History in Surprising Places

This past weekend I attended a family reunion. The reunion was a rather small gathering of cousins and second-cousins, most of whom remembered a shared grandmother. It was interesting to visit with people I hadn't seen in ages, but what I really enjoyed was seeing all the different photos, scrapbooks, and other ephemera drug out and displayed by all the cousins. Some people brought grandma's letters and recipes, while others brought photo albums. Much to my surprise, at one time my grandmother had received a letter from William (Wild Bill) Langer. One of the most colorful and notorious politicians to come from North Dakota, Langer was one time governor of the state, removed from office on fraud charges, voted back into office, and later served as senator. It was a reminder for me of how much important historical material people have without recognizing the value to others. Most people can understand the personal value of a letter, but to envision how the same item could be valuable to others is sometimes more difficult to comprehend. You never know what someone might have hidden in the back of their closet.

Reinventing the Museum

If you have not yet heard of Second Life, MySpace, or Facebook, you can officially count yourself out of touch, and, dare I suggest, old. Internet and video game technology is revolutionizing how people communicate, socialize, learn about things, and spend money. Museums across the world are beginning to take advantage of these new opportunities, establishing a presence in Second Life, developing podcasts, and registering with social networking websites. See: Brooklyn Museum, Museum Podcasts, and Museums and Second Life for some interesting examples. Other museums are going for technology enhanced interactive exhibits, while others have embraced YouTube. Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns recently called for the YouTube generation to create their own oral history documentaries, especially for WWII, before the stories disappear. Read his editorial here.

Another track some are taking is to create virtual realities featuring historic locations, events, and people. This idea is not entirely new as history themed video games, such as Civilization and Medal of Honor, have been around for some time now. A number of professions rely on this software including museums, archaeologists and architects, often using it to recreate ancient civilizations and cities. Now a professor in California is using video game technology to recreate a specific Oakland neighborhood to help people visualize and immerse themselves in a historic community. The Remembering 7th Street project will make it possible for players to walk through an 8-block section, listening to authentic music, meeting club owners and area residents, and ultimately save the community from the redevelopment efforts that in the real world created deterioration and decline.

This gives museums a whole new way to interest and excite visitors. As some critics point out, it is important to maintain the scholarship. However, if technology can attract and engage visitors, it is definitely worth consideration.

Hutmacher Project--Volunteer Work

Saturday, July 14, through Saturday, July 21, will be a week-long opportunity for volunteers to get their hands dirty rescuing the historic Hutmacher farm site.

The Hutmacher farm is a unique, architectural treasure, and a time capsule of the last major settlement periods in North Dakota history. The site was, in many ways, ahead of its time utilizing "green" architecture and eco-friendly construction techniques. Built in 1928, the farm consists of six buildings, all made of slab-stone construction with clay mortar and earthen roofs. It now needs significant work to stabilize and secure the buildings. The farm has twice been listed on the 3 Most Endangered Places list by Preservation North Dakota.

So join us for a day, a weekend, or even the whole week. Come and spend your vacation with us for an opportunity that few people have ever participated in. Don’t just spend your time looking at historic buildings and reading about history…roll your sleeves up and get your hands dirty!

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SCHEDULE
Morning Work Schedule: 8am – 11:30am

Lunch: 11:30am – 12:00 noon (bring your lunch for a nice picnic at the site--remember to bring plenty of water!)

Afternoon Work Schedule: 12:00 noon - 4pm

*Special arrangements can be made for evening work schedules to fit your needs.
**In case of severe weather, work will be re-scheduled into evening time slots.

Evening meals and entertainment will be planned daily, depending on the number of volunteers interested in participating. Some options include museum tours, campfire songs, historic site visits, and more. You can join the group or head out on your own [volunteers are responsible for their own transportation and any expenses for participation in evening activities].

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To Register:

Volunteers need to register prior to working so that work, tools, and supplies can be coordinated. Call 701-633-2763 to register as soon as possible. After 5 pm on July 11 call 701-764-2763 or cell 701-361-0438

All volunteers must sign a Waiver of Liability Form and have the appropriate safety gear including protective eyewear, hand gloves, and dust masks to work on the site. PND can provide the use of these items for a $10.00 fee, which includes access to a First Aid Kit and medical supplies on site.

*Volunteers under the age of 18 need permission from an adult to work on the site.
**Volunteers under the age of 13 need to be accompanied and supervised by an adult.

Suggested Supplies:
Protective clothing – long sleeves and long pants suggested
Bring gloves if you have a favorite pair
Hard soled shoes – no open toed shoes allowed on the site
Wide brimmed hat
Lawn chair and/or picnic blanket
Cooler with plenty of fluids and/or lunch
Insect repellent, Hand sanitizer
Sunglasses, Sun block
If you have shovels, large and small, please bring them.

Contact us for more information about volunteer opportunities, supplies, and accommodations.

Six-Layer-Sofa

Caring for museum collections can be a time consuming and delicate project, but the process can also reveal a lot of information. Collection managers and conservaters are often like detectives, researching and investigating artifacts to learn more about how people lived their lives. Follow this link to see a research project undertaken by the the Minnesota Historical Society on one of their artifacts.

The MHS staff took a 1956 sofa that no longer fit into their collection plan. They decided to remove the upholstery to learn more about how the item had been decorated and used over the years. Surprisingly, they found several layers of upholstery that varied significantly in weight, color, and texture. After removing the older layers of upholstery, they re-upholstered the sofa in a material and color that would have been available and popular when the sofa was first built. It is surprisingly bright red in color. It is important to note that such projects must be thought through carefully as this can significantly change the value of an object.

An important lesson can be learned from this project, in that not all museum furniture was originally dull and plain, but got that way by fading over time through exposure to light and dirt. Also, generations past often appreciated furniture as bright and colorful as any produced today.