Poe Museum Brings Big Responsibilities

The Poe Museum, as the only literary museum in Virginia, is known for its uniqueness and small, intimate environment. Although not large in size, the limited staff works hard around the clock to maintain the exhibits and protect the museum’s integrity. Chris Semnter, the longtime museum curator, said that the museum is constantly looking for new ways to preserve the artifacts and documents in their possession. These documents need to be kept cool and dry at all times. In each room, there are HOBO data loggers on the wall that monitor the temperature and humidity; they also contain a USB port that the staff uses to transfer the data onto their phone or computer. Poe’s books need the most delicate care out of all the artifacts. The books need to be constantly turned so that one page does not receive too much light or dust. Pages have a special mylar sheet placed over them to block UV light from penetrating. Additionally, motion sensors are installed to keep each room dark and save energy. The Poe Museum is working to update their museum, too, by using new display cabinets that will improve the look of their exhibits and better preserve the museum artifacts. The new cabinets will have drawers that can be pulled out to showcase Poe’s writings and possessions. These drawers will do a better job of ensuring that all artifacts are kept in a dark place, and the cabinet can free up more space to display items currently in storage. Semnter also commented that the museum is rotating their exhibits every two months and making sure that there is something new for each visit. Through these strategies and technology, the museum is able to successfully fulfill their mission to inspire visitors to read and write and entertain each visitor that wanders through its doors.