Road Reports

Tennessee makes way for "Journey Stories"

Our registrar, Terri Cobb, manages all of the physical logistics of MoMS exhibits, so she’s in contact with most of our venues and travels throughout the nation running installation tutorials. She’s seen a lot, so when she says a site “is going gangbuster,” this means it’s some serious stuff.

Even though the population in Mercer, TN, totals a mere 150, the town expects thousands to trek out to see “Journey Stories.” In fact, even before the exhibit arrived, the enthusiasm meter reading was so high that the hosting organization, Big Black Creek Historical Association, worried that their original venue wouldn’t be able to accommodate so many visitors. To solve any spatial issues, they restored an old mercantile building specifically for the show! In the 1890s, the Pennington Building used to sell everything from twine to coffins, and now it’s adding one more thing to its varied inventory: a Smithsonian exhibit.

And it’s a good thing the old store is again up and running, as the attendance to the show is set to multiply the town’s population exponentially. More than 1,300 pairs of students’ feet are scheduled to scuttle through the exhibit, an average of about 100 children per day. Big Black Creek Historical Association President Billy King reports, “Most of these children would never have the opportunity to see an exhibit from the Smithsonian, [so the society] is paying for all the cost of bussing the students to see the exhibit.” And these impressive numbers don’t even include the 30-person church groups and other excited community members!  Between word of mouth and a Facebook page tallying 1,000 hits only midway through the tour, visitors just keep on coming.

Because Mercer decided to intersperse the MoMS exhibit with some hefty local artifacts, such as a restored buggie and a gas pump, the town’s local exhibit has put down stakes in the surrounding buildings. Next door, the Ebenezer Cumberland Church (another restored classic, dating back to 1910) plays movie theatre on Saturday nights, offering complimentary popcorn and country ham biscuits, and an old telephone office out back operates a few additional programs. 

  

As an area walked by Native Americans, European settlers, and slaves, Mercer’s history is a blend of many cultures. The town compiled its many identities into their local exhibit, and even the historical association—which represents four surrounding towns—symbolizes its unifying efforts by deriving its name, Big Black Creek, from the merging of the area’s many waterways. And religion is a resounding verse among the town’s many cultures. So how best to close the exhibit on April 3? In a 100-person musical performance composed of 8 area churches, all raising their voices in age-old hymns. So it seems Terri’s right: Mercer’s zeal is something to behold.

-- Alexandra Charleston, Museum on Main Street, Washington, D.C.

Minnesota Gives Free Trips to "Journey Stories"

It’s a traveling exhibit for a reason.  The Smithsonian’s mission “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge” shouldn’t stop at the borders of D.C.  With Museum on Main Street, we take Smithsonian treasures throughout the country because not everyone can make the pilgrimage here.  And we’re grateful for the humanities councils and venues who give us a home on the road.  And some, like Carver Country Historical Society in Minnesota, have taken educational accessibility one step farther.

As a host of “Journey Stories,” Carver County wanted to make sure students especially could see the show, regardless of battered school funds.  So Executive Director Wendy Biorn applied for a grant with Target Corporation, headquartered in the Twin Cities.  The full $2,000 award for educational services provided transportation to the show for eleven school groups—the cost of busing no longer prohibitive.  And the kids seemed to get out of the trip what it should be: an exposure to something new, a stimulation of thought, and a lot of fun.

In addition to traveling through “Journey Stories,” children participated in a “Life in a Box” program, which forced them to choose the most valuable items they would pack if they needed to take their life on the road—a tricky balance between practicality and emotional attachment.  As recounted by Tracy Ketterling, a teacher at the Anishinabe Academy, a Native American school in Minneapolis (many of whose students had never been on a field trip before), the exercise had much “relevance to our population.”  They also watched a few storytellers.  After all, history is a story of its people.  They learned how Minnesota fit underneath the arch of America’s growth, hearing about the booming fur trade of pioneer days and local folklore like Paul Bunyan.  Afterward, the children witnessed living history, visiting the preserved farm of Andrew Peterson, one of the town’s oldest members who had emigrated from Sweden in the late 1800s. 

 

And like all stories, each of history’s narrators has a different perspective.  As Ms. Ketterling said, “It is interesting to hear the journey stories from different points of view.  We tend to think of it in terms of being invaded, and in ways violated by the waves of foreign people […] who were sold a skewed version of what was available for them here.  It still took a lot of courage to not only uproot their selves from a life they knew, but to bring their families along on the arduous adventure.”

History isn’t a fairytale; it’s a collection of authors.  It’s who we are, in all our glory and our shame.  But it’s a must-read, and like Smithsonian and Carver County, we want to make sure everyone has a copy.

