Citizenship on the President's House Dig Lasted – Thanks to Relentless Public Investigation of This Slave Quarters Area

Cross Ties, Fall 2007/Vol. 2, No. 3, Public History at Sites of Protest of Sites at History Public 3, 2007/Vol.No. Fall Ties,2, Cross Mid-Atlantic Regional Center for the Humanities Rutgers University-Camden

Volume 2, No. 3 Fall 2007

Public History at Sites of Protest: Citizenship on the President’s House Viewing Platform Photo by Doug Heller Doug by Photo foundations that survive and telling the story At www.ushistory.org, readers will of what they represent has meant telling long- find a detailed record of on-going public buried truth about the presidency, slavery and mobilization around the President’s the formation of the nation. House, as well as the history of the In 1790, President George Washington and House and its occupants. Visitors can his wife, Martha Custis Washington, arrived learn about the work and express their in Philadelphia with eight of the nine enslaved own opinions. Africans who would eventually toil at the nation’s first executive mansion. Washington Dr. Cheryl LaRoche talking with visitors on the viewing platform. ordered that sleeping quarters be built for fter years of protest, archaeological enslaved stable workers at a site now five feet In This Issue Ainvestigations began in March 2007 from the front door of the Liberty Bell Center. on a portion of the President’s House site Despite protests, construction of the Center Public History at Sites of Protest: on Philadelphia’s Independence Mall. The went forward in 2003 without archaeological Citizenship on the President's House dig lasted – thanks to relentless public investigation of this slave quarters area. Viewing Platform pressure and interest – until the end of July. The fact that the story of American slavery 1 was being buried beneath an international Archaeology exposed foundations for the Exploring the Mid@lantic kitchen where the enslaved chef, Hercules, symbol of freedom galvanized an angry and 2 labored and probably planned his successful insistent public. Protesters demanded a full Featured Resource: escape, the bow window where George excavation of the rest of the President’s House site as part of a larger project to interpret and The Tuscarora-English dictionary, language Washington and later John Adams stood in as a window on Native American culture commemorate the unrecognized contributions state, and a subterranean passageway used by 3 those toiling in the kitchen to transport food to of enslaved African captives. Projects to Watch the State Dining Room, out of sight of visiting Important African-American historical and 4 dignitaries and other official guests. archaeological sites frequently emerge only Regional Roundup after lengthy public protest. At the African As the site emerged from obscurity, potent 4

reactions and powerful debates emerged as Heller Doug by Photo well. Buried for decades under a public toilet, MARCH Happenings 5 the site has become one of the most important new historic finds in the region, and one Famous Last Words: Rosalind Remer of the hottest places for public protest and 7 citizen engagement. On a sturdy, utilitarian wooden viewing platform overlooking the dig site, archaeologists and other interpreters spent the summer engaged with a stream of impassioned, inquiring visitors gripped by the historical and moral significance of what emerged from the ground. Pointing out the Professional archaeology team at the President’s House site www.march.rutgers.edu Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007 Photo by Doug Heller Doug by Photo Burial Ground in New York City, for example, EXPLORING THE an insistent public quickly recognized and fought for the deep historical significance MID@LANTIC of the site against public officials inclined to dismiss or ignore it. Sonny Carson, one of the The Mid-Atlantic region has a rich history most forceful activists at the African Burial of African-American and Euro-American interaction, including numerous sites of memory Ground, called for an insistent, persistent, and institutions working hard to uncover and resistant public. At the Philadelphia site, interpret the complex history of race, slavery, various informed, outraged, and committed resistance, and emancipation in America. community protest groups sustained years www.africanburialground.gov of pressure on the National Park Service Students visiting the Liberty Bell observe the dig. This website, connected to the Office of Public and Independence National Historical Park and in cities, not just on southern plantations. Information and Education at New York’s African without fragmenting or losing focus. These Proprietary control of scholarship was angrily Burial Ground, offers background, online source two sites of protest began with government material, and updates on efforts to design and build challenged as new understandings dislodged malfeasance concerning African American a commemorative installation here. Some human old narratives. remains were ceremonially reburied here in 2003, history and developed despite reluctance having been removed in 1991 during construction to engage fully with the often painful and Participating in these organic and of a Federal facility. That story, and others related troublesome aspects of that history. unpredictable processes of civic debate to the site, and to African slavery in New York

