Public Hstory: Historic House Museums and Slavery

In this weeks blog we are looking at Public History and its relationship with Historic House Museums,  their reinvention/reinterpretation and Slavery. This required the reading of two books, two eassys and a newspaper article on the previous topics. The main issue derived from those readings are finding eceptable solutions for the reinterpretation of historical landsmarks and historic accounts. They show the discourse that can occur when reinterpretation of facts change the event or alter's the original appearance of the landscape, architecture/structure. Nicolai Ouroussoff article, An Architect's Fear That Preservation Distorts, looks at the problems that occur when the perservation distorts the architectural appearance, the landscape. In The Next Cliveden: A New Approach To The Historic Site In Philadelphia, David W. Young looks at the important role preservationist play in their new approach to perserving the Cliveden, which they incorporate the communities participation in this new mission. From the readings they show the impotance of the public's interpretation  and subsequent reinterpretation based upon discourse that includes this dichotomy. James Oliver Horton and Lois E. Horton assemble essays by a variety of authors that touch on reinterpretation of historical events involving African Americans and American History. All these readings challenge the public memories and ask the question whether landmarks and other historical sites are worth the investment. Those institutions face  problems raising and acquiring the financial resources necessary to perserve Historic sites such as house museums.  the retelling or reinterpretating of slavery todayfrom the eyes of African Americans, has been increasingly examined by Public Historians and others scholars on African American History. In Historic House Museums:An Embarrassment of Riches, Marian A. Godfrey looks at the amount of historical house musems in Philadelphia. She uses statistics  to ask the question whether some of these buildings are worth the investment, because they are under used and the communities have become disconnected. Taken together they all show the difficulty in maintaining the past, then incorporating misinterpreted history such as slavery accounts. Those issue need further investigation by public historians and tose communities afflected.

Public History: Memory and Meanings

The set of four reading for this week all focus on memory as it applies to the public's ability to remember and the meaning of historical monuments, relics, historical events. Doss, Mires, Crane and Glassberg all look at study of memory as it relates to museums, memorials and historical buildings and monuments. This blog analyze each of the readings  independently, then collectively give my opinion on all the reading. In, Memorial Mania, Erika Doss attentively examines the reasons for the proliferation of monuments and statues throughout the American landscape. He uses six chapters , the first chapter he explains the fervor and mania that surround memorials.  In the other chapters he examines the various types of memorials and categorizes them individually. They are grief, fear, gratitude, shame and anger. She packs a lot of pertinent information along with little known facts in this dense read. Doss uses a lot of primary sources to reference her facts, it has end notes and has over 100 photographs of  memorials. This book is essential read for all public historians.
In, Independence Hall: in American Memory, Charlene Mires investigates the history of America's most important historical monument, Independence Hall. He looks at Independence Hall from its early origins as the State House, a British outpost until the Revolution, when it became known as Independence Hall. His research continues up until the year 2001 as she talks about the many changes that occur to the the building and the landscape in its surrounding area. Throughout her book she has dates, statistics which give the reader insight about Independence Hall's importance. She connects the National Park service with the care of this historic monument and the Liberty Bell. The book touches on American historical events, some engrained and others forgotten. This is another densely packed book that should be in the personal library of all Historians. It has ten chapters that focus on themes such as "Landmark, Relic, Memory, Place and Symbol." Again remembering and forgetting are at the heart of proper interpretation, although she agrees, historical accounts can be rewritten through new interpretations. What I found interesting was here chapter on the Liberty Bell and its connection to State House and as a "Symbol of Freedom." Mires gives us a glimpse back to the past, and brings the reader to the future by re-enlightening their memories. The book ends with the opening of the Independence Visitor Center in 2001.
The last two are essays that speak on the study of memory, time and museums. In, Public History and the Study of  Memory, David Glassberg questions the historian about remembrance and memory. He lists memory in terms such as "collective memory, popular memory, public memory and counter-memory, Glassberg believes the various definitions make it necessary to further define it as a field of study. He answers the question, "What distinguishes the new scholarship on memory from the old is not subject matter but approach." Throughout the essay he tries to connect this new scholarship of analyzing public history with political culture. I agree with Glassberg, "Public histories provide meaning to places." The last essay, The Conundrum of Ephemerality: Time, Memory, and Museums, Susan Crane, she examines how museums came into existence. Throughout she stresses the importance of preservation, uses Michel Foucault modern interpretation of memory and historical consciousness as they apply to origins. The study of meanings as they were originally intended are replaced due to other meaning that have replaced them. Crane asserts our knowledge of this is never finished. In conclusion all the readings that were covered on memory, memorials, are essential for the public historian to understand. I recommend all potential historians and public historians read this material, it will enlighten and give them new insight about memorials past meanings and new interpretations of those meanings.