The Eric Sloane Museum

A black and white photo of the invitation to an event.

Invitation for the museum dedication

A drawing of an old barn with a church steeple.

Architect Albert Walter Green’s rendering of the proposed museum building

“For half a century, visitors national and international alike have traveled to Kent, Connecticut, to obtain perspective on one of America’s most enduring artists.  Since opening on 30 May 1969, the Eric Sloane Museum has presented the artist’s collection of early American tools and original works of art, and serves as a source of education, inspiration, and as a touchstone for tens of thousands of visitors.  It is, for so many reasons, a remarkable achievement and testament to a man aptly described as “in constant motion”.  How did this delightful museum, the exhibits envisioned and crafted by the artist himself, come to pass?  It began with a town dump and an art show – and became a national treasure.”
-From Symbols of American Spirit: 50 Years of the Eric Sloane Museum

James ‘Wil’ Mauch has volunteered at the Eric Sloane museum since 2001, ultimately founding the non-profit Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum to preserve and protect the legacy of Eric Sloane. He has happily spent hundreds of hours over more than a quarter of a century researching the life and works of Eric Sloane, N.A. (1905-1985) and the museum he founded. Wil authored Symbols of American Spirit: 50 Years of the Eric Sloane Museum (2020) at the behest of the state of Connecticut. The book examines both the history of the museum and its significant collection of Eric Sloane artwork. If you have something to share of The Eric Sloane Museum, we will be sure to attribute the new addition to you. Or if you have any questions about Eric and his works, please email.

Hayrakes leaned against the museum wall during renovations
A woman sitting on top of a wooden bench.
Great Britain’s “Queen of Hardware” at the 1969 opening of the Sloane-Stanley Museum
A bench in front of a mirror with a picture on the wall.
Empty vestibule of the Sloane-Stanley Museum on dedication day, 28 May 1969
A man standing next to a wooden fence.
Eric Sloane – actually the Ur-Doodle Spooky, demonstrates the dog powered butter churn
A group of men standing around a tree.
From left: CT state senator John Minetto, Donald W. Davis (CEO, The Stanley Works), Lt. Governor Attilio Frassinelli, and Eric Sloane at the groundbreaking ceremony for the museum on 7 August 1968
A group of people standing around each other.
Eric Sloane and Spooky help guide visitors during the dedication ceremony
A man in a suit and tie holding a microphone.
Eric Sloane addresses the crowd at the dedication ceremony for the Sloane-Stanley Museum
A man standing in front of some wooden objects.
Eric Sloane, still putting the finishing touches on the displays, spring of 1969
A man in black jacket riding on a bike.
Eric working on the museum displays – this photo appears earlier – perhaps early spring, 1969 – as the image shows that many of the individual displays are only partially finished
A man and his dog standing in front of a sign.
Eric and Spooky, probably the winter of 1968
A black and white photo of three different pictures.
A compilation of 3 views of the museum vestibule prior to opening, as they appear in Wil Mauch’s Symbols of American Spirit
A red sign that says peace for wood
Eric’s hand lettering on one of the museum walls
A fire pit in the middle of an outdoor area.
Stone wall and fire pit gathering area, built by the Friends of the Eric Sloane Museum. The Kent Iron Furnace, Noah Blake cabin and re-created studio wing are visible
A painting of an artist 's studio with many books and paintings.
Interior view of Eric Sloane’s studio in the Eric Sloane Museum
A man sitting on the ground in front of a window.
Eric Sloane on opening day of the Sloane-Stanley Museum
A black and white photo of several different types of tools.
A 1969 press photo of one of the exhibits at the newly-opened Sloane-Stanley Museum
A black and white photo of some tools in a box.
A 1969 press photo of one of the exhibits at the newly-opened Sloane-Stanley Museum
A room filled with lots of different types of tools.
A 1969 press photo of one of the exhibits at the newly-opened Sloane-Stanley Museum
A black and white photo of an old barn.
A view of the Sloane-Stanley Museum 28 May 1969. Arthur Hamm, Contractor
A room with many wooden walls and some boxes
An interior view of the museum prior to renovation
A black and white photo of an old log cabin.
The original (re-created) Noah Blake cabin in 1974, shortly after completion
An interior view of the museum prior to renovation
An interior view of the museum prior to renovation
Donald Davis, CEO of the Stanley Works, presenting Eric Hatch (center) and Eric Sloane with standard model Stanley hammers with plated gold heads
From left: Eric Hatch, William Tobin, Gov. John Dempsey, Donald W. Davis, and Eric Sloane
Archival Polaroid discovered during Wil’s research for Symbols of American Spirit
At the groundbreaking ceremony for the Sloane-Stanley Museum, 7 August 1968: From left, Eric Hatch, William Tobin, Lt. Gov. Atillio Frassinelli, Donald W. Davis, and Eric Sloane
The Sloane-Stanley Museum, probably in the autumn of 1969. Notice the ladder and barn board siding, still to be removed from the work site.
Miss Anne Chapin, granddaughter of John Hopson, Treasurer and Executive Director of The Kent Iron Company until operations ceased in 1892, with Donald W. Davis at the groundbreaking ceremony. One of Wil’s favorite photographs he included in Symbols of American Spirit

“The museum is also unique and remarkable in the way that Eric conceptualized the exhibits. It is a misnomer to refer to the Eric Sloane Museum as a museum of early American tools – the Eric Sloane Museum is a museum of early American art, housed in the creation of a visionary and talented American artist.”

– From Symbols of American Spirit: 50 Years of the Eric Sloane Museum

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