Donate to Museum Collections

Frequently Asked Questions: Donating Items to the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site Museum Collection

What kinds of things are in your museum collection?

The Sagamore Hill National Historic Site museum collection contains over 18,000 artifacts! Most of the collections are objects that belonged to the Roosevelt family and were used at Sagamore Hill, including books, furniture, artwork, textiles, and more. Our archival collections contains original documents, letters, photographs, and additional resources that document Theodore Roosevelt’s life, family, and career. Some objects have been donated to the site by the public over the years. The museum collection also contains objects from archeology projects and natural history objects from the site. If you are interested in conducting field work at the park, please contact Chief of Cultural Resources Clare Connelly by email or at 516-802-5586.

What kinds of things do you accept into the museum collection?

We accept items that are directly related to the history of our site, as described by our Scope of Collection statement. This is a document that all national parks have, and it is very important! The Scope of Collection Statement ensures that we limit our museum collection to items that are relevant to this national park's national significance and purpose. The different areas of our Scope, and their time periods of significance, are described below.

Theodore Roosevelt and Sagamore Hill

• Objects and archival materials with a Theodore Roosevelt AND a Sagamore Hill provenance, 1880-1919 (dates from property purchase to his death).

Roosevelt Family and Sagamore Hill

• Objects and archival materials with Roosevelt family associations AND a Sagamore Hill provenance, 1880-1948 (dates from property purchase to Mrs. Roosevelt’s death and the sale of the property to the Theodore Roosevelt Assocation).

Theodore Roosevelt’s Public and Intellectual Life

• Object and archival materials with an association to Theodore Roosevelt’s public and intellectual life and symbols of his political beliefs and activities. Although the purpose of the park is to interpret the Roosevelts’ life at Sagamore Hill, the park will, under certain circumstances, acquire remarkable items which add substantially to the interpretation of Theodore Roosevelt. An example of such materials would be the papers of Frank Harper, who served as Roosevelt’s private secretary from 1910 to 1914 and whose papers document Roosevelt’s political activities with the Progressive and Bull Moose parties and his travels to South America in 1913-14.

Sagamore Hill as a Museum and National Historic Site

• Objects and archival material that relate to the establishment and operation of the Sagamore Hill museum by the TRA and the establishment of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, 1948-1963.

What can I donate?

If your donation fits into one of the Scope of Collection categories listed above, you may offer to donate objects as long as you own them outright. You must have full legal title to the object(s) and have the full power and authority to donate them to the National Park Service.

I'd like to donate an item to your museum collection! How do I get started? What happens next?

Wonderful! First, contact Chief of Cultural Resources Clare Connelly by email or at 516-802-5586 to discuss your potential donation. Please provide a description of the item(s) you would like to donate and, if you can, photos. Any background information you can provide about your items helps us to determine if they will be a good fit for our collection.Every potential donation to our museum collection must be reviewed by our Collections Advisory Committee. This interdisciplinary committee is comprised of the park’s Chief of Cultural Resources, a representative from the Interpretation division, and a professional curator from another national park. Together, they discuss each donation and whether it fits into the park's mission and Scope of Collection. Typically, this committee meets quarterly.The committee may recommend to the superintendent that your item become part of our collection. After final approval by the superintendent, we will contact you to arrange for the objects transport to the park. You will be asked to sign a Deed of Gift, which formally transfers ownership of the item from you to the National Park Service.If the committee does not recommend acquisition of your item, we may recommend other museums or collecting institutions that we believe would be a good home for your item.

What will happen to my item once it is part of the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site museum collection?

Artifacts and archives in the Sagamore Hill National Historic Site museum collection are used in many different ways! Our collection is used by researchers investigating a wide variety of historical topics, and by park staff as they develop public programs interpreting the history of the site. Curatorial staff at the national park also create museum exhibits using artifacts from our museum collection, write articles featuring items in the collection, and share them on social media.The National Park Service is dedicated to preserving the park’s collection for current and future generations. Our Cultural Resources team is committed to the highest level of care for all the artifacts in our collection.

Is my donation tax deductible?

Yes! Donations to the National Park Service are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. If you would like your donation to be tax deductible, you are responsible for:

• establishing the value of the gift for tax deduction purposes.
• meeting Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements.
• completing a Noncash Charitable Contributions form (IRS Form 8283)
• getting a professional appraisal for items that total over $5,000.

National Park Service staff cannot provide monetary appraisals. If you need to obtain an appraisal, you may want to start on the website of the American Society of Appraisers.