Access to Knowledge

Recently I have read a few articles about a variety of institutions of knowledge and what their role in today’s society could be. Institutions such as libraries and museums, most notably, have always filled a gap in access to education beyond the formal institutions, such as schools, colleges, and universities. They were not as informal as book clubs and reading circles which filled city taverns and coffee houses in the late eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth centuries, but they brought knowledge to a public that craved it.

Museums grew out of a fad popular with the wealthy all of the way back to the seventeenth century. Today, scholars often refer to this idea as a “Cabinet of Curiosities.” These cabinets were actually rooms dedicated to collections of things, often from distant civilizations or items of natural history. Thomas Jefferson was one of the most notable Americans to have this and still today, if you walk into Monticello, the hall is filled with Native American artifacts, antlers, and other interesting pieces to observe.

With the birth of a middle class in the Gilded Age this idea morphed into something an average person could own, a Curio Cabinet! Maybe you even have one in your own home. When you think of a “Victorian” style parlor, filled with old furniture and knick-knacks, you probably picture curio cabinets filled with interesting trinkets. More people had expendable income they could use on personal items for decorative purposes and they did just that.

A Curio Cabinet in the Whaley House Parlor

 

At the same time, however, people were also craving leisure activities. These middle class Americans not only had expendable income, but they also had time! Not only were hours of employment now being regulated, but public utilities allowed people to stay up after the sun went down. Additionally, Americans were rapidly moving from an agrarian to an industrial life style, so they no longer worked their farms all day to go to bed and start again. Museums were created to meet the desires of this class of American who wanted to learn more (more Americans were literate than ever before!) in an “unofficial” environment. These were not adults deciding to go to college, but simply middle class people looking for ways to improve their intellect and, perhaps, fit into some of the higher society events. Keep in mind, however, that the large lower working class often still didn’t have access to these kinds of institutions.

Throughout the twentieth centuries, then, museums grew into a much more official learning setting. Academics came to rule over their institutions in a way that would often deter the casual visitor. They attracted scholars serious about studying their collections. By the 1980s, however, a movement had swept through America focused on including everyone. This came in part from the Civil Rights Movement, in part from historians focus on the stories of the unheard voices, and from many other corners of society. This led museums to reevaluate their role in society and focus on expanding the audience they saw themselves as serving. Of course, this was a slow process and it involved a “changing of the guard” in museum leadership, but that is how I can sit here today and write blogs and create fun programs for all to enjoy.

There is talk, however, of the role of the library and museum in a “Google” world. People can learn what they want, whenever they want, simply by pulling out their cell phones. It seems to me, however, that museums serve to connect ideas and people. We don’t provide a simple answer, but we connect the dots between artifacts, facts, and historical context. We can suggest the ways that things that happened in past affect the present and may affect the future. Additionally, we can connect people with similar interests, be they in history, in crafts, in learning, or in the community. Google can give you answers and, sometimes, they are correct, but we can bring everything together and be a positive force in the larger community.

Museums have come a long way, from being the hobby of a wealthy prince or statesman. Even though their audience was, for a time, limited and selective, they have blazed forward and can look upon the twenty-first century with creative and community-focused eyes.

Resolutions

Have you made a New Year’s Resolution yet? It is almost halfway through the month, so if you’re going to make them, now’s the time! I’ve made a few myself. Of course I always want to eat healthier and make time to exercise. Who doesn’t, right? But I also set a few more personal resolutions involving spending more time on some of my hobbies. I need to put my new sewing machine to good use!

According to usa.gov, losing weight, volunteering, getting a better education, taking a trip, and living green are some very popular New Year’s resolutions. Well, the Whaley House can help with some of these!

If you’re thinking about ways you can give back to the community, consider volunteering! We always need more help in our efforts to preserve and use the museum for educational purposes. If you have a particularly green thumb, we can use you to help with our flower gardens! If you are particularly handy, we would love to have you help with various maintenance projects. Finally, if you love learning about history, have a few extra hours, and love interacting with people, we could add you to our list of volunteers for programs, tours, or rentals! Basically, if you have the desire to help preserve and promote this Flint landmark in the community, we can find the perfect spot for you.

Additionally, if you have resolved to improve your education or learn more about your community and your past please consider participating in some of the upcoming programs at the Whaley Historic House Museum! We have a whole list of upcoming programs that will explore Gilded Age crime, women’s history, antique linens, and nineteenth-century board games and virtues.

I bet you never thought of using the Whaley House to achieve some of your New Year’s Resolution, but you can! And we’d love to be at your service! Feel free to call the House at 810-471-4714 or email 1885@whaleyhouse.com if you have any questions about anything you’ve read here! I look forward to seeing you!

Learning in the Nineteenth Century

How many of you have ever been part of a book club?

