Marilynn,
I remember some years ago, when I was at Colonial Williamsburg, that
outside tour operators started conducting ghost tours through the town
that proved to be very popular. So popular in fact that the Foundation
started its own version as an evening program as a "Legends" tour. The
town was full of stories and occurances, I remember talking to
colleagues who avoided certain rooms in certain buildings. Then there
was that New Age Group,. back in the late 1980's or early 1990's, who
started digging up the Bruton Parish Church yard, because they
believed that Sir Francis Bacon and William Shakespeare had left clues
in anagrams on tombstones that indicated a hidden vault of immeasurable
knowledge. It ended up with a police barrier and the professional staff
archaeologists carefully excavating the hole to only reveal an old log
at the bottom.
Needless to say, the "Baconites" went elsewhere to continue their quest.
I think that ghost stories that have a long association with an
historic site is indeed part of the charm, and indeed history of the
place. Perhaps not as a matter of pure scholarship, but certainly of
tradition and folklore of that place and it's inhabitants.
I think that whatever is developed that it shopuld remain under the
site's control. So I would discourage independant use of the site - but
allow activities that follow your guidelines and that are monitored by
staff.
I think that it is all about balance - if you interpret the site
primarily for it's history, then perhaps offering a special "ghost"
program for the evenings might be a way of attracting new visitors
while still maintaining your daily interpretation. If you feel that the
site has an ever greater association with ghosts than anything else,
then perhaps that is the "meaning" of the place.
With the popularity of ghost stories it is certainly a draw for
visitors, whether you emphaisize that or not.
Cheers!
Dave
David Harvey
Conservator
Los Angeles, California USA
-----Original Message-----
From: Marilynn Havelka <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 15:54:42 -0500
Subject: Ghosts at historic sites
We are receiving a number of requests from companies or individuals
interested in doing stories on ghosts at our historic house or
clairvoyants,
or those interested in doing seyonces (sp?). Also it is one of the most
frequently asked questions from individuals on tour.
I would like to know what other sites, museums etc. do to accommodate
the
above or do you discourage it. Do you incorporate it into the
programming,
encourage discussion or allow filming for same.
I welcome any feedback!
Thank you
Marilynn Havelka,
Chief Administrative Officer
Ruthven Park National Historic Site
243 Hwy. #54, Box 610, Cayuga, ON
Canada N0A 1E0
Tel: 905.772.0560
Fax: 905.772.0561
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at
http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ .
You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by
sending a one
line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the
message
should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message
to
[log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read
"Signoff
Museum-L" (without the quotes).
=========================================================
Important Subscriber Information:
The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes).
If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).
|
