Explore the Innovation and Science Behind Sound Reproduction
Natalie Hays Hammond Temporary Exhibit Room:
Spinning Platters with Hammond: Inside the World of Vinyl Records
New this season, Hammond Castle Museum presents two dynamic, temporary exhibitions that explore the inventive spirit and personal passions of John Hays Hammond Jr. These exhibitions not only examine the artistic and cultural influences that shaped Hammond’s world but also continue the Museum’s commitment to STEAM education. By integrating science and engineering with art and history, the exhibits provide a multidimensional look at how Hammond’s over 500 patents intersected with creative expression and technological advancement. As the Museum uncovers more about Hammond’s work, these exhibitions offer fresh opportunities to connect visitors of all ages with the spirit of innovation that defines both his legacy and the mission of Hammond Castle Museum
This engaging exhibit showcases highlights from Hammond’s vast vinyl and shellac record collection, including rare and unusual formats, along with interactive and multimedia elements that break down the science of sound, including the complexities of how audio records are made and how they work in a simplified and accessible manner for all ages. A custom-built jukebox, loaded with newly digitized audio samples from the Museum’s archival collection, which have not been publicly shared since Hammond’s lifetime, offers visitors an immersive listening experience. The exhibition features hands-on components for everyone, from our youngest visitors to our oldest, offering two vintage-style record player toy sets for little ones to engage with and experience sound reproduction in an age appropriate and fun way as well as vintage records for guests to thumb through offering the tactile experience of musical discovery that defined much of the 20th century.
Inventions Exhibit Room:
Hammond’s Groundbreaking Videotape Technology
Meanwhile, in the Inventions Exhibit Room, guests can discover Hammond’s Groundbreaking Videotape Technology, an exhibit that explores one of Hammond’s visionary 1928 patents and presents it through new models, interpretive graphics, and an expanded suite of educational video games designed for both kids and adults. These hands-on and visually compelling exhibits are designed not only to highlight Hammond’s innovative contributions to early recording and video technologies but to make complex scientific concepts approachable for a broad audience.
By engaging visitors with science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics—STEAM—this season’s exhibitions aim to inspire curiosity and ignite a passion for exploration in the next generation of innovators.