I believe that Ware Petznick has an excellent point, in that personal 
connections to museum exhibits do make them memorable. Some artifacts have 
the power to touch more people's memories than others. A number of years ago 
my wife and I were visiting the Musee de l'Armee in Paris. In the section 
devoted to World War I there was a series of glass cases containing examples 
of the gorgeous dress uniforms of all of the Allied armies. At the end of 
the row was a much smaller case holding a blue French officer's coat which 
was completely caked with mud. The label simply said "The Mud of Verdun." 
Now I have no personal connection with the Battle of Verdun, in whch 400,000 
French soldiers were killed or wounded, but clearly many of the other 
visitors who were there that day did because they had tears on their cheeks 
as they gazed at this case. It is absolutely the most moving exhibit I have 
ever seen in a museum.

     I also think that exhibits can stimulate memory. When my mother was in 
her early 90s she visited me in Washington and I took her to the National 
Museum of American History, where I was working. We were in the 
Transportation Hall looking at the rows of 19th-century horse-drawn vehicles 
and she suddenly started telling me about her visits to her uncles' Texas 
ranches in the early 1900s. She went into great detail about the types of 
horsedrawn vehicles they had, naming specific body types - hacks, buggies, 
surreys, buckboards - as well as the names and colors of the horses that 
pulled them. She had often described these girlhood visits to me before, but 
she had never mentioned ranch vehicles or horses. I can only conclude that 
these memories were activated by the exhibits we were looking at.

     Your project sounds fascinating and I hope that you will post your 
conclusions.

Sincerely,

Lonn Taylor
Fort Davis,
Texas
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Ware Petznick" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, February 22, 2005 8:44 AM
Subject: Re: History Museums and Memory


> Dear Lisa
>
> One of my most vivid museum experiences was visiting Plimoth Plantation
> when I was a child. At the first (or second house now) on the right, we
> spoke to Mrs. Frances Cooke (Hester Mayhew) who was making jam tarts,
> with a circle below - a plop of jam - and a circle laid over the top
> with the center hole cut out. The dough was a darker color than I
> expected. Flies were in the air but they did not seem to disturb her.
> Later in a house across the street my mother got in a bit of a "debate"
> with one of the men about Christmas!
>
> About the same time we also went to OSV, so why do I not have such a
> vivid memory of being at Sturbridge? Both are world-class institutions.
> Both had a first-person interpretation at the time. The difference
> derives from  something over which neither institution had any control -
> a personal connection with the place. I am related to Mrs. Frances Cooke
> and Thomas Rogers (who had died the first winter).
>
> I must have been about eight years old that summer. My family have long
> supported museums and historic preservation, and summers for me as a
> child consisted of another dusty library and another old house, so there
> are many museum visits which I could describe, but no particular MEMORY
> stands out like the specific experience of talking to Mrs. Frances Cooke
> whilst she was preparing tarts.
>
> I hope that this helps!
>
> Ware
>
> L.W.S. Petznick, Ph.D.
> McFaddin-Ward House
> Curator of Collections
> 725 Third St.
> Beaumont, TX 77701
> [log in to unmask]
> www.mcfaddin-ward.org
> 409.832.1906 p
> 409.832.3483 f
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On
> Behalf Of Lisa Dillon
> Sent: Monday, February 21, 2005 7:56 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: History Museums and Memory
>
> Hello all,
>
>   I am doing research on the topic of museums and memory as part of my
> master's degree in Museum Studies. I am particularly interested in the
> role of
> personal and collective memory in history museums across the globe. How
> can
> objects, exhibitions, and programs inspire memory, imagination, feeling,
> and a
> sense of identity in museum visitors?
>   I would greatly appreciate any information on personal experiences
> with
> exhibits or programs related to this issue. As well, if you can think of
> any
> relevant literature on this topic or other people interested in museums
> and
> memory, please let me know. Thank you very much for your time, and I
> look
> forward to hearing from you.
>
> Lisa Dillon
>
> Candidate for Master's Degree
> in Museum Studies
> University of Toronto
>
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