Before merging with the university in 1948, the museum was founded as an independent collection by General Rush Hawkins, a collector of incunabula, and his wife, Annmary Brown (1837-1903).
Margaret Bingham Stillwell, curator of the collection from 1917-1953, was a renowned bibliographer who also wrote histories of the library.[2][3][4]
The Hawkinses are interred in a crypt at the building. The building was constructed in 1903 by architect Norman Isham. Today, the museum features a wide array of art from around the world.[5]
The building housed a well known collection of 450 incunabula for many years. In 1990, the collection was moved to the John Hay Library.[6]
Visiting
The museum is normally open on Monday through Friday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. during the academic year, Labor Day through Memorial Day.[5]
^Mitchell, Martha (1993). "Annmary Brown Memorial". Encyclopedia Brunoniana. Providence, RI: Brown University Library. ASINB0006P9F3C. Retrieved December 6, 2007.
^Stillwell, Margaret B. The Annmary Brown Memorial: A Descriptive Essay (Providence: The Annmary Brown Memorial, 1925).
^Stillwell, Margaret B. General Hawkins as He Revealed Himself to His Librarian, Margaret Bingham Stillwell (Providence: 1923).
^Stillwell, Margaret B. The Annmary Brown Memorial: A Booklover’s Shrine (Providence: Privately Printed, 1940).