New York State Museum Partners with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to Use Advanced Technology for Preserving and Studying New York History

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Museum and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) have launched a new partnership that uses advanced digital fabrication technology to help preserve, study, and share some of the state’s most fragile historical artifacts. Through this collaboration, RPI’s state-of-the-art 3D Scanning and Printing Lab has already produced replications of two artifacts recovered from a Revolutionary War-era gunboat discovered beneath the site of the World Trade Center.

The first artifacts selected for replication were an iron hearth ring and a four-pound cannonball recovered from the historic vessel. Museum researchers prioritized the items based on concerns about their long-term preservation. The reproductions provide valuable tools for research, education, and exhibition while ensuring that accurate records of the original artifacts are preserved for future generations.

Dr. Robert Feranec, Director of Research and Collections at the New York State Museum, said, “This partnership helps us fulfill one of the Museum's core responsibilities: preserving New York's history for future generations while also making it accessible to today’s researchers and the public. By balancing public engagement and current research opportunities with long-term preservation, this technology helps unlock new educational opportunities for all New Yorkers to learn directly from these valuable artifacts.”

Mike Rosado, Operations Manager at RPI’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, said, “It’s been amazing to see how modern technologies can be used to preserve the past. Using 3D scanning and printing, we can not only retain a highly detailed digital record of artifacts, but we can also create accurate reproductions. This will allow museums like the NYS Museum to preserve original pieces which may be too delicate to display, and give other museums and conservationists the ability to create their own accurate facsimiles. Because they are reproductions, some pieces may be made where museum audiences can actually hold the object, making the story of our past something tangible and more than just a story.”

Dr. William Gibbons, Dean of RPI’s School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences, said, "This partnership offers a powerful example of how technology and the humanities can work together to create new breakthroughs. Better understanding and preserving our past is deeply meaningful work that requires innovative inquiry and powerful tools, and I’m proud that RPI can combine our expertise with the State Museum to offer New Yorkers this powerful and tactile connection to our shared history.”

For the iron hearth ring, Museum scientists determined that necessary treatment would result in the loss of some original material. RPI used a high-resolution 3D scan of the artifact in its pre-treatment condition to create an accurate physical reproduction. This ensures researchers, educators, and the public have access to the object in its original form.

The Museum also partnered with RPI to create a replica of the four-pound cannonball because the original artifact has significant conservation issues that prevent it from being safely publicly displayed. The reproduction is now featured in the Museum’s Revolutionary New York exhibit, allowing visitors to engage with an accurate representation of the artifact while protecting its long-term survival.

Dr. Michael Lucas, Curator of Historical Archaeology at the New York State Museum, said, "The artifacts discovered alongside the gunboat were crucial in identifying the vessel and its role in the Revolution. Having the replica cannonball on display in Revolutionary New York adds important context and provides patrons with the same unique opportunity to examine the evidence and explore the gunboat’s mystery for themselves.”

These projects represent the beginning of what both institutions envision as a long and productive collaboration. RPI and the State Museum are committed to exploring further applications of 3D scanning and printing technology for the conservation, research, education, and public engagement of New York’s history.

About the New York State Museum

Established in 1836, the New York State Museum is the oldest and largest public museum in the United States. Home to leading scientists, historians, archeologists, and anthropologists, its collections represent the State’s rich cultural and natural heritage from the past and present, including a staggering 20+ million artifacts spanning 1.1 billion years ago to today. Located at 222 Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on all state observed holidays, including the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Admission is free. For additional information, visit the  New York State Museum website and subscribe to our newsletter.

About RPI

Founded in 1824 for the application of science to the common purposes of life, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is the first technological research university in the United States. Today, it is recognized as a premier university, noted for its robust and holistic learning community that connects creativity with science and technology. RPI is dedicated to inventing for the future, from shaping the scientists, engineers, technologists, architects, financiers, managers, and entrepreneurs who will define what’s next for humanity, to research that bridges disciplines to solve the world's toughest problems. Learn more at the RPI website.