L. Caroline Underwood had a dream. She wanted her family’s home on Liberty Street to become a “public history museum.” When that home fell victim to the expansion of the county’s offices, her estate purchased 107 Chapel Street to house her museum and entered into an agreement with the Historical Society to oversee her collection. Of her vast collections ranging from swizzle sticks to pink porcelain pigs, Caroline had 44 objects that she especially wanted to share with the public. However, an additional 1,500 objects have been preserved for exhibition and research purposes. Caroline’s Museum on the second floor of the L. Caroline Underwood Museum interprets the life of this well loved teacher, an avid collector and a passionate supporter of local history. Caroline has given us the unique opportunity to think about local history, about identity, about collections, and about the mission of local history in our communities.