Scoop
Scoop
Wood
ca. 1780
Mission House Collection, The Trustees
Mabel Choate gave The Trustees the Mission House. Built in 1740, the House was the home of the first missionary to the Stockbridge Mohican Indians, John Sergeant, and his wife Abigail. Mabel Choate restored the house and created the gardens with the guidance of landscape architect Fletcher Steele. The wood scoop with the small animal figure on the handle is an important piece related to the Stockbridge Mohicans and part of a display of objects related to this community that honors their life and legacy.
The Mission House (1740) in Stockbridge, a National Historic Landmark, was moved and restored in 1926-28 by Miss Mabel Choate, a pioneer preservationist. When Choate was building her collection to furnish the Mission House, she purchased several objects from the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of the Mohican Nation including several baskets, powder horns and clothing. These items are on exhibit and remain part of an ongoing cultural collaboration with the tribe, now based in Bowler, Wisconsin.
Choate acquired an outstanding collection of 17th and 18th century American furniture, ceramics, and tools from prestigious antique dealers and from Sergeant family descendants to furnish the house. Highlights include a 1680 Connecticut ‘Sunflower’ chest, a 1620-80 oak ornamented chest, and several fine 17th and 18th century chests, beds and other furnishings. Of note, Mabel Choate purchased items from Sack and other noted New York dealers and was in the same circle as the DuPont family.
