07/29/2024
As Matt and I dive into planning for Quarryman’s Rest, we've been digging into the world of museums, particularly historic house museums, to understand their challenges with revenue and attendance. Since we are planning on a similar setup, we feel that it is crucial for us to understand what makes similar ventures succeed or stumble.
Granted, we could easily be considered outsiders with no experience in this space. My husband has little historic enthusiasm or inclination unless it is presented to him in a way that he can directly connect to his own life or background. Myself, simply a local history enthusiast (perhaps to an extreme?) stemming from my family history interests with a mind for marketing.
I have poured through many perspectives on these challenges, why they might be happening, and how they could potentially be corrected. All of these perspectives are written by board members, museum professionals, and public history organizations. I have yet to see a perspective from a business owner, whose primary goal is to generate revenue, or a humble member of a community, who could potentially be a patron for the museum. The fact of the matter is, all museums and history entities need community support to generate revenue so that they can continue their mission. Perhaps these are the perspectives that are missing from the conversation.
As we have worked back and forth on what an authentic, immersive historic lodging experience might look like, we’ve debated many ways on how to walk the tightrope between authenticity and accessible storytelling. On one hand, I see the perspective of academics which purport that everything presented must be proven, hard, indisputable fact. Yet, having such a strong generational presence in one small area has also proven that lore is part of an area’s culture, often rooted in truth, and therefore also has immense historical value.
In the case of historic house museums, they are often deeply rooted in their academic missions. While admirable, these missions often alienate the museum from the very community they intend to serve. In practice, history is simply not as linear as it seems in the academic mind, and facts are often subjective to the unique person having penned them.
I give an example from my own family history, a quarry proprietor in Bakerton. A man of a rowdy Irish Catholic family who married into an English Presbyterian family – a union that history says should not have happened. The couple then generously employed, and offered housing to, a number of Irish Catholic canal workers and German canal workers and their descendants while raising their own children as members of the Presbyterian church. He was also publicly associated with the Whig party and yet there are clues of his association with the Fenian movement. Even with all of his associations at odds, he was very well loved and respected by his employees.
No, this is not imaginative storytelling. If there ever was an oxymoron of accepted history wrapped up into one package, it was Mr. William Flanagan. His incredible legacy is a reminder that the past was complex, made up of human emotion, thought, and free-will which differs between individuals.
Knowing that these contradictions of what we accept as fact exist and are not uncommon, what if instead of thinking of history as a collection of facts, could we think of history as a collection of stories waiting to be told? Could we better connect with our communities and visitors by telling the *stories* of the community and the people who walked there before us?
The ability of a museum to connect patrons to the story being told on an emotional level, allowing them to draw their own parallels between the past and their present is key to successfully engaging a community.
One common critique is that historic house museums often feel repetitive, offering similar activities like butter churning and candle making. I only half-heartedly agree with this assessment. I believe the daily lives of ordinary people are far more fascinating to a community than just the activities of the wealthy.
Could historic house museums perhaps expand on their historic craft list? Absolutely! However, let’s let the children tinker. Engaging in these historical crafts can foster a positive association with history, helping children connect emotionally with the past. This early engagement can inspire a lifelong appreciation for history, ensuring that future generations steward and preserve our history.
Some of my favorite childhood memories were these very crafts. I distinctly remember peering through a window, perhaps at Olde Tyme Christmas Harpers Ferry, and watching amazed as a period costumed woman made fudge over a wood burning stove. The next day, I remember making every argument as to why we should try making delicious fudge on our own woodstove while my mother hastily shot down each of my (incredibly convincing!) arguments individually.
Lots of fancy words seem to be thrown around about how historic house museums can innovate to be more inclusive, even creating stories where they did not exist, maybe remove furniture and artifacts, change the entire story that is being told, remove guided tours entirely in favor of things like AI and audio tours, throw copious amounts of money into more “interactive” exhibits, and more to boost attendance and thereby revenue.
Are all of these things really needed? Or is what that is actually needed is a simple study of prospective guests and the community that surrounds the museum?
If you were opening your home to a friend, would you envelope areas in red velvet stanchions? Or would you invite them to come in, sit down on your antique furniture, and offer them a glass of tea that was just steeped in your summer kitchen? Would you offer your guest a book off of your shelves that might interest them? Perhaps you would even make small-talk, asking about their life and connecting your life experiences to theirs.
In my humble opinion, this is the simplest answer to the patron and revenue issues that plague historic house museums. The more you allow a child, or an adult, to individually explore and experience the past on their own terms, the more revenue will steadily increase. Most importantly, the better you understand and serve your guests, the easier it will be to actually follow through on your mission of preserving and sharing your unique stories of local history.
This is what we will be betting on at Quarryman's Rest. We are excited to serve our community, guests, and find collaborative ways to work with others in the history space to help share and preserve our local history.
