Ceremonial Artifacts

Scope and content:

Artifacts originally created for carrying on governmental, fraternal, religious, or other organized and sanctioned societal activites. Such artifacts are intended to evoke, symbolize, or express certain aspects of the traditions or heritage of a community or group of people. Usually, they are associated with rituals or ceremonies. This classification includes (1) any religious artifact, such as communion cups and altar pieces; note that personal devotional objects (such as religious medals or talismans) and religous symbols of office (such as vestments or crosiers) are classified under Personal Symbols; (2) any objects used specifically in a ceremony concerned with a major personal event or crisis, such as birth, puberty, sickness, or death, or concerned with a community event or crisis, such as a harvest festival or the need for rain; and (3) any object, except for personal symbols, used in the ceremonial activities of a fraternity, lodge, club, governmental or military organization, such as the pennant of a Girl Scout troop.

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Parent restrictions:
This collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Parent terms of access:
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

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