About the Director

I collect hats!  My passion for collecting hats is in the desire to preserve hat fashions and their cultural heritage before these precious, historical gems disappear with the passage of time.  The museum houses a curated collection of hats and serves as a research and resource depository for theatrical productions, colleges and universities, historical societies, television studios, as well as other museums and hat enthusiasts. We have received research inquiries from around the world, and have most recently completed work on a project with the New York Historical Society. 

In the museum, history comes alive through a detailed, ninety-minute tour of nearly 2200 hats!  One can never have too many toppers!

 ~ Lu Ann Trotebas,  Director, National Hat Museum