Laurel Museum

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox museum

|name = Laurel Museum

|image = Laurel museum 0935.JPG

|imagesize = 250

|caption = on November 16, 2013

|alt = photo of the Laurel Museum exterior on May 12, 2007

|map_type =

|map_caption =

|map_alt =

|coordinates = {{coord|39.11|-76.8572|display=inline}}

|established = {{Start date|1996|05|01}}

|location = 817 Main Street, Laurel, Maryland

|type = Local history museum

|director = Ann Bennett{{cite news|url=https://patch.com/maryland/laurel/laurel-historical-society-names-new-director|title=Laurel Historical Society Names New Director|last=Lubieniecki|first=Karen|date=March 16, 2018|work=Patch|access-date=2021-01-11 }}

|curator =

|publictransit = Laurel MARC; or CMRT routes C, G, or H

|website = [http://www.laurelhistoricalsociety.org laurelhistoricalsociety.org]

}}

The Laurel Museum is a museum in Laurel, Maryland, in the United States. It is located in a mill workers' home that was built by Horace Capron between 1836 and 1840.{{cite web |url=http://cityoflaurel-md.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapTour/index.html?appid=b42d4bc38d3b4b51a1bec24f44fe0734 |title=Historic Sites in Laurel, Maryland |publisher=ArcGIS (Esri) |access-date=January 8, 2016 |at=entry 25 |author=Laurel Historical Society and The City of Laurel |quote=constructed between 1836 and 1840 by Horace Capron, owner of the Patuxent Manufacturing Company, a cotton duck mill operating next door. The building was one of many duplexes built in the area to house mill workers and their families. }} It was restored by the City of Laurel, and opened to the public on May 1, 1996. Located on the northeast corner of 9th and Main Streets, the museum has exhibits that highlight the history of Laurel and its citizens. A gift shop is available and museum admission is free.{{cite web|url=http://www.laurelmuseum.org/pages/directions.html|title=Directions and Hours|work=laurelmuseum.org|publisher=Laurel Historical Society|access-date=2009-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008095927/http://www.laurelmuseum.org/pages/directions.html|archive-date=2011-10-08|url-status=dead}}

The {{convert|2590|sqft|adj=on}} brick and stone building was built with four living units, and was later converted into a two-family house. It was then transformed into a commercial property, and before its abandonment in the 1970s was a rental home and storage warehouse. In 1985 the building was purchased by the City of Laurel from the State of Maryland.{{cite web|url=http://www.laurel.md.us/prfac.htm#Museum |title=City of Laurel Parks & Facilities |work=www.laurel.md.us |publisher=City of Laurel, Maryland |access-date=2009-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090721115314/http://www.laurel.md.us/prfac.htm#Museum |archive-date=July 21, 2009 }}

The museum is operated by the Laurel Historical Society, a tax-exempt educational organization{{cite web|url=http://www.taxexemptworld.com/organizations/laurel-md-maryland.asp|title=Laurel MD TaxExempt/NonProfit Organizations|date=June 26, 2009|publisher=taxexemptworld.com|access-date=2009-08-08}} that was founded as the Laurel Horizon Society in 1976. The society received permission to use the city-owned building for a museum with the adoption of a resolution by the mayor and city council on February 25, 1991.{{cite web|url=http://www.laurelmuseum.org/pages/about_bkgd.html|title=History of the Laurel Historical Society|work=laurelmuseum.org|publisher=Laurel Historical Society|access-date=2009-08-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111008095934/http://www.laurelmuseum.org/pages/about_bkgd.html|archive-date=2011-10-08|url-status=dead}} The building was then renovated between 1993 and 1996, when it opened to the public. The museum's research library is named after John Calder Brennan, a local historian who died three months before the museum's opening.{{cite news |title=John Calder Brennan |work=Obituary section |publisher=The Washington Post |date=February 11, 1996 }}

The estate of photographer Bert Sadler gave the museum Sadler's notebooks and 1300 glass plate negatives to form The Sadler Collection. Starting as a permanent loan, this was ratified as a formal donation in 2007.{{citation needed|date=February 2023}}