MUSEUMS
where
when why
BY NED BURNS, CHIEF, MUSEUM DIVISION
The question of central museums to serve a group of
nearby monuments cannot be answered with a simple yes or no. The fear of
some that our museum program is in danger of overdevelopment is hardly
warranted, since our great problem is one of underdevelopment. All our
interpretive facilities still have a long way to go before they can be
considered adequate. Possibly some of this misapprehension arises from a
lack of understanding of the underlying principles of our interpretive
program. Many people confine their ideas of museums to a building
containing cases filled with relics and curiosities which does apply to
a number of poorly arranged museums in towns and cities, but this
conception of our park museums is not correct.
The proper approach to a correct understanding should
start with the realization that our two fundamental objectives are to
preserve and interpret our areas. Little need be said about the obvious
need for preservation. A service program of this type is not confined to
outdoor formations and structures. Many small objects which are an
integral part of the park or monument cannot be protected in situ so
they must be placed in a building equipped for that purpose. In
principle this is no different from constructing a protective shelter
over a large object in place out-of-doors.
Interpretation of an area may require a large museum
building or a series of buildings for its proper function. The use of
these buildings by the public is not necessarily confined to viewing
exhibits. They usually contain libraries, lecture halls, research and
administration quarters and other facilities. On the other hand some
areas may not need a museum building, since a few trailside exhibits and
labels may suffice. The extent of development in each park and monument
can be determined only by the particular interpretive needs of that
area. No arbitrary rule can be laid down for "a museum in every park or
every other monument" any more than the number of administrative
facilities or miles of road required for each particular park can be
fixed.
Jamestown Archaeological Laboratory and Museum
ILLEGAL MUSEUM PIECE (?)
The following was an AP story from London,
Kentucky: "State patrolmen, deputy sheriffs and a Federal deputy
captured a still in Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park. After the
'capture' they learned the still was 'a museum piece' being restored 'in
natural setting' to add to the park's display of 'former mountain
industries.'"
We regard the park itself as the exhibit and the
museum building only as a functioning interpretive device for a better
understanding of this outdoor exhibit. The important thing is to
interpret the area on the spot through whatever means is indicated by a
careful analysis of the individual needs of the monument or park. Guided
trips, campfire programs, descriptive literature, lectures with slides
and motion pictures have their useful functions but do not always
suffice. When they are combined with the visual aid of exhibits and
interpretive devices in doors or along the trails the sum total is
effective.
In a few instances central museums serving several
nearby areas which have the same general character and are approached
from one common center may be effective. Central museums to house large
collections of excavated or other materials from several related areas
for study, such as Ocmulgee, have also proved to be desirable and
effective. However, the separate needs for preservation and
interpretation should not be confused even though they sometimes serve a
double purpose as exhibits while being protected.
The use of graphic devices in close proximity to the
natural and historic features of the park is essential to good
interpretation. The National Park Service has a unique opportunity in
this field. We place graphic devices inside buildings as smatter of
convenience or necessity. The trailside exhibits, orientation maps,
signs and markers out-of-doors are an integral part of the interpretive
system. Whether the buildings, are large or small, one or many, is
merely incidental.
Historical exhibit at Stones River National Military Park, Tennessee
It frequently happens that outstanding examples of
geological, archeological, and historical interest occur together or are
in close proximity to each other in several small monuments or one large
park. In determining whether or not to employ one central museum with
several rooms, each devoted to a separate subject or to establish
several small one-theme museums, consideration should be given the
interpretive requirements of each feature rather than attempt a solution
by geography a lone.
We recognize and are working toward a better
coordination between related areas. Undesirable repetition should be
avoided in our parks and monuments, but in eliminating this recurrence
we must not forget the one time and first-time visitor. Occasionally
repetition may bore a few "chain visitors" but should not if the great
majority are first timers. We should always strive first to meet the
needs of the great majority, and, second, to provide for the
requirements of those special classes who are in the minority.
There is need for a closer integration of stories in
all our parks and monuments and also with related areas under other
federal, state or private control. Visitors want to know about the
history and scenic features of the country they are visiting and have
little interest in fine distinctions of jurisdiction. In telling the
story of military campaigns, routes of migration, ancient buildings, or
geological formations an introductory background must be supplied by
reference to other related areas regardless of their ownership. The
fault is not to be found in the principle of repetition itself, but with
the method by which it is done. The same story can be told in many ways
with emphasis on a new and interesting angle each time. Occasionally a
visitor may grow tired of hearing a replica if exactly the same story in
almost the same words on dendrochronology or pottery types after
visiting the third or fourth archaeological monument. The trouble lies
not with the subject, but with the stories themselves which can be made
dramatic and interesting by a varied presentation for the benefit of the
repeater as well as the first timer.
(click on the image for an enlargement in a new window)
We are still a long way from overdevelopment, but
while we are trying to build up properly, sight will not be lost of the
important need for proper integration on a national rather than a local
scale. This calls for comprehensive planning which must be based on a
thorough study of, first, what each area contains; second, its place in
relation to other areas; and third, a study of the visitors who come to
see it. The number and type of visitors, what their principal interests
are, from where they come, how long they stay and where they are going
after they leave, are important determining factors in developing a
suitable program.
Obviously the tempo as well as the type must be
carefully determined. A different approach can be used in the park where
the visitor stays overnight or for several days. The same person, when
at leisure in the evening with all arrangements for lodging and food
completed, is in a receptive mood different from that when he is
traveling in great haste along the highway trying to keep to a schedule
and allowing only a few minutes to see some interesting sight along the
way. Many factors outside the park and beyond our control shape
different attitudes in the same individual. A previous knowledge of the
park obtained from friends or through publicity channels causes a
different reaction from the accidental discovery of an interesting site
enroute. There is always a distinct reaction to the general attitude and
behavior of other visitors and the "atmosphere" of the place which may
provoke awe and reverence on the one hand or boisterous amusement on the
other. The actions of the same man at a picnic is in contrast with his
changed attitude while at tending a religious ceremony or a patriotic
meeting.
Carefully planned presentation, good showmanship in
its highest sense, is of paramount importance and should be consciously
employed in conjunction with a knowledge of the unique and basic facts
concerning each area. The whole consists of each of its parts and the
success of our entire interpretive system will depend upon the
individual success achieved in each park or monument. Sound policies
have been laid down and their successful application depends on a full
knowledge of the local needs and conditions in and surrounding each of
our areas.
Kitchen at Washington's Headquarters, Morristown
National Historical Park
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