Explore Our Collection

Collection Highlights

Artifacts, photographs, textiles, furniture, and community objects cared for by the Mathews Museum. Objects, photographs, documents, and everyday artifacts preserve the texture of life in Mathews County.

MM.2025.001 · The Hunley Collection

Key-Driven Adding Machine

Mechanical key-driven adding machine made by the Burroughs Adding Machine Company, used in early 20th-century commercial settings for totaling sales and printing paper tape.

Object record

Maker	Burroughs Adding Machine Company
Date	ca. 1915–1930
Type	Business Machine
Materials	Cast metal, enamel paint, steel, early plastic (Bakelite)
Dimensions	Approx. 12 in W x 15 in D x 10 in H
Status	Permanent Collection · On view

Provenance. Acquired by Mathews Museum. Machine bears dealer mark “Parker” indicating local distribution by a regional agent.

The story. Key-driven adding machines like this were used by clerks in early 20th-century general stores to manually total purchases and produce a printed tape record. Before modern electronic registers, machines from the Burroughs Adding Machine Company were a standard for business accuracy and bookkeeping across the United States.

Mathews Museum Collection · Photo: Mathews Museum

MM.2025.002 · Vintage Housewares

Royal Quiet Typewriter

Manual portable typewriter manufactured by the Royal Typewriter Company, designed for quieter operation in offices, homes, and small businesses during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

Object record

Maker	Royal Typewriter Company
Date	ca. 1928–1933
Type	Typewriter
Materials	Cast metal, steel, glass keytops, rubber, fabric ribbon
Dimensions	Approx. 11 in W x 12 in D x 9 in H
Status	Permanent Collection · On view

Provenance. Acquired by the Mathews Museum. Typical of typewriters used in small businesses and offices for correspondence, record-keeping, and ordering during the early 20th century.

The story. The Royal Quiet typewriter represents the transition from handwritten to typed communication in American businesses and homes. Marketed for its reduced operating noise, the Royal Quiet was widely used for correspondence, invoices, and record-keeping. Machines like this would have been an important tool in general stores and offices, enabling clearer communication with suppliers, customers, and government agencies.

Mathews Museum Collection · Photo: Mathews Museum

MM.2025.003 · Civic & Professional Life

Campeche Chair

Leather sling armchair known as a Campeche chair, a form originating in colonial Mexico and widely used in the American South during the 19th century. This example was discovered in the attic of the historic Mathews County Courthouse in Virginia.

Object record

Maker	Unknown
Date	ca. 1850–1900
Type	Seating Furniture
Materials	Hardwood frame, vegetable-tanned leather, metal tacks
Dimensions	Approx. 26 in W x 34 in D x 40 in H
Status	Permanent Collection · On view

Provenance. Discovered in the attic of the historic Mathews County Courthouse, Mathews, Virginia. The chair was held by Monticello for an extended period for research and study. A foundation has published research addressing this specific chair and its historical significance.

The story. Campeche chairs originated in colonial Mexico and spread throughout the Caribbean and the American South via global trade networks. Their leather sling seats and reclining form made them well suited to warm climates, and they were commonly associated with professional and civic authority. This example, discovered in the attic of the historic Mathews County Courthouse, was later held by Monticello for extended research. Scholarly interest in the chair reflects broader study of seating forms used during the era of Thomas Jefferson, whose documented interest in furniture design and comfort helps contextualize the cultural environment in which Campeche chairs were valued in early America.

Mathews Museum Collection · Photo: Mathews Museum

More objects from the collection will be added over time. Every item on this page is on view at the museum.