Edward “Ned” J. Burns (1899-1953) received the Pugsley Silver Medal in 1953. The award citation stated, “While we at the American Scenic and Preservation Society may think of him especially for his fine handicraft in connection with the beautiful dioramas in Federal Hall [where he was officed in New York City], he was known from coast to coast for an almost endless sequence of museum contributions to the country’s national historic sites.” Burns was creatively engaged in museum work for 35 years of his short life and his record is one of considerable accomplishment. It is especially instructive and concerned with the educational value of museums, for Burns was both a producer and a producer of museum education. He received much of his schooling through museums and used his talent to develop exhibits that taught.
In 1923 Burns became preparator at the American Museum of Natural History, which offered an opportunity to work with leading experts in many types of exhibits.
Ned married her in 1930.
In 1933 a number of historical reservations in the East, formerly administered by the War Department, were transferred to the NPS. These battlefields and historic buildings needed visual explanation as much as the scenic parks.
In 1935, Burns moved on to the NPS. The men who first undertook to interpret for visitors the magnificent scenery and natural phenomena of the national parks soon found they needed more than words. They discovered that small museums actually located in the parks effectively supplemented their guided field trips and talks.
Dr. Carl P. Russell, who had been responsible for much of the progressive museum work at Yosemite and Yellowstone, was assigned the job in Washington of developing museums for the eastern parks. He hired Burns, as superintendent of field laboratories, headquartered at Morristown National Historical Park, New Jersey.