The Museum of Missing History was born out of the realization that thousands of historic objects known to scholarship are missing or “unlocated.”  Listening to lectures on history and art history it seems that nearly all mention at least one missing object which could shed important new light on the topic.  Speakers often add, “If anyone here knows where it is, please see me afterward.”  This line always gets a chuckle, but how often does it actually produce results?

Until now there has been no dedicated place for sharing the stories of missing historic objects even just amongst scholars and enthusiasts; and the general public is completely in the dark.  Meanwhile, every day people pass by objects that could open new frontiers in the study of history, art history and material culture if only the right people knew where they were.

Informal discussions with museum curators and other scholars confirm that there are thousands of historic objects that have simply fallen out of sight.  The curator of one house museum commented, “I’ve got a whole file drawer of [information on] things that we would like to find.” 

Clearly, most of these objects have become separated from their history and the people who own them do not realize their historic importance.  It is only by educating everyone, scholars and the general public alike, about what is missing that these things will come to light.  Otherwise, many of these objects may be lost to history forever.

MOMH has been in development since 2003.  The first entries from the Catalogue of Missing Objects (COMO) were published in The Catalogue of Antiques & Fine Art (now Antiques & Fine Art) magazine in 2005.  In February 2007 the Museum received 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS.  The MOMH website went live in February 2008, after extensive attention to detail and design.

Martin Murphy, the museum’s founder, has a degree in History from Northeastern University in Boston.  His career has included public relations, computer systems consulting, and antiques dealing and scholarship.  He credits this specific blend of experiences with making the need for the Museum of Missing History obvious to him.

The museum’s office is presently located in Audubon, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.

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