The Peril for Historic Sites
Writing by Darrin Dickey on Thursday, 6 of December , 2007 at 10:36 pm
If you haven’t read the November/December issue of Civil War Historian, the Attention to Orders column (letter from the editor) is worth a read. Editor (and noted Civil War reenactor) Nicky Hughes sometimes steps aside and lets his wife Susan (equally noted Civil War civilian reenactor write in the space. This issue she writes about the hidden peril facing many historic sites: a lack of money and support. She notes that many of those sites that are in danger of closing look prosperous. She reports on two Baltimore sites and one near Richmond which closed this past Autumn.
Baltimore lost the Baltimore Civil War Museum and Fells Point Maritime Museum. Both were satellite museums run by the Maryland Historical Society. The society was hemorrhaging money and the closures would put the back in the black in about a year.
Flowerdew Hundred is a historic plantation nearly 400 years old. It was also the location of General Ulysses S. Grant’s crossing of the James River in 1864. Turning Flowerdew Hundred into a historic destination was to a great degree the work of lawyer and investment banker David A. Harrison III. But Harrison died in 2002 and the family has decided to stop funneling money into the site. The site cannot support itself financially on its own. The only option left to them was closure.
Susan Hughes says that even with the elevated public awareness historic sites have received in recent years, many of those sites are still struggling. She says it’s time for historic sites to start looking at their destinations with a “business” eye and mindset. Something that is alien and hard for the administrators of many of these site. Yet, Hughes is right. Sites all over the US that don’t have access to unlimited amounts of money are turning things around by using a “business” mindset.
How is the situation with your historic site or group? Are you struggling or are you thriving? If you have issues or would just like some fresh perspective, drop us a line and we’ll be happy to give you some input. In the meantime, keep fighting to tell your story and keep your branding irons hot!
Category: Personal Observations, Worthy Reads
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