The Hammer Museum, located in

Haines, Alaska Haines (Tlingit: ''Deishú'') is a census-designated place located in Haines Borough, Alaska, United States. It is in the northern part of the Alaska Panhandle, near Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve. As of the 2020 census, the populat ...

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, is the first museum in the world dedicated to

hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as w ...

s. The museum was founded in 2002 and became a non-profit organization in 2004. It features over 1,400 hammers and related

tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...

s, ranging from ancient times through the colonial days to the industrial era. It has 8,000 artifacts still in storage.

Mission

The mission of the Hammer Museum is to research, identify, exhibit, and preserve the history and use of hammers for the education of the general public.

History

The museum's founder, Dave Pahl, moved to

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

from

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

with the goal of becoming self-sufficient in 1973. He became a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

and began informally collecting hand tools. His collection grew over the years through purchases, gifts, and "hammer hunting" expeditions. In 2001, Pahl and his wife Carol purchased a hundred-year-old building in Haines and intended to turn the space into a museum. If there was any doubt about the plan, Dave uncovered a ceremonial

Tlingit The Tlingit ( or ; also spelled Tlinkit) are indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America. Their language is the Tlingit language (natively , pronounced ),

warrior's pick while digging a foundation for the building. The museum opened in 2002 and became a non-profit organization in 2004. Most of the hammers on display are on permanent loan from the Pahl collection, but the museum actively collects new acquisitions. For a complete history, see the website.

Collections

The Hammer Museum has several galleries featuring hammers used for blacksmithing, early trades, industry, and specific materials such as metal, stone, and wood. The collection has traditional hammers such as those used in mining, ranching, carpentry, the railroad industry, and auto-body repair. Others include those that served bankers, nightclub goers of the 1920s and 1930s, barristers, cobblers, and musicians, as well as those in the medical profession such as doctors and dentists. Collection highlights include an Egyptian

dolerite Diabase (), also called dolerite () or microgabbro, is a mafic, holocrystalline, subvolcanic rock equivalent to volcanic basalt or plutonic gabbro. Diabase dikes and sills are typically shallow intrusive bodies and often exhibit fine-grained ...

ball, Roman battle heads, Tlingit warrior's pick, over fifty hammer patents on display, as well as both indoor and outdoor sculpture.

References

External links

* {{coord, 59.2351, -135.4445, type:landmark_region:US-AK, display=title 2002 establishments in Alaska Buildings and structures in Haines Borough, Alaska History museums in Alaska Roadside attractions in Alaska Technology museums in Alaska Tourist attractions in Haines Borough, Alaska Museums established in 2002