In late summer 2024, after a nearly two-year conservation process, the Holley pocketknife collection in its,  refurbished black walnut display case, was ready to return to the Academy Building. But no one wanted to return it to its former home in an obscure corner.   

At the same time, the Salisbury Association Land Trust was looking for a location to display the Salisbury Open Space Map and offer trail maps and brochures to visitors.   

It was time to rethink and refresh the building’s first floor exhibit space. 

The Salisbury Association engaged Chris Pouler, a designer of exhibits and television news sets, to redesign its exhibit space to enhance use of the building and provide a more cohesive arrangement of the Association’s historical artifacts, paintings and interpretive texts. Pouler created four new exhibition focus areas: Arsenal of the Revolution, Holley Manufacturing Company (including the pocketknife display), Land Trust and Industry in Salisbury.   

The newly designed exhibits also allowed more space for the Coffing family portraits and prominently displayed the intriguing story of Jane (Jennie) Winslow, a free Black woman whose image appears in the Maria Birch Coffing portrait. 

In addition to Pouler, several local craftspeople provided valuable services:   

• James Clark (graphics layouts) 
• Duane Jones (a new wall)
• Mark and Matt Shaggy (construction of wall panels) 
• Carrie Babigian (custom fabrication of cherry display rack)
• Cory Wiggins (painting)
• Ghi Sign (printing and application of graphics and text panels)

The Holley Manufacturing Company, founded in 1844 by Alexander Hamilton Holley, was the first domestic maker of pocket cutlery in the United States. The company was a major employer in Lakeville for more than 100 years. A display of Holley knives was created for the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia and housed in a black walnut and glass-covered case. In 2023-24, the knives were cleaned and repaired and the historic case refurbished. The display, which had been modified several times in its history, due to theft and other factors, was redesigned and more than one hundred of the original pocket knives are included. Fallon & Wilkinson of Baltic, CT was chosen to do the work, which required each of the 130 knives to be assessed and treated individually. The case was also repaired and the lettering regilded. Level Fine Arts Service of Bolton, CT created a new display arrangement according to museum quality standards. The newly preserved and resigned display is now housed prominently in reconfigured Academy Building space.  

A magnificent 300-year-old white oak tree at the Town Grove blew down during a storm in 2010. Inspired to make use of the wood, the Association commissioned David Bowen, a master woodworker at the Salisbury Artisans, to design and make a 16-foot meeting table. Elaine and Louis Hecht funded the project. Ed Herrington donated use of his company’s lift to help town crews move the tabletop into the building.

When the Holley-Williams House was sold in 2010, many museum artifacts were moved into the Academy Building. Renovation of the interior space became a priority because of severe overcrowding. In 2011, Chris Brennan, a trustee and interior designer specializing in historic preservation, designed and oversaw a two-year renovation project. The first floor reception area, computer room, and restroom were updated, and the exhibit space was upgraded with an inventive system for displays. David and Bobbie Olsen and their Family Foundation generously funded the extensive renovations.

Circuit Court fixtures on the second level were replaced with wooden storage cabinets designed to meet our specific needs and those of our collections. With appreciation for Bobbie’s many contributions, both in connection with the renovation project and as a long-time trustee, the second-floor space was named The Bobbie Olsen Room in her honor.