I’ve never officially belonged to a book club, but spending many years in higher education, especially graduate school, showed me what it was like to sit in a small group and talk about what we have (or at least were supposed to) read. Well, did you know that participating in a book club is participating in a tradition that has been around for centuries?

That’s right, your book club (or the Whaley House book club if you are choosing to join us) has roots in ideas about continuing education that have been around since the decades following the American Revolution. Once all of the political upheaval settled and America jumped into the era known as the Early Republic (1786-ish until about the War of 1812) the principle of self-improvement became important for everyone ranging from the working class to the wealthy. Members of various craft guilds and fraternal organizations formed environments where learning could take place, while the men at the top of social ladder formed their own literary societies and groups such as the American Philosophical Society. These groups allowed for an exchange of ideas and the cultivation of social morals (how to treat people and act in public) in an era when the printing, publishing, and distribution of books and other media forms was difficult. People continually got together, at regularly scheduled intervals, to discuss books and ideas! Yay learning!

So let’s fast forward to the last half of the century!

Even though it was easier for books to be printed and transportation connected cities to smaller towns, people still came together to learn outside of the walls of a school! In addition to literary societies and other educational groups, visiting museums became a popular past time! Prior to this wealthy individuals may have a room filled with curiosities they had collected over the years to intrigue visitors. Some governmental institutions also created museums (the first was the Charleston Museum in South Carolina, which was founded in 1773), but now museums were springing up in many American cities and many people were visiting them in their new-found leisure time. Women were also founding their own institutions of learning in the arts and other forms of culture and the humanities.

So, as you can see in this nutshell history lesson, book clubs have a long history in the United States. They provided social connections and outlets for curiosity in an age when official institutions of learning (schools, colleges, etc.) were new or exclusive to certain parts of the population. Today they remain strong in various parts of society because, after we’re done with school it’s fun to find people we can connect with over a common interest.

So, if you’re looking for a good book club, stop by the Whaley House at 6:30 on January 30th for a fun discussion of Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. Did I mention I’ll provide refreshments, because I will!

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

The Whaley House is full of activity! Were you to stop in during the week, you’d find the summer kitchen filled with photographs, foam board, utility knives, straight edges, candles, and power tools! Decorations are scattered throughout the house (neither put up nor finished yet) and a full pot of coffee can be found in the kitchen, regardless of the time. We’re preparing for the exhibit.

I am going to great lengths to provide a full sensory experience for those who come to one of the scheduled candlelight tours. My research has involved investigations into nineteenth-century music, superstitions, food, and activities. After exploring a few popular culture artifacts, provided more for Halloween entertainment, visitors should feel as though they are totally immersed in a world from which they are over 100 years removed. They will see what a wake would have looked like, move around the space and engage in activities in which those from the late nineteenth century would have partaken, and taste food that was part of mourning culture. There is definitely something for everyone.

My desire to make this a multi-sensory tour came from much of what I have been reading about museums and the way people react to them. Part of this comes down to learning styles; some people can remember stories word for word, while others need to see examples, and others still need to interact with what they are learning. I want to captivate everyone when they come to the Whaley House for a candlelight tour. Every day I think of a new way to entertain people.

So, whether you’re interested in local history, cultural history, or pieces of history that are a bit…more strange, there should be something there to interest you. Those are the thoughts that I bring with me to event and exhibit planning. I often keep my family in mind and think of ways to entertain my mom, things that would keep my dad interested, and information that my fiance would want to learn. They are sort of my inspiration.

Go Big or Go Home….or Not?

Today I sat down and began perusing a few of the museum blogs I follow and found a very controversial article by the CNN Senior Travel Producer entitled “Opinion: Why I Hate Museums”. Always up for a good argument, I clicked on the provided hyperlink and read the article. I will admit that I was aghast. How could someone say such things?! Why would someone seem to encourage people to ignore educational endeavors?! How could someone discredit an effort so noble as preserving humanity’s history and heritage?!

Then I thought about my museum experiences I’ve had throughout my life.

I’ve been bored…

I’m not proud to admit it, but in museums varying from historic forts even to European museums, I’ve lost interest. I have a ton of pictures of old vases and statues in Athens (yes, Greece), but I can’t tell you much about them. (Hint: If you find something you like in a museum, take a picture of the label, because if it’s a long vacation, you’ll forget).

But I’ve been to some AWESOME museums as well! I love museums; I really do. Here are some of the things that make for an awesome museum, in my opinion.

1. The objects and labels tell a story. They work together to keep you looking, asking questions, and moving through the exhibit.

2. Entertaining docents can make a museum experience. Now, I would not want a guided trip through the Smithsonian, but, especially in historic homes, docents (or historic interpreters) can make a big difference. They help you relate to structures and objects. They share their expertise with you and get you participating in what you see.

