I'd have to say that the Aiken-Rhett House in Charleston is on my highlight list. Similar to Drayton Hall in that it has very few furnishings. It's in a state of preservation rather than restoration, but has one of the only (or the most intact?) urban slave quarters in the US. The visitor reception area and museum store are in the basement of the house and the audio tour starts there. You see the kitchen and service areas, then go out to the slave quarter, stable and service yard where the audio tells you what is known about the enslaved people and others who did the work. Then you re-enter the house on the main floor, but through the door that the slaves and other servants used. The rest of the tour takes you through the public and family areas of the house and talks about them. No audio tour or live interpreter (usually my preference) can truly convey to a modern visitor what it was like to be someone of another time (enslaved or free). But by shifting the way we move through the historic house (versus the more common public/family areas first and then (maybe) the service/support spaces), they are able to introduce the perspective of an enslaved (or free) servant even though they don't have much biographical information to build on (as is usually the case). It's a subtle change (and perhaps dictated somewhat by the logistics of the tour), but a compelling one. For me, it has made it one of the more memorable historic house tours I've taken.
Amy Killpatrick Fox | Museum Educator
Bureau of Historic Sites and Museums | Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission
Commonwealth Keystone Building, Plaza Level
400 North St. | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717.772.1967 | Fax: 717.783.1073
www.PATrailsofHistory.com
Trailheads blog: http://patrailheads.blogspot.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Brantley, Christopher
Sent: Thursday, August 09, 2012 11:27 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] Most inspirational house museum?
Drayton Hall near Charleston, SC. The interpreter did an incredible job telling a narrative and painting a mental picture in a house that has absolutely zero furnishings.
Christopher Brantley
Visitor Operations Supervisor, Visitor Services Division United States Capitol Capitol Visitor Center, Room HVC-102 Washington, D.C. 20515 PHONE (202)593-1845 MOBILE (202)617-6639 EMAIL [log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Mike Reuter
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2012 9:09 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Most inspirational house museum?
Colleagues:
In all of your years of experience, what is the most inspiring historic house museum that you've seen and why?
Thanks for your feedback!
Mike Reuter
Executive Director
Rock County Historical Society
Sent from my iPhone
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