Photo by Doug Heller Doug by Photo becomes central to professional work at sites City, are available through this site. of protest. Though this complex, multilayered www.petermotthouse.org/museum.html process brought together interdisciplinary The Peter Mott House, home of Peter and scholarly teams, the scholars, mostly Eliza (Thomas) Mott, was built circa 1845 and served as an Underground Railroad station. uncomfortable with high emotions, strident Peter Mott was a preacher and the first Sunday rhetoric and frank discussions about race, school superintendent at Mount Pisgah African struggled with the spiritual and emotional Methodist Episcopal Church in Lawnside, New dimensions of visitors’ responses. In Jersey. Restored and operated by the Lawnside Philadelphia, archaeologists and interpreters Historical Society, the house is on both state and National Registers of Historic Places and on the viewing platform witnessed, and has been open to the public since 2001. Links NPS archaeologist Jed Levin talking to visitors. supported, countless individual struggles to other New Jersey Underground Railroad sites with centuries-old historical tropes glorifying In addition to a mobilized and effective can be found through at www.nps.gov/history/nr/ Washington, excusing slavery, and tolerating protest community, both cities also had travel/underground/nj2.htm. slavery at the founding of the nation. www.explorePAhistory.com African-American mayors—David

Dinkins in New York and John F. Street in Heller Doug by Photo This site, which covers the entire state of Pennsylvania and is regularly updated, Philadelphia. The mayors offered crucial also includes a search function. Searching local government support, strengthening and for “slavery” produced 87 hits, searching for validating community demands. New York Underground Railroad produced over 600. Congressman Gus Savage, then chairman of Searching for “George Washington” produced the U. S. House Ways and Means committee, 111 hits. Hits include text, sites, historic markers, and educational tools, so it is an excellent starting exerted his influence to close the African point for touring or teaching. Burial Ground to further excavations, while at www.udel.edu/BlackHistory/overview.html the President’s House, U. S. Representatives The University of Delaware offers on its Chaka Fattah and Robert Brady secured website a short essay called “Black Americans in Federal support for interpretation. Delaware: An Overview,” by James E. Newton, as part of an e-book edited by Carole Marks, Sites born in protest create unique working and entitled A History of African Americans of conditions for public history professionals. In Passage, kitchen, and bow window foundations. Delaware And Maryland’s Eastern Shore. both cities, the public grappled passionately Even with the site’s national academic The e-book contains other useful essays on with the deeper meaning of freedom and African American experiences in both Delaware and public visibility, the local Philadelphia personal liberty in the face of slavery. In and Maryland. community remains vigilant to prevent loss Philadelphia, months of public discussion and www.heritage.umd.edu/CHRSWeb/ of this heritage. Ignoring skyrocketing media attention deepened understandings of AssociatedProjects/Hampden.htm interest in the finds, the officials in charge slavery. Many people realized for the first The University of Maryland has developed clung through the summer to their original time that slavery had existed in the North, a community-based archaeology project in intention simply to rebury the archaeology Baltimore’s Hampden neighborhood that continued on page 3

www.march.rutgers.edu Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007

FEATURED RESOURCE The Tuscarora-English Dictionary

The Tuscarora-English dictionary, language Patterson Francene by Photo as a window on Native American culture

When New Line Cinema decided to scholarly and public understanding of make its 2005 film The New World, the Native American history. Rudes, who got corporation sought an unusually high his undergraduate and graduate education degree of authenticity in presenting at SUNY—Buffalo, spent decades studying both English and Powhatan lifeways. Tuscarora, an Iroquoian language spoken Achieving that ambition required by a matrilineal society that migrated north substantial engagement with contemporary from North Carolina to join the Iroquois Chesapeake Bay native communities. Confederacy early in the eighteenth Though the movie’s seeming authenticity century. In 1999, Rudes published a ultimately strengthened the Pocahontas Tuscarora-English dictionary that offers mythologies in ways that irritate native guides to pronunciation as well as meaning. communities, New Line did contribute Designed for use by scholars, the interested substantially to local history by public, and the Tuscarora themselves, commissioning Professor Blair Rudes, the dictionary incorporates existing early Tuscarora Nation Boundary Sign, Niagara County, a linguist at the University of North records, modern linguistic methods, and New York Carolina—Charlotte to reconstruct Virginia guidance from the few surviving native Algonquian, the language spoken in the speakers. Francene Patterson, chair of signage, holiday greeting cards, and school Powhatan Confederacy and extinct since the Tuscarora Language Committee, projects developed using Tuscarora. Her the early nineteenth century. has been actively working to save and conviction is that returning the language to revitalize Tuscarora in western New York active use should draw on the resources and ●✕ Retrieving native languages, especially since 1995. Patterson was involved with commitment of the people themselves. along the Atlantic coast where many the dictionary effort, but the bulk of the disappeared rapidly after European arrival, Language Committee’s work develops offers new ways of deepening both from the grassroots, through projects like

