Re: Is it okay to take old railroad spikes?

GeorgeGaskill Wrote:
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> That's an altruistic attitude to take, but the
> reality is that someone else who doesn't share it
> will take it in the future. I like the idea of
> giving it to a museum that includes the area where
> found; give them pictures of it in situ as well as
> the object. That way future viewers can see it as
> you saw it.

George, this isn't directed at you...nor is it really a response to your post. But this seems a reasonable segue into a soapbox:

To anyone considering donating things to a museum: I strongly urge you to contact the museum beforehand to ask if the museum is interested in having the things you want to give. So many museums are overflowing with old stuff that they neither need, want, know where it came from, nor can properly care for or display. Not to be overly critical, but if it is a local amateur-run museum it is likely a rats nest of random things with little context, provenance, or provenience. A professionally-run museum will have a curator and/or archivist who can tell you whether or not your artifacts fit their mission, if they want them, and how to properly donate them.