pieces of string too short to save

Dear DMC,

Here’s something possibly for the website’s Collections & Museums page.

I’ve heard about New Englanders who were notorious for saving everything — “it might come in handy some day.”

When one of them died, the executor found his house crammed with boxes, contents neatly labeled.

“Pieces of String Too Short to Save” was a label on one of the boxes.

Indeed the box was full of pieces of string that could not possibly be used for anything. But the owner could not bear to throw them away.

I don’t know whether the box is on exhibit anywhere. If a reader of this blog posting knows and can tell us about it, that would be wonderful.

Colin Ector
Boston