and continue installing interpretation designed Exploring the Mid@lantic, continued from page 2 before the dig began. Local activists focused public outrage from around the nation to incorporates public history, archaeology, job training, www.culturaltourismdc.org/ force a revision of that plan. Late in July, public education, oral history and applied anthropology Cultural Tourism DC offers a well-designed Mayor Street asked architects and designers to help Hampden represent itself through studies of its African-American Heritage Tour. Over 200 to incorporate the three most compelling heritage. The neighborhood, long a strong center for sites of significance to the District’s African- architectural/archaeological discoveries -- the working class life, is changing rapidly, and the project American history were chosen through an open, intends to empower residents to understand, value, and kitchen, bow window, and passageway -- into popular nomination process. Mapped by site and by preserve Hampden’s past. an altered design. Only continued vigilance, neighborhood, and searchable by keyword and or http://digital.mica.edu/exhibition/ topic, the various theatres, homes, banks, eateries, however, can assure that the very solid and and other kinds of places can be configured into The Maryland Historical Society collaborated tangible foundations of the President’s house any number of customized tours. Each individual last year with the Reginald F. Lewis Museum of listing has links that point visitors toward greater and other archaeological features remain as Maryland African American History and Culture and greater detail. The site also includes a brief a visible symbol, helping us see George and and the Maryland Institute College of Art to produce introduction to Washington’s African-American Martha Washington – and the United States the exhibit At Freedom’s Door, open at all three landscape and history written by Marya Annette locations through October 3, 2007. The online -- as they were, rather than as they may have McQuirter. ●✕ wished to be remembered. version, which includes teaching resources, is richly informative about both the collaborative process and Dr. Cheryl LaRoche of URS Archaelology is a the resulting exhibit. leading national expert on handling controversial archaeological projects. ●✕

Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007

PROJECTS TO WATCH regional

Courtesy of LoC/HABs of Courtesy roundup produced a list of suggested MayDay Photo by Joseph V. Labolito/Temple University activities, as well as promotional materials. Temple University All these materials are downloadable from announced that www.heritageemergency.org. For more historian and information, contact Mary Rogers, 202-233- archivist Dr. 0800 or [email protected] Diane D. Turner would take over Brooklyn’s industrial waterfront was in September as named one of the 11 Most Endangered curator of Temple’s Sites in America this year by the National Governors Island from Brooklyn, 1890s Trust for Historic Preservation. Pressured renowned Charles Dr. Diane D. Turner Governors Island in New York harbor by skyrocketing real estate values and lax L. Blockson Afro- continues to attract design attention. enforcement of LoC/HABs of Courtesy American Collection. Turner, noted for PlaceMatters nominated the Island as its New York’s strong her scholarship on African-Americans in featured place of the week in early June. preservation the Philadelphia musicians union, was Last year the Governor’s Island Alliance laws, buildings curator of collections and exhibitions published a booklet outlining design key to histories for the African-American Museum in principles for the Island, and this summer, of immigration, Philadelphia, and a guest curator for the five design teams competed for the award. maritime life, Rosenbach Museum’s landmark recent The Alliance booklet is available online and nineteenth exhibit, Look Again: African American at www.governorsislandalliance.org, and century work and history IS American history. She has information about the winning design can community are also been working with MARCH as director of the 2007 Bard College be had from the Center for Architecture at disappearing. For Brooklyn waterfront 536 LaGuardia Place, New York, NY 10012, more information and ways to support this Clemente course Courtesy of FWWIC of Courtesy 212.683.0023; [email protected]. preservation effort, go to in Camden.

