2006 OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting |Washington DC

Town Hall Session
South vs. South: Interpreting Competing Pasts at Civil War Sites

Participants on this session would like to encourage a more detailed discussion than is possible during a ninety minute session. The goal of this session is to solicit and discuss questions raised by participants who encounter related issues in either an academic or public history setting. Comments or questions for the session can be emailed to the Session Proposer, Rob Dehart at rdehart.tr@earthlink.net

Session Abstract
One of the greatest interpretive challenges that confront Civil War museums and historic sites is managing the myths about the war that arose during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Especially in the South where the portrayal of the Lost Cause became a basis for collective memory of the war, war-time sources often come into conflict with popularly published accounts written thirty years later. Academic historians have recognized and addressed the discrepancies between these competing pasts, but how should this work be incorporated into the programming of community-based museums and historic sites? What if the most important sources of information about the war at a site originates from a disputable source such as The Confederate Veteran? What if embracing a new interpretation causes a museum to alienate a segment of its audience? Should a museum offer multiple interpretations to its audience?

This session brings scholars and museum professionals together to address these issues and requests that the audience be active participants. Rob DeHart, curator at Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum (Confederate headquarters before the 1864 Battle of Nashville) will moderate. W. Fitzhugh Brundage Ph.D., Cynthia Mills Ph.D, Dwight Picaithley Ph.D, Jeff Coski Ph.D, and David Currey will serve on the panel.

There will be multiple components to this session. First and foremost, the goal of this session is to solicit and discuss questions raised by participants who encounter related issues in either an academic or public history setting. The panel will field questions during the session, but preferably, participants will pre-submit questions to the moderator via email.

Second, the panel will view images of selected Civil War artifacts and undertake a discussion of how to interpret them. For example, Travellers Rest possesses a sword that according to oral tradition belonged to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. For some, it has military historical significance. For others, it is a relic that represents the controversial ideals of General Forrest. And still others may see its value as an artifact of public memory because of a 1920s inscription on the handle. Artifacts from other sites will also be used as discussion points.

Third, if time permits, the panel may undertake an "is it accurate" discussion of an account of the Civil War at Travellers Rest written during the 1920s. This account is full of the type of stories that form the basis of Civil War interpretations at many historic sites in the South.

The goals of this session are to increase awareness of the role memory plays at Civil War sites, locate methods to negotiate the interests of the public with historical accuracy, and help museums to better analyze and understand Civil War sources.

Last modified: 12:02 PM, 08/08/06		2006 OAH/NCPH Annual Meeting Washington, D.C. Our America / Nuestra América Town Hall Session South vs. South: Interpreting Competing Pasts at Civil War Sites Participants on this session would like to encourage a more detailed discussion than is possible during a ninety minute session. The goal of this session is to solicit and discuss questions raised by participants who encounter related issues in either an academic or public history setting. Comments or questions for the session can be emailed to the Session Proposer, Rob Dehart at rdehart.tr@earthlink.net Session Abstract One of the greatest interpretive challenges that confront Civil War museums and historic sites is managing the myths about the war that arose during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Especially in the South where the portrayal of the Lost Cause became a basis for collective memory of the war, war-time sources often come into conflict with popularly published accounts written thirty years later. Academic historians have recognized and addressed the discrepancies between these competing pasts, but how should this work be incorporated into the programming of community-based museums and historic sites? What if the most important sources of information about the war at a site originates from a disputable source such as The Confederate Veteran? What if embracing a new interpretation causes a museum to alienate a segment of its audience? Should a museum offer multiple interpretations to its audience? This session brings scholars and museum professionals together to address these issues and requests that the audience be active participants. Rob DeHart, curator at Travellers Rest Plantation and Museum (Confederate headquarters before the 1864 Battle of Nashville) will moderate. W. Fitzhugh Brundage Ph.D., Cynthia Mills Ph.D, Dwight Picaithley Ph.D, Jeff Coski Ph.D, and David Currey will serve on the panel. There will be multiple components to this session. First and foremost, the goal of this session is to solicit and discuss questions raised by participants who encounter related issues in either an academic or public history setting. The panel will field questions during the session, but preferably, participants will pre-submit questions to the moderator via email. Second, the panel will view images of selected Civil War artifacts and undertake a discussion of how to interpret them. For example, Travellers Rest possesses a sword that according to oral tradition belonged to Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest. For some, it has military historical significance. For others, it is a relic that represents the controversial ideals of General Forrest. And still others may see its value as an artifact of public memory because of a 1920s inscription on the handle. Artifacts from other sites will also be used as discussion points. Third, if time permits, the panel may undertake an "is it accurate" discussion of an account of the Civil War at Travellers Rest written during the 1920s. This account is full of the type of stories that form the basis of Civil War interpretations at many historic sites in the South. The goals of this session are to increase awareness of the role memory plays at Civil War sites, locate methods to negotiate the interests of the public with historical accuracy, and help museums to better analyze and understand Civil War sources.