Catoctin Furnace Internship #3

             Over this past semester, I have learned a great deal concerning the field of public history and how I can contribute to it. I have worked for the Catoctin Furnace Society throughout the semester in order to further broaden my knowledge and apply it. It is even greater still that I had the opportunity to do so at a location that is only a few minutes from where I live. I take great pride in the fact that I will be able to make others excited to learn about a landmark which I have known for my entire life. Instead of rambling further, I’d like to post a small sample of my tour outline to display my work and  I encourage everyone to come and visit the Catoctin Furnace.

Catoctin Furnace Tour Outline

Theme: The Catoctin Furnace holds a rich cultural and industrial history. From 1774 to 1903 the furnace was in blast and provided many jobs within a unique environment where a great deal individuals lived and worked throughout the years. This tour not only analyzes the technical aspects of the furnace but also seeks to display the various facets of life for workers throughout the period whether they were slaves, free African Americans, immigrants, or locals.

Objectives:

1. Visitor will be able to explain most jobs necessary to staff the furnace

2. Visitor will be able to identify necessary materials used in the smelting process

3. Visitor will gain a new perspective into the lives of laborers during the 18th and 19th centuries

4. Most importantly, visitors will be able to picture themselves as if they lived when the furnace was still in blast

I. Introduction (Ironmaster’s House)

            A. Introduce self and present the theme

B. General tour description and small talk about safety (must cross the road several times throughout the tour)

C. Explain on road while leading into the location. Invite the visitors to imagine themselves as being black/white, young/old, men/women/children possibly seeking opportunities or being forced into labor