Preservation Heritage of Courtesy www.nationaltrust.org/11most/01.html. The Heritage Fairmount Water Works Emergency Philadelphia launched its “Quest for Interpretive National Task Freedom” program on Juneteenth (June Force has 19th), as part of a statewide initiative to Center released a set of explore Pennsylvania’s central role in appointed Karen downloadable MayDay logo supporting fugitives from slavery and the Young as its tools for protecting cultural treasures in the drive for emancipation. Philadelphia’s new executive event of natural or man-made disasters. The contribution includes tours, living director. Karen Young Task Force, a partnership of 41 national history programs, and site brochures, and Young brings service organizations and federal agencies, includes the developing President’s House a background in communications was founded in 1995 and is co-sponsored Commemorative Site on Independence Mall. and education, and a clear sense of by Heritage Preservation and the Federal Statewide, regional tourism partners have the relationship between history and Emergency Management Agency. New built collaborations with important sites and environmental work. As she noted, “The publications include Tips for Working local archives. For more information, see Fairmount Water Works … represents with Emergency Responders, Guide to www.gophila.com/questforfreedom or the history of the development of a city and societal influences that helped make Navigating FEMA and SBA Funding, and www.visitPA.com. ●✕ it great. … We can be a resource to Recommended Professional Emergency WidmanGPTMC G. for by Photo Management Training. Another resource people around the world who are facing guides organizations wishing to participate [environmental and open space] issues.” in MayDay. Created by the Society of Congratulations to all the Upstate (NY) American Archivists, MayDay, expanded History Alliance award winners for in 2007 to include libraries, museums, and 2007. These include the Landmark arts and historic preservation organizations, Society of Western New York, The is an annual event that encourages cultural History Center in Tompkins County, institutions to undertake one simple emergency the Madison County Freedom Trail preparedness task. The Task Force has Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, Philadelphia continued on page 6

www.march.rutgers.edu Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007

MARCH HAPPENINGS

MARCH welcomed four new advisory Greenwald unfolded the many challenges College in New York, offers a “re-entry” council members at its annual meeting in of creating a memorial space, in the midst to advanced study for people whose Philadelphia June 7th: of priceless urban real estate, that will meet circumstances thwarted their ambition both the national need to understand the for college degrees. The Camden course, n Sara R. Cureton, Director of Grants and 1993 and 2001 attacks and the needs of co-sponsored by Cooper Hospital, was Programs for the New Jersey Historical thousands of bereaved families to mourn supported by NEH’s We the People program Commission. She joined the Commission and remember. As head of one of the through the New Jersey Council for staff in 2004 after twenty years at region’s, and the nation’s, most fractious the Humanities. historic sites in New Jersey, most historical projects, Greenwald’s optimism recently as director of Atlantic City’s about what is taking shape gave renewed MARCH sponsors two programs this Absecon Lighthouse. heart to many in the audience. October. At the first, on Wednesday, October 10th, at 6:30 pm, the Museum of n Melissa McLoud, a public historian and On June 14 and 15, MARCH returned to the City of New York (1220 5th Avenue) member of the Maryland Humanities Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to kick off a hosts a discussion of the Invincible Cities Council, directs the Breene M. Kerr six-month interpretive planning process for project developed by MARCH regional Center for Chesapeake Studies at the the abandoned Steel site. With support from fellow Camilo José Vergara with support Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. The the National Endowment for the Humanities, from the Ford Foundation. The occasion Center conducts and promotes original and generous in-kind contributions from the will officially launch the Harlem section research in the history of the Bay and city itself, MARCH welcomed 15 selected of www.invinciblecities.com, the Invincible oversees the museum’s curatorial, scholars, 14 local leaders, and about 150 Cities website. Panel discussants, in exhibition, and education activities. local residents to a two-day conference. addition to Vergara, include Deborah Willis, n Bill Adair, Hirsig Family Director of Local residents were invited to share their Professor and Chair of the Department of Education at the Rosenbach Museum thoughts on a wide range of stories and Photography and Imaging at NYU’s Tisch & Library in Philadelphia. The creator ways of delivering interpretation, while the Scool of the Arts, Columbia University of innovative exhibits and web-based scholars and local cultural leaders listened associate professor Lance Freeman, curricula, Adair wrote about the closely and worked to coordinate all the author of There Goes the Hood: Views of Rosenbach’s recent exhibit, “Look information. Follow-up continues and the Gentrification from the Ground Up, and Again” in the Winter 2006 issue of Cross plan will develop with further public input MARCH director Howard Gillette. Ties. through the fall, with implementation set to begin in early 2009. For the second program, on Saturday, October 13th from 1-4pm, MARCH joins n Timothy A. Slavin, Director of Photo courtesy of Cooper Hospital Historical and Cultural Affairs for the with the Historical Society of Princeton to State of Delaware, served as a Dover sponsor a panel and exhibit called “Public city councilman from 2004-to 2006, Memory and Social Landscape.” The exhibit after many years as an archivist and features haunting photographs by Kristine information technology specialist. In Weilbacker Hanson of the abandoned 2003, Slavin co-authored a pictorial North Princeton Development Center, once history of the city of Dover with a famous mental health center, now slated journalist Peter Slavin. for demolition and redevelopment. Panelists include Janet Golden, Professor of History John Payne, professor of law at Rutgers- at Rutgers-Camden, Ron Emrich, Director Camden, NJ Clemente course graduates, August 2007 Newark and George Vogt, former director Back row: Gregory Stevens-Jackson, Brendan Belcher, of Preservation New Jersey and Brad Fay, Reginald Ross, Wade Taylor of Delaware’s Hagley Museum and Library Middle row: Evangeline Jones, Winter Jimenez, Lourdes Gutierrez, former president of the Van Harlingen Michelle Alvarez, Brenda Richardson, Dr. Ed Viner, left the board with our thanks and best Monica Lesmerises Historical Society. The panel and the wishes. Vogt is now director of the Oregon Front row: D’Nique Pullin, Catherine Lawrence exhibit opening take place at the Johnson Historical Society. MARCH was very proud to graduate 16 Education Center of the D&R Canal students with 6 college credits from our Greenways in Princeton. Directions: www. MARCH was pleased to welcome Alice Camden-based Clemente course in the drgreenway.org/contact_us.html. The project Greenwald, director of the World Trade humanities. The students worked for is made possible by a grant from the New Center Memorial Foundation, back to 28 weeks with a team of faculty mixing Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state Philadelphia to present this year’s Fredric full-time academics and practicing public partner of the National Endowment for Miller Memorial lecture on June 7th. historians. The program, created by Bard the Humanities. ●✕

Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007

Regional Roundup, continued from page 4 Commission, the Northern New York payrolls, correspondence, engineering discuss the impact of winning awards and Library Network, and the Edward Frisbee drawings, patterns, photographs, and how institutions use awards to promote Center for Collections & Research. In miscellaneous smaller artifacts. themselves in their communities. Watch addition to the awards, the UHA gave for Turino’s reflections on this subject as certificates of commendation to volunteers In August, Philadelphia’s Independence the Famous Last Words essay in the Winter Betty Ball and Diana Castor at the Chemung Seaport Museum made Lori Dillard Rech 2007 issue of Cross Ties. County Historical Society, Historic Cherry its new executive director. Rech succeeds Hill in Albany, the North Tonawanda John S. Carter, who left in March Dr. Cathy Stanton won the National History Museum, the Interlaken Historical 2006 amid charges of fraud and fiscal Council on Public History’s annual book Society, the Madison County Bicentennial mismanagement, and interim president award for The Lowell Experiment: Public University of Massachusetts PressMassachusetts of University Heritage Trails Coordinating Council and Theodore Newbold. A competitive sailor the Museum of disability in Williamsville. and vice commodore of the Liberty Sailing Information on the winners and on the Club, Rech has been director of the Betsy Alliance can be found online at www. Ross House in recent years. Before that, upstatehistory.org. she served as director of education and public programs at the National Museum of Courtesy of the BaltimoreSun the of Courtesy American Jewish History and as education director at Fort Mifflin.

In May, the Pew Charitable Trusts announced the appointment of Paula Marincola to succeed Barbara Silberman as director History in a Postindustrial City. Stanton is of the Heritage Philadelphia Program part of a group of consultants working with (HPP). Marincola, long-time director of the MARCH on developing interpretation for Philadelphia Exhibitions Initiative (PEI), the Bethlehem Steel site. had been serving as interim director for HPP before taking the position permanently. In late June, Governor Edward G. Rendell named 9 people to Pennsylvania’s Janet Greene has left New York’s General Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Society of Mechanics and Tradesmen

