, agricultural implements, trade signs, ship figureheads, paintings, prints and household artifacts spanning four centuries. In creating Shelburne museum, Mrs. Webb also took the innovative step of collecting historic New England buildings and relocating them to the museum. Of the 39 exhibition structures at the museum 25 are historic; these included houses, barns, a lighthouse, a schoolhouse, a covered bridge, a general store, a railroad station, a jailhouse and the national historic landmark Steamboat Ticonderoga.”

“Intended Use of Museum's Endowment Funds: The Museum's Endowment includes both Board Designated funds and Donor Designated funds. These funds are invested in a pooled approach with income, gains and losses allocated to the individual pools within the endowment. The following separate purpose funds are maintained: Board Designated Collections Care endowment expendable only for the care and maintenance of the collections and the General Endowment to support Museum general operations. The Donor Designated funds are: The Brick House fund, for the care and maintenance of the Museum founders' home; two Ticonderoga endowments for the care and maintenance of our National Historic Landmark; and Grounds and Gardens endowment for the care and maintenance of our landscaping and gardens.”

“Cost of goods sold..................... $ 255,711 Housing reimbursement.................. 750 Fundraising expenses................... 28,254 Insurance claim........................ 14,748 UNREALIZED GAIN ON PENSION............. 401,889 ---------- Total Part XII Line 2d................. $ 701,352 ==========”

“Insurance reimbursement................ $ 14,748 Cost of goods sold..................... 258,509 Housing reimbursement.................. 750 Fundraising expenses................... 25,456 ---------- Total Part XII Line 2d................. $ 299,463 ==========”