Wenham Museum Patton Family Archives
Preservation and Care
Store and preserve the Archives in secure, climate-controlled museum-grade storage while providing oversight and management of collections by professional, dedicated archivists and curators.
Wenham Museum Patton Family Archives
Support the 2018-19 Archive Campaign!
PATTON FAMILY ARCHIVES
In 2017, the Patton Family selected the Wenham Museum as the future permanent home for the Joanne Holbrook and George Smith Patton IV Archives, known as the Patton Family Archives. This vast private collection represents the lives of Joanne Holbrook Patton, Major General George Smith Patton, General George S. Patton, Jr. and their families.
The Archives include thousands of documents, photographs, videos, ephemera, textiles, and objects from the Civil War to the present day—including World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War—as well as the achievements of Joanne Holbrook Patton, who is dedicated to the care and well being of military families.
Wenham Museum is honored to be chosen as the steward of this important piece of American history.
WENHAM MUSEUM MISSION
The mission of the Wenham Museum is to celebrate childhood, interpret history, and explore culture for the enrichment of all generations in the greater North Shore community and beyond. The museum engages multigenerational members and visitors in examining the promise of the American experiment and provides thought-provoking learning experiences that connect the past, present, and future in a welcoming and inclusive environment.
The Patton Family Archives are an essential cornerstone of this mission. This collection chronicles the life and legacy of one of America’s premier military families. It tells important stories about family life, community, citizenship, and service while connecting the public with the values to preserve, honor, and commemorate military service, sacrifice, and heritage.
Located on Boston’s North Shore
Wenham Museum and Patton Homestead
The Patton Family Archives are currently kept within the Patton Homestead, a historic 18th-century estate recently gifted to the Town of Hamilton, which is located 2.5 miles from the museum’s primary location. This property was the residence of the Patton family from 1928 to 2012.
General George S. Patton, Jr. and his wife Beatrice Ayer Patton purchased the Homestead to serve as their home in between deployments and for their retirement after World War II. Following General Patton’s death in 1945, the Homestead remained the residence of his widow, Beatrice Ayer Patton, and later his son, Major General George S. Patton and his family. Major General Patton died in 2004. In 2012, his widow, Joanne Holbrook Patton, donated the Homestead and twenty-seven acres of land to the Town of Hamilton, Massachusetts.
Wenham Museum plans to preserve, steward, and exhibit the Archives within the Homestead and its main museum location. Strong collaborations are in place with the Town of Hamilton and its care of the Homestead as it relates to the Patton Archives.
With Special Thanks to Our Lead Supporter:
Thanks to Gordon College, Wenham, Massachusetts
