Open the Door!
Approaches to Interpreting Historic Landscapes
AASLH Conference, Austin, Texas – September 8, 2017
by George W. McDaniel
This was the second session that I participated in at this year’s AASLH conference in Austin. It examined the ways that sites across the country are approaching the interpretation of diverse historic landscapes in order to expand their significance and to stimulate engagement among today’s audiences. The panelists presented case studies and focused on extracting lessons from the front lines of historic landscape interpretation. There were three of us on the panel: Chair Sean E. Sawyer, The Olana Partnership, Hudson, NY; Joshua Torrance, Woodlawn Museum, Gardens and Park, Ellsworth, MEA; and yours truly. A video of the session will be made available soon and will be posted here in the coming weeks.
The edited image above of George Washington’s Mount Vernon captures the impact that an oil refinery, proposed in 1955, would have had if it had not been prevented by the heroic efforts of preservationists of the day, including First Lady Jackie Kennedy and Frances Payne from Ohio. Instead, generations of families and students over the past 60+ years and into the future are able to see and experience this important historic site as its builders intended.
Whole Place Preservation: Mount Vernon today.
Preserved for generations: Mount Vernon today.
Mt. Vernon Gardens – saved!
Whole Place Preservation encompasses the historic buildings, landscape, and environs. Thankfully, visionary leadership at many of our historic sites like Mount Vernon, Monticello, Olana, Woodlawn, and Drayton Hall, continue to work to ensure that the totality of the site is preserved and protected — always asking, “What kind of future do we want to have?”
Some key messages from this session:
- Preservation is often about what you don’t see.
- Help people choose between competing futures — connect your future to theirs.
- Your work can change the public image of your museum or site from being elitist or only about buildings and its property, to concern for the public realm.
- Environmental conservation and historic preservation can converge and create a stronger movement.
- People of different backgrounds who might not otherwise work together will be drawn to your vision.
- Your efforts can attract new and different donors, i.e., individuals, foundations, public agencies.
- Remember that places don’t preserve places. People do. People have to step up. You must have the vision and courage to inspire them.
L-R, George W. McDaniel, Session Chair Sean E. Sawyer, Olana Partnership, and Lonnie Bunch, director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
George W. McDaniel, Ph.D., is President of McDaniel Consulting, LLC, a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and to its broader constituents. The company’s tag line, “Building Bridges through History,” is grounded in McDaniel’s personal beliefs and his experience in site management, preservation, education, board development, fundraising, and community outreach. Rather than using history to divide us, he strives to help organizations use history, especially local history, to enhance cross-cultural understanding and to support local museums, preservation, and education. Dr. McDaniel recently led volunteer efforts with Emanuel AME Church and historical organizations in Charleston to use historic preservation to enhance racial reconciliation and healing.
McDaniel is also the Executive Director Emeritus of Drayton Hall, a historic site in Charleston, SC, owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He retired from Drayton Hall in 2015 after 25 years of distinguished service.
Header Image: What kind of future do we want? This image of Mount Vernon with an oil refinery in the background imagines a very real threat that was only averted thanks to dedicated preservationists.
McDaniel Consulting LLC is a strategy firm that helps organizations use history to build bridges within itself and its broader constituents.