-- Alexandra Charleston, Museum on Main Street, Washington, DC

Reflections from a MoMS intern

As my internship with Museum on Main Street (MoMS) comes to a close, I have reflected on how lucky I am to have seen all the nuts and bolts, or rather the heart and soul, that go into this operation in D.C. and around the nation.  In my months at MoMS, I’ve logged over 30 close out reports—summaries from each venue­—for nearly every exhibition currently on the road. Over and over, I’ve been astounded by the dedication of each host site. I witnessed both large and small teams rallying together to impact their communities positively.

While there is something remarkable to say about every report that makes its way back to the D.C. office, there is one story I will never forget. While hosting Journey Stories, Buchanan Center for the Arts (BCA) in Monmouth, Illinois, decided to tell the local story of Mexican Boxcar Camps—communities of immigrants in the early 20^th century who were recruited to work on the railroad and lived in the same boxcars that transported them.

While flipping through the pages of BCA’s report, I was struck first by the beautiful photography; all images were collected from local families, and each conveyed a unique American experience. As I continued through the report, I was further taken by the way the exhibition transcended simple historical interpretation and created connections to the present.

“I saw people living parallel lives in the community without much crossover,” said Susan Twomey, director of BCA. “I thought it would be a good idea for people in my […] community to meet their neighbors and see what it took for them to come here and what it takes for them to stay.” In doing so, BCA helped blur long-established lines dividing two cultures by allowing many Mexican families an opportunity to tell their stories as a part of the cultural fabric of the community.  “As I watched the Mexican families explain their stories or describe the people in the photographs, you could just see their shoulders rise,” Twomey said. “You could hear the pride in their voices.”

For Twomey the most moving moment was when Jeff Libman, an Illinois Humanities Council Road Scholar, came to speak about the emotional, physical, and psychological challenges immigrants face today. At the end of the talk, Twomey said one woman raised her arm to speak. The woman thanked Libman for opening her eyes and apologized for the way she had treated these same people in the past. Twomey said the courage to admit that in front of a room of peers brought Twomey to tears.

The story of BCA is only one example of the immense impact that cultural centers can have on their communities. For me, it was also an example of MoMS’ ability to inspire and encourage every community to explore who they are. As my internship ends, I am grateful to the MoMS team and all their partners who have inspired me to move forward with the same dedication, courage, hard work, and spirit.

-- Jenny Wiley, Museum on Main Street intern, Washington, DC

MoMS on the Mall

The Museum on Main Street team spent Thursday out on the National Mall during the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. We were part of "Smithsonian Inside Out," a special Folklife Festival program to feature all of the work that goes on behind the scenes at the Smithsonian. We were really excited to have a day to talk about the great work that our host communities do all over the country.

And, so many of you stopped by to see us! It was a beautiful, surprisingly pleasant day for a Washington, DC July. Many people were out enjoying the festival and learning more about the Smithsonian. All of our activities were inspired by our exhibitions and local programs across the nation. We invited our visitors to decorate their own "mini-picket" to help build a fence, make some musical spoons, or share their personal journey story on the Journey Stories website.

The inspiration for the fence came from the many Between Fences host communities that have asked local students and artists to decorate fence pickets. Host sites have then built their own fence sections decorated  by their communities. We wanted to do the same thing at the festival. Check out our visitors' handiwork.

   

The greatest pleasure of the day was sharing Museum on Main Street with visitors to the festival. So many were pleased to hear about the work that the Smithsonian and State Humanities Councils do to reach communities in nearly every state.

To the visitors that stopped by to say hello, thank you. We hope that you have an opportunity to visit us in your home states.

-- Robbie Davis, Museum on Main Street, SITES, Washington, DC

Help the WCHS Logo Build a Journey Story

We got a great e-mail today from our friends at the Wright County Historical Society in Buffalo, Minnesota. As they gear up to host Journey Stories this summer, they have created a great idea to send their logo all over. So, print out the logo today and help build a great Journey Story for the WCHS logo. I've done mine ...

-- Robbie Davis, SITES/Museum on Main Street, Washington, DC

Wright County Historical Society Logo

Friends,

The Wright County Historical Society (WCHS), located in Buffalo, Minnesota, is proud to announce that we have been chosen to receive the Smithsonian's traveling exhibit entitled Journey Stories between June 1-July 11, 2010. Journey Stories tells tales of how we and our ancestors came to America. To supplement this 700 square foot exhibit we are asking for your help.