Courtesy of Janet GreeneJanet of Courtesy Commission, including MARCH council to become member V. Chapman-Smith. Led by an Assistant Gordon Haaland and Katherine Haley Will, Lombard Street, Baltimore, 1939 Professor of past and current presidents respectively Labor Studies of Gettysburg College, the commission The Jewish Museum of Maryland will and Social open a new exhibit, Voices of Lombard Street, also includes David Atkinson, Economic Theory at the Development Specialist for State Sen. Gibson on October 14. The exhibit chronicles Jewish Harry Van life in the Museum’s own East Baltimore Armstrong, Gabor Boritt, the Civil War Arsdale Center Institute at Gettysburg College, Rep. Bill neighborhood from 1900 to the present. for Labor Studies Lombard Street -- known as Corned Beef DeWeese, Pennsylvania House Majority at Empire State Leader, Michael DiBerardinis, Department of Row in recognition of its roots as a bastion College, SUNY. of Jewish food merchants and eateries -- was Conservation and Natural Resources, State Ms. Greene Sen. Andrew Dinniman, and Barbara Franco, once the center of Jewish life in Baltimore. Janet Greene helped restore Pennsylvania Historical and Museum. The exhibition, part of a multi-year the magnificent library at the GSMT, and interpretive initiative, immerses visitors in the helped to develop the program in which she Sara Ogger assumed the position of life of the neighborhood through first-person will now be part of the full-time faculty. director of the New York Council for the narratives, hands-on discovery activities, Humanities following the retirement of authentic artifacts, and media elements. The AASLH Annual Meeting will be held David Cronin in April. Before joining the in Atlanta on September 5-8, 2007. At a council as a grants officer in 2002, Ogger The National Canal Museum in Easton, session on Saturday Sept. 8, 2007 at 8:30 PA recently acquired the corporate records taught German at Montclair University in AM, Ken Turino, Exhibitions Manager at New Jersey. She has served on the board of of the Watts-Campbell company of Newark, Historic New England, will be discussing NJ. Founded in 1851 and still in business, the Federation of State Humanities Councils the benefits of AASLH’s awards program since 2006 and is a member of the advisory Watts-Campbell is the oldest continuously for historical organizations. Panelists operating machine shop in America, and board of 826 NYC, a writing center for bring experience with national, regional, Brooklyn children and teens. ●✕ famous for producing stationary steam and state awards programs and will engines. The collection includes ledgers,

www.march.rutgers.edu Cross Ties Newsletter/ Fall 2007 In Search of a Better WorldBetter a of Search In From Benjamin Franklin: Benjamin

