The Finger Saga: One Museum’s Quest to Turn the Macabre into the Meaningful

The Wood County (Ohio) Historical Center and Museum has struggled with how to treat a controversial artifact a long time in its possession: a set of severed human fingers in a jar. Collected from a murder scene in 1881, “The Fingers in the Jar” have become a popular piece of the museum’s collection...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Public historian 2018-05, Vol.40 (2), p.23-42
Main Author: Mancuso, Rebecca
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ethics
Historic artifacts
Human remains
Local history
Museums
REPORTS FROM THE FIELD
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Summary:The Wood County (Ohio) Historical Center and Museum has struggled with how to treat a controversial artifact a long time in its possession: a set of severed human fingers in a jar. Collected from a murder scene in 1881, “The Fingers in the Jar” have become a popular piece of the museum’s collection but for problematic reasons. This article traces the artifact’s life from creation to lurid objectification and proposes a new interpretation that recognizes its profound moral value. Such provocative exhibits can generate critical moral reflection and thus the museum is exploring ways to present these controversial human remains despite ethical concerns. Displaying them in a humanizing, pedagogically sound way fits squarely within the museum’s updated mission to promote social justice. The museum can offer a pathway toward public education on domestic homicide in all its brutality, historically and today.
ISSN:0272-3433
1533-8576
DOI:10.1525/tph.2018.40.2.23