Attached you will find the WCHS logo. Our hope is that everyone who reads this letter will print out the logo, in black & white or color, take a picture of our logo and something depicting your organization/city/state/country and send your picture back to us.  Images emailed to us at wrighthistory@me.com will be included in a slideshow on our website, as well as in our gallery, showing its journey around the globe. We would love it if you would also share a little about your organization, your location, website—anything we can share to, hopefully, entice viewers to make a journey to you!

You can see uploaded pictures and get more information about WCHS and the upcoming Smithsonian exhibit at http://www.wrighthistory.org/.

Thank you so much in advance for considering this request.  We are all looking forward to seeing how far our logo travels!  If you would also be willing to forward this request to someone we would really appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Sally Stevens
Wright County Historical Society

"The Best Day of My Life"

Libraries generally aren’t considered “en-vogue” amongst the pre-teen crowd.

Miami,Oklahoma has reason to brag -- the Miami Public Library became a hot-spot for kids during its display of the Journey Stories exhibit this past November. Marcia Johnson, the library’s Executive Director, made it a priority to arrange tours for all of the students of Ottawa county, grades 3 through 5.

Tours were given to 30 children at a time and were buttressed by discussions about America’s various Journey Stories. Students danced to a song about the Erie Canal and were fascinated by the chewing gum in an object case illustrating the innovations of air travel. Marcia and the Miami Public Library received an overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from young visitors, as they heard squeals of “this is awesome,” and witnessed eager participation from their pint-sized pals.

All in all, over 1000 elementary school students visited the Journey Stories exhibit at the Miami Public Library – 1,078 to be exact! One shining moment among many was hearing a child avow; “This is the best day of my life"

                   
                    

 "Many rural town residents never get the opportunity to travel to Washington DC and tour the Smithsonian. This project brings the Smithsonian to them," affirmed the Executive Director. Our sincere appreciation goes out to the Miami Public Library for making this virtual “trip to DC” a memorable one.

-- Roxanne Berschler, SITES -- Washington, D.C.

On the Road Again (and We Love It)

One of the things I most appreciate about working with Museum on Main Street is the opportunity we have to visit so many interesting places in the U.S. and to meet wonderful people from every corner of the country. In response to a question posed by our Publications office earlier this week, my MoMS Smithsonian-based colleagues Carol Harsh and Terri Cobb and I sat down to figure out just how many miles we had logged traveling this year for MoMS.

Can I get a drum roll, please? After Carol visits Indian Springs, Georgia next week, the three of us will have traveled 67,299 miles for MoMS in 2009. And, we got the chance to visit fascinating places big and small like Alliance and Omaha in Nebraska; Kodiak, Alaska; Kirksville, Missouri; Renton, Washington; Tuscumbia, Alabama; Berkeley Springs, Grafton, and Petersburg in West Virginia; Kingsland and Carrollton in Georgia; Hagatna and Asan in Guam; Sidney, Ohio; Sycamore and Chicago in Illinois; Austin, Texas; Indianapolis, Indiana; Lindsborg, Kansas; Clinton, Mississippi; Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Enderlin and Bismarck in North Dakota; Ocean City, Maryland; and Hanley Falls, Minnesota. We can't even begin to imagine how many additional miles our Federation of State Humanities Council colleagues, our state humanities council partners, and the exhibitions themselves traveled as part of this project. My math-challenged brain can't handle it. But, one thing is sure, we have the enormous privilege of serving and experiencing communities everywhere.

We're looking forward to visiting your state and meeting you during our travels in 2010.

-- Robbie Davis, MoMS/SITES, Washington, DC

McComb in Motion

A great deal of groundwork has been laid for the Journey Stories exhibit in McComb, Mississippi, set to open this upcoming fall. The McComb community is gearing up for its visit from the Smithsonian with enthusiasm – community members are rallying to renovate the McComb City Railroad Depot Museum for the occasion! The exhibit’s fast-approaching presence encouraged McComb residents to paint the museum’s exterior with 5 historic colors, clean out the ticket office, store historic artifacts at the climate-controlled Space Place, and install a security system in the room that will display Journey Stories. It’s been 12 years since the museum has seen a “makeover” like this one! Accent South Mississippi lauds the museum’s efforts in their article All Aboard! which announces the exhibition opening: Accent South Article

McComb’s Denman High School is diving into Journey Stories subject matter, aligning their curriculum with the exhibit theme. History classes will focus on creating individual journey stories, while English classes compose journey stories, and Art classes illustrate various journey stories. In the words of Winnie Len Howell, McComb City Railroad Depot Museum Director, “The excitement is growing.”

