Watertown museum preserves the history and culture of Armenia

8/25/2005
Vanadzor.net
by Mark Pratt

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The largest Armenian museum in the U.S. preserves and promotes the distinct and vibrant culture of the Armenian people, who have survived and thrived despite their sad history.

It houses a collection of 20,000 artifacts, and continually changing displays of ornate Bibles, Gospels and prayer books; colorful rugs, clothing and textiles; antique musical instruments; ancient coins from the time before Christ; dazzling jewelry and more.

"This museum is ethnic wealth and history accumulated in one place," executive director Berj Chekijian said.

Founded in 1971 in the basement of a church in Belmont, the museum moved to its current location in busy Watertown Square in 1990. It now draws about 7,000 visitors annually.

The Boston suburb has long been a center of Armenian immigration. Of Watertown’s 34,000 residents, more than 20 percent can claim Armenian descent, by Lind-Sinanian’s estimate.
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But it’s not necessary to have Armenian blood to appreciate the museum. The sheer beauty of the jewelry, rugs and textiles have universal appeal, and the museum also explains Armenians’ contributions to U.S. and world history.
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The museum also highlights prominent Armenian-Americans, including Dr. Jack Kevorkian, best known for being an advocate of doctor-assisted suicide for the terminally ill. But Kevorkian, [...] is also a writer, artist and composer, and the museum has samples of that work.
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Moses Hadji Gulesian, a Boston coppersmith, is credited with saving the USS Constitution. When the Navy wanted to haul the warship into Boston Harbor to use for target practice, Gulesian recognized its historical significance and offered to buy it. It’s now one of Boston’s top tourist attractions.
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{For the location of the museum, the visiting hours and entrance fees please click here.}

Note: Above are excerpts from the article. The full article appears here. Clarifications and comments by me are contained in {}. Deletions are marked by [...]. The bold emphasis is mine.