To accompany a traveling show from the Constitution Center, “Lincoln, the Constitution and the Civil War,” in 2008, MOHAI developed a small exhibit about the Civil War in Washington Territory.  It was VERY well received, here, at least partly because the subject matter was so unexpected.  Although the Civil War was a national war, there is an enduring sense that the commemoration should be placed-based and battlefield oriented, rather than story-oriented, which makes it a regional interpretation.  I disagree, and know from my own research that Washington Territory and the state of Oregon participated in issues of race and slavery, the west coast underground railroad, wartime treason, vexed international relations with the Crown Colony of Victoria, suppression of pro-Confederate newspapers, and on and on, in the antebellum, wartime and reconstruction time frame.  The first Ku Klux Klan oath that I can find published here in the PNW was in 1871, and already emphasized white supremacy as the paramount value for this secret society, that grew out of the wartime Knights of the Golden Circle and Sons of Liberty.  Political conviction, family ties, steam engines and the telegraph made the Civil War a national one.

 

As to timing, I do think there will be a growing wave of national interest in the Civil War, over the five years.  Last year, we had experience in Seattle with a commemoration, a community-wide set of events that marked the centennial of Seattle’s first world’s fair, and I can tell you that the later in the year it was, the more interest there was.  So exhibits went unvisited and books unbought in January 2009, but people were flocking to exhibits and buying books like mad by December.  There’s a cumulative, synergistic sort of effect of all the buzz of a commemoration.

 

So glad that MoMS is considering this.

 

DR. LORRAINE McCONAGHY

public HISTORIAN

 

Museum of History and Industry

2700 24th Avenue East, Seattle, WA 98112-2099
P: 206.324.1126 Ext. 23  |  F: 206.324.1346

[log in to unmask]


www.seattlehistory.org

 

From: Harsh, Carol [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, March 01, 2010 1:44 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: New MoMS exhibition ideas

 

Dear MoMS family and friends,


We are exploring some ideas for the next MoMS exhibition and want to get some quick feedback in preparation for a meeting on March 17 with some curators at the National Museum of American History and the National Portrait Gallery.

 

There was a lot of talk at the Federation Conference about the upcoming 150th anniversary of the Civil War.  We are exploring the possibility of developing an exhibition on the Civil War Homefront.  This is something that we discussed with quite a few folks at the conference and heard resounding support.   Since you have hosted MoMS exhibitions in the past you have a good feel for potential interest among the host communities, so we are interested in knowing your reaction to this idea, too.

 

So, I have three questions:

 

(1)    Are you interested in a MoMS exhibition centered on the homefront during the Civil War?

(2)    If we were to do such an exhibition is it crucial that it open in the anniversary year—2011;  or could it open later, maybe Fall 2012 or Spring 2013? 

(3)    Do you think programs about the Civil War would only be popular in the anniversary years from 2011 to 2015, or is there generally an interest in the topic?

 

We have been hearing about a lot of programming planned around the anniversary year.  Please let us know at your earliest convenience if you think your council would be interested in hosting a MoMS exhibition on the subject.

 

All the best,


Carol

 

Carol G. Harsh

Director, Museum on Main Street

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

P.O. Box 37012, MRC 941

Washington, DC  20013-7012

202-633-5333

202-465-5267 (cell)