One very unique aspect of McComb’s involvement with the exhibit is the community’s ability to gather journey stories from displaced Hurricane Katrina victims. Hurricane Katrina forced a journey upon many Americans, and the Journey Stories exhibit provides an excellent backdrop for the discussion of this modern migration. McComb’s Myra Ricouard is heading the Museum’s search for Katrina victims with stories to tell, stating “That’s what [the exhibit is] all about — journey stories. Where people ended up. Katrina put people here and people stayed; that’s a journey story.”

Katrina survivors will be honored at the exhibit’s opening reception on October 25, and the journey stories that are collected will be incorporated into McComb’s local exhibit. Ms. Ricouard, a displaced Katrina victim herself, is still searching for individuals with relocation stories to step forth and share the account of their journeys as a way to highlight the region’s recent local history. Please contact her at: 601-276-2107. An article from the Enterprise Journal provides additional details on the project: Enterprise Journal Article

Many thanks go out to all of the folks in McComb that have devoted their time and energy to prepare for the exhibit’s arrival. Special thanks go out to Kevin wells, owner of Space Place, and Danny Simmons, owner of Simmons Security. We would like to personally thank Winnie Len for this update, in addition to David Morgan of the Mississippi Humanities Council and Matt Williamson of the Enterprise Journal.

GO McCOMB!!

-- Roxanne Berschler, SITES, Washington D.C.

Newkirk's New Journey

Another update from an exhibit on the road!

Newkirk, Oklahoma greeted the Journey Stories exhibit on August 14, 2009. The opening ceremony was a great success - 100 guests eagerly welcomed the exhibit to their community, filling the Newkirk Public Library to capacity!

Visitors listened to speeches made by City Commissioner Roy Chaney, and Ann Thompson, executive director of the Oklahoma Humanities Council. Dr. William Corbett, Journey Stories’ scholar from Oklahoma, addressed the historical significance of the exhibit, affirming that “…After the Smithsonian Exhibit, the community will be left with a greater appreciation of their own history.”

Us MoMSers agree with Dr. Corbett - Newkirk has already begun supplementing the exhibit with many Journey Stories of their own! Read more to find out what’s been brewing in Newkirk:

“In addition to the Smithsonian exhibit at the library,there are nineteen local exhibits throughout the downtown area. Caryl Morgan of Earth Road Graphics prepared eleven of the local exhibits. The Kaw Nation developed their exhibit in the windows of the Kaw Gaming Commission office located in the historic Cline building. Younghee Higgins developed the Frontier Faith exhibit located in the Higgins building at 108 N. Main. The Newkirk High School was responsible for the exhibit on the Newkirk school history which is located in the board room at the high school. Other story board exhibits have been prepared through the years by the Newkirk Community Historical Society as a part of Charlie Adams Day. A walking tour brochure has been prepared for these exhibits by Ms. Morgan. The Kaw Nation provided the footsteps marking the local journey stories and the banners for the Smithsonian exhibit. When you visit the library, be sure to pick up one of the walking tour brochures and discover the rich history of Newkirk, Kay County, and the Kaw Nation. Newkirk was one of six communities to be chosen to host the Smithsonian exhibit which will be at the Newkirk Public Library until September 14. Don’t miss this wonderful opportunity (Newkirk Main Street, August 11, 2009).”

The pictures below illustrate the hard work that has been done to add the finishing touches to Journey Stories programming. Newkirk Junior Main Street students lay Journey Stories “Footprints” for visitors to follow while touring the local businesses. You’ll also see members from the community admiring the store windows in which local Journey Stories exhibits are being showcased. We salute Newkirk – we hope your “journey” with this exhibit is a fruitful one!

             

Many thanks go to Karen Dye for this exhibit update!

-- Roxanne Berschler, MoMS/SITES, Washington, DC

MoMS Intern Reports on Summer Projects

I had an absolutely wonderful time interning with Museum on Main Street this summer. The work was great and the people were even better. I was very excited to research and create two online exhibits to be featured on the Journey Stories website: “Gateway of Possibilities: Ellis Island” and “On the Road to Gold Mountain: Chinese Workers and the Transcontinental Railroad.” In addition, I conducted research for a section of The Way We Worked, a MoMS exhibit in its early stages of development. I learned so much during the course of my internship and my experiences at SITES have truly been invaluable. My co-workers were such a joy to work with and we shared a lot of great moments together. I am sad that I have to leave MoMS in order to finish my last year of graduate school. I can only hope that someday I will be lucky enough to work at a place as great as SITES.

-- Heather Maclean, George Washington University, Washington, DC

 

Heather with her farewell cake.

 

Four great interns (from left): Heather Maclean, Tara O'Connor, Roxanne Berschler, and Krista Schmidt. Thanks for all of your work!