Assembled over a lifetime and inspiring wonder for generations, Skinner’s cabinet of curiosities has been a unique treasure of MHC’s campus since 1946.
Welcome to the Joseph Allen Skinner Museum Facebook Page!
The Joseph Allen Skinner Museum is a 20th-century cabinet of curiosities. The Museum consists of the diverse collections of Joseph Skinner (1867-1946), a local manufacturer and philanthropist. Skinner was interested in preserving a disappearing past, with collections of farm implements, colonial life, Native American artifacts, decorative arts, and a whole lot more. In time, he accumulated an eclectic mix of objects from western Massachusetts and around the world.
The Skinner Museum opened to the public in 1932 and became part of the Mount Holyoke College campus upon Skinner’s death in 1946. Today, the Skinner Museum is administered by the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum and continues to be preserved as a resource for the campus and the community, in keeping with Joseph Skinner’s original vision.
The Skinner Museum will be closed October-April, except by appointment. If you would like to schedule a group tour, please call the Museum. A two week notice would be appreciated.
