Choosing a Local History Topic
This article originally appeared in Exchange,
a newsletter published by the Wisconsin Historical
Society. (Volume
24, Number 7 January/February 1982) It is the third
in
a series of articles titled Exhibiting
Local Heritage. The series features information
about planning, designing and constructing interpretive
museum exhibits. This article was written by Tom
McKay, retired local history coordinator for the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
Although an oversimplification, a useful way to think of an interpretive
exhibit is as an equation. On one side of the equation
is a historical concept or event. On the other side is a group of
objects, graphics and labels. An interpretive exhibit says that this
group of objects, graphics and labels equals this historical concept.
In the last issue of Exchange, we discussed
exhibits suggested primarily by the availability of appropriate objects.
This issue looks at the other side of the equation: exhibits suggested
primarily by an important concept or event in local history.
Good local historians can identify many significant topics from a community's history. Settlement by a particular ethnic group, development of an important industry, the course of a local man's political career, or the coming of the railroad are but a few examples. The question is: which topics make good interpretive exhibits. From our equation for interpretive exhibits, the answer is: those for which objects and graphics can be found and combined with labels to represent the historical concept or event.
Let's apply our equation to a specific example. The local historical society knows that the coming of the railroad had a tremendous impact on the history of Smithville. However, Smithville's collection of railroad materials consists of only a coupling pin, two railroad lanterns, and a photograph of a crew working on the railroad bed. Do they drop this potential exhibit topic? The easy answer is yes; the stubborn answer is no; and the best answer is maybe. Before any answer, the Smithville Historical Society needs to dig a little deeper.
Two things will help the society make a decision about doing an exhibit
on the coming of the railroad. The first is research.
The second is remembering that history is about people. Beginning
with research, the society finds in census records that the population
of Smithville increased 70 percent during the 10 years following the
coming of the railroad. Of further interest, the records show that
a portion of the new residents were Irish immigrants originally attracted
to work on railroad construction. Surveying the society's photographic
collection yields three pictures of the main street during the decade
of growth. A shop sign, given to the society several years ago, appears
on a business in one of the pictures. A closer look at the lone railroad
photograph reveals the work crew holding picks similar
to one in the society's tool collection. Research continues in the
railroad's annual reports. They clearly demonstrate that the railroad
has made the community a local center for grain shipping and provided
a stable source of employment to the present day.
The railroad's role as an employer is a reminder that history involves
people. The Smithville Historical Society decides to interview several
longtime railroad employees. The interviews lead not only to useful
information but also to a man who collects railroad materials. His
collection becomes a resource from which to borrow railroad tools,
timetables, photographs and clothing. During 118 years of operation,
the railroad has affected the lives of its employees and all other
residents of Smithville. The mercantile emporium, opened on the main
street in the 1870s, symbolized some of those effects. The business
began in response to population growth stimulated by the railroad.
It also carried a greatly increased line of consumer goods made available
in town largely by rail transportation.
By digging deeper, the Smithville Historical Society discovered that
important concepts connected with the coming of the
railroad could be represented by a variety of objects and pictures:
memorabilia of an Irish immigrant family, an old pick, 19th-century
consumer goods, a shop sign, the society's few railroad items, and
the larger collection of a former railroad employee (later donated
to the society because of the interest created by the exhibit). Eventually,
their problem was not whether they had enough material to do an exhibit
on the coming of the railroad, but how to edit such an exhibit to
emphasize the most important concepts and fit in the space available.
Will the experience of the Smithville Historical Society be repeated by your organization? The answer is familiar: maybe. However, there is only one way to find out. When your society thinks of an important local history concept or event but the collection seems inadequate for an exhibit, dig a little deeper. Do more research, and think about the topic in terms of the people it affected. Often these steps will lead to objects and graphics that represent the important historical concepts and complete the equation for an interpretive exhibit.
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