3. Honestly, I prefer small museums (hence the title of this post). I enjoy the 45 minute to hour tour. When faced with a huge museum, I hurry through the exhibits I don’t care about, skip some altogether, and take time to fully examine the exhibits in which I’m interested. This provides me with incredibly positive experiences. In contrast, small museums are intimate. They allow for the staff to really share a piece of themselves and their enthusiasm about their collection with you. Additionally they have the time to create really cool rotating programs and exhibits.

Now, I realize that I just made the perfect case for The Whaley House, so I guess it’s a good thing I work here! But seriously, folks, the Whaley staff strives to improve the visitor experience by improving guided tours and thinking up interesting and engaging exhibits and programs. I suppose it’s a good thing I came across this article today, as I’m preparing for our House in Mourning program and exhibit. Programs are being finalized and exhibits are coming together. Be sure to stay tuned for the big reveal in the next couple of weeks!!

Before you go, however, I have a few questions. How do you remember your museum experiences? What are some good memories and what are some bad (no names, let’s be professional)? How can museums work to better engage with you? What might you like to see at the Whaley House? Let’s use this critical article as a learning opportunity and show this author that the Whaley Historic House Museum has it going on!

Back to School

August is almost upon us and that means it’s back-to-school season. The unseasonably fall-like weather has also geared up my desire to purchase new pencils and attempt to better organize my desk. Although my days of back-to-school shopping are over, my graduate school career exists in my not to distant past and I can’t resist the urge to organize folders, projects, and lunches. I always the loved the fresh start that a new school brought with it.

Well, that’s enough about me. While parents are rejoicing at the fact that their children will once again be busy with school, I began reflecting on the myriad of changes that took place in the educational system during the time of the Whaleys. School was not required and children who did attend likely went to a Common School, or a one room school that served students from kindergarten through anywhere from fifth to eighth grade. Generally, the older the students, the less likely they were to attend school. Familial needs, such as farm work, earning money for the family, or starting a family of one’s own, took precedence over reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic. Additionally, attendance for children of all ages dropped during planting and harvest seasons. Sometimes, depending on the location of the school and one’s proximity to it, students wouldn’t be able to make it to school throughout the winter months. These schools were also often run by one instructor who had to balance the needs of a variety of ages, education levels, and interests. Sometimes schoolmasters were viewed as outsiders by the local community. Sometimes they were seen as an enemy, someone who wanted to take their children away for useless activities. Additionally, the schools often received little funding and the schoolmaster and students performed general maintenance on the building.

For a great look into the world of the Common School, see Jesse Stuart’s brilliant memoir, The Thread that Runs so True.

Of course, this is all true of the country school and the country schools outnumbered the city schools in the decades leading up to the Gilded Age. But, as the cities grew, so to did the need for schools in larger towns and cities. Post-Civil War America saw the creation of the high school and the birth of the adolescent, the teenager. Gilded Age Americans were uneasy about the changes in urban society during the Gilded Age and the myriad pressures and temptations placed upon young people. Thus, they wanted to protect them in schools and spend more time preparing them for entrance into adult society. This, of course, was a fact of life for upper-working and middle class Americans, especially those in the city. Overall, the percentage of American children attending common schools steadily increased, along with the number of days these students attended school per year. Additionally, educational pioneers such as John Dewey and Maria Montessori worked to revolutionize educational practices during this era.

Colleges and higher education were also transitioning during this time as well. Their numbers increased immensely from the end of the Civil War to the end of the century, funded, in part, by donations from the great businessmen of the Gilded Age, such as John D. Rockefeller and Cornelius Vanderbilt. The professionalization and standardization of fields, such as law and medicine, also necessitated the creation of specialized universities. Finally, the Morrill Federal Land Grant Act of 1862 allowed states the land needed to create state universities; Michigan State University was the pioneer land grant university!

Justin Smith Morrell introduced the Morrill Land Grant Act.

This was all fine and dandy if, of course, you were a white, moneyed, man, because college entrance, as well as access to a quality education, was, of course, largely limited. Women were attending college in record numbers during this era, however ( 39% by 1900). The creation of women’s colleges, such as Wellesley, Bryn, Mawr, and Radcliffe took off during the Gilded Age. Additionally, universities, such as Fisk, Atlanta, and Howard aimed at educating African Americans. There were also colleges that attracted Catholics (Notre Dame) and Jews (New York University). These various groups needed to look outside of the traditional university setting, where they were largely excluded.

As for the Whaleys, they enjoyed the privilege of education. Florence Bickford Whaley Orrell attended Kemper Hall, an Episcopal girls’ preparatory school in Kenosha, Wisconsin, after receiving a general education in Flint. Laura Kidder Whaley Jones graduated from National Park Seminary, also an all female school, in Forest Park, Maryland. Robert Whaley Orrell, having been born at the tail end of the Gilded Age, attended the University of Michigan, where he received a degree in engineering. There is no doubt that, in addition to being part of a well-placed family, Florence, Laura, and Robert all benefited from this revolution and expansion of education that took place during the Gilded Age.