FAMOUS LAST WORDS rosalind remer

Finding Ben Franklin a home in the museum world

Curators and managers for the landmark To replace Boston and London, the team tercentenary exhibit, Benjamin Franklin: sought new American venues. In Search In Search of a Better World, learned some of a Better World includes almost 250 eye-opening lessons about contemporary pieces of art, rare artifacts and paper and Diorama of Franklin appearing before Alexander Wedderburn in 1774 museums in their efforts to send Ben on a over 40 interactive devices, requiring 50,000 over one summer. History museums multi-year international tour. The exhibit, stringent climate control and security. In commonly plan temporary gallery space in an 8,000+ square-foot presentation, drew order to bring visitors as close as possible the range of 6,000 square feet. Keeping this on almost 80 collections of Franklin to Franklin’s material world, paintings size range in mind for traveling exhibitions materials from Philadelphia, across the were displayed unglazed and artifacts could encourage greater history museum United States, and abroad. Sponsored by placed on platforms rather than in cases. participation. But blockbusters like Titanic, the Pew Charitable Trusts, In Search of a Many science museums, daunted by the Tut, and Gold, with massive popular and Better World was prepared for Franklin’s required security, removed themselves from commercial appeal (and marketing budgets), 300th birthday in 2006, by a consortium consideration. And despite the gorgeous have become staples of the science of Philadelphia institutions with extensive and significant art in the exhibition, art museum world, despite their often weak Franklin collections. After opening at museums were suspicious of the high level science content. History museums seem, Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center, of interactivity and the “barrier free” design. in a sense, to have lost “market share” to it was to travel to the major “Franklin” science museums, even for topics of greater cities of Boston, London and Paris. Following Franklin’s own example, the historical than scientific interest. team broadened its search for partners, and Things did not go exactly as envisioned. ultimately found eager hosts. Franklin The cost of hosting Franklin also created Though Paris proved just as eager to host never went to Houston in his life, but in the barriers, especially for history museums. Franklin now as it was in the eighteenth 21st century, he got a Texas-sized welcome To minimize costs for host institutions, century, London and Boston declined. Ben there. The director of the Houston Museum the organizers underwrote insurance and traveled instead to St. Louis, Houston, of Natural Science exclaimed, “Pinch shipping and declined the customary Denver and Atlanta – places that could only me! We’re getting all these treasures here sharing of gate receipts. But hosts spent have existed in his imagination. Creating in Houston? This is the greatest!” After for marketing and programs to augment the this exhibition – and finding suitable hosting 125,000 visitors, including 60,000 exhibit, and museums had to weigh those hosts for it – highlighted the disciplinary school children, he asked for the right of costs against their expectations for visitation. distinctions that drive temporary exhibition first refusal for the team’s next exhibition planning at museums, financial pressures effort. The Denver Museum of Nature and In the end, Franklin visited a mix of that privilege blockbuster exhibitions, and Science also saw crowds of happy visitors museums representing a wide geographic the limitations of space, security and climate (212,000 in only 11 weeks), despite anxiety spread. By the end of his grand tour, that challenge museums of all descriptions. that their core audience would ignore Ben Franklin will have appeared at a new in favor of the museum’s popular “Space history/civics museum, two history In London, no museum would give Odyssey” experience. Franklin succeeded museums, and two natural history museums Franklin top billing, although some in Denver in part because staff and in the United States as well as – in Paris – a considered featuring Franklin along with the volunteers worked overtime mastering the science and technology museum and a city Englishmen and -women involved with him Franklin material and connecting it to their history and material culture museum. The in his London years. To British institutions, own holdings and core strengths. French venues will divide the exhibition Franklin was a relatively minor figure on more or less according to their disciplines. the wrong side of imperial history. Science museums generally create larger In Search of a Better World will also remain temporary exhibit spaces than history available at www.benfranklin300.org for The Boston Museum of Science signed museums and expect significantly more use in homes, libraries and classrooms. on early, but balked at an exhibition visitors. While Houston and Denver took a Looking back now, it’s clear that Franklin team made up primarily of historians and chance on Franklin, neither one expected, or took his newly adopted cities by storm. material culture specialists. BMS staff and got, anything like the 500,000 to a million And, as always, Franklin’s experience leadership worried both that science would visitors who came to see Star Wars or contains lessons the rest of us can use to be slighted and that the historical Franklin Body Worlds. By contrast, Philadelphia’s improve our work. wouldn’t “sell.” Under pressure to bring in National Constitution Center was delighted “blockbuster”-type revenue, BMS hosted a Rosalind Remer is Executive Director of to log 200,000 visitors and Missouri The Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary ●✕ Star Wars exhibit instead. Historical Society was very pleased with

Cross Ties: News and Insights for Humanities Professionals Fall 2007 Volume 2, Number 3

PUBLISHER DIRECTOR Mid-Atlantic Regional Center Howard Gillette for the Humanities Rutgers University–Camden ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR Camden, NJ 08102 Tyler Hoffman 856-225-6064 www.march.rutgers.edu MARCH REGIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

EDITOR Bill Adair Melissa McCloud Sharon Ann Holt Rosenbach Museum and Chesapeake Bay [email protected] Library (PA) Maritime Museum Olivia Cadaval Linda Norris Center for Folklife Riverhill Partners (NY) DESIGN and Cultural Heritage, McFarlane Designs Smithsonian Jan Seidler Ramirez [email protected] The National September 11 V. Chapman-Smith Memorial & Museum Original Concept: National Archives and Allan Espiritu Records Administration, Mid- Timothy A. Slavin Asst. Professor of Fine Arts, Atlantic Region Delaware Historical and Art Director, Rutgers Cultural Affairs Sara Cureton University-Camden New Jersey Historical Martin Sullivan Commission Historic St. Mary’s City (MD) Commission Nancy Davis National Museum of American Gabrielle Tayac History, Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Joan Hoge Historical Society of Delaware Christine W. Ward New York State Archives Barbara Irvine Independent Consultant (NJ) Stephanie G. Wolf McNeil Center, University of Pennsylvania

MARCH thanks Stevie and Ted Wolf for their long-standing support and particularly for their generosity in making this newsletter possible.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID BELLMAWR, NJ 08031 PERMIT NO. 1271