The Computer Museum (Boston)

The Computer Museum (Boston). Founded in 1979, it was one of the world's first major museums dedicated to the history and impact of computers and information technology. Located on Museum Wharf in Boston, it was established by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) founders Kenneth Olsen and computer pioneer Gordon Bell. The institution played a pivotal role in preserving the physical artifacts and stories of the Digital Revolution before becoming the core of the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley.

History

The museum originated from the personal collection of Gordon Bell, which was initially housed within Digital Equipment Corporation's headquarters in Maynard, Massachusetts. With significant support from DEC and its co-founder Kenneth Olsen, the collection was formally established as The Computer Museum in 1979. In 1984, it moved to a dedicated, prominent location on Museum Wharf in Boston, sharing a building with the Children's Museum of Boston. This move was spearheaded by the museum's first president, Gwen Bell, and marked its transition into a major public institution. Key early staff and advisors included computer historian Bernard A. Galler and curator Oliver Strimpel, who helped shape its scholarly direction. The museum operated at this location for fifteen years, navigating the rapid technological changes of the 1980s and 1990s.

Exhibits and collections

The museum's exhibits spanned the breadth of computing history, featuring iconic artifacts like a working reconstruction of the ENIAC, a PDP-1 computer, and an original Apple I. Its renowned "Walk-Through Computer" exhibit, a two-story model of a personal computer, allowed visitors to explore interior components like a giant CPU and RAM. Other significant displays included "The Tools and Toys of the Information Age," which traced the evolution from abaci to video games, and exhibits on artificial intelligence, robotics, and computer networking. The collection held seminal machines from companies like IBM, Cray Research, and Control Data Corporation, alongside important supercomputers and minicomputers. It also preserved notable software and documented the stories of pioneers from institutions like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Bell Labs.

Relocation and legacy

By the late 1990s, the center of the computing industry had shifted decisively to Silicon Valley. In 1996, the museum's extensive core collection was moved to Mountain View, California, to form the basis of the Computer History Museum. The Boston location continued to operate with a focus on public and educational programs until its closure in 1999. Many of its remaining artifacts and exhibits were transferred to institutions including the Museum of Science, Boston and the University of New Hampshire. The museum's pioneering educational initiative, "The Computer Clubhouse," co-founded with the MIT Media Lab, evolved into a global network managed by Boston College. The original Museum Wharf building was later redeveloped, with the Children's Museum of Boston remaining as the sole tenant.

Significance and impact

The institution was instrumental in establishing the preservation of computer technology as a serious academic and cultural endeavor, influencing later museums like the National Museum of Computing in the United Kingdom. It provided a crucial physical repository for hardware and stories from the early Digital Revolution, capturing history from the era of mainframes through the rise of the Internet. Its innovative, hands-on exhibits, developed in collaboration with experts from MIT and Stanford University, set a standard for public engagement with complex technology. The museum's legacy endures most directly through the Computer History Museum, which has expanded its mission to become the world's leading institution on the history of information technology and its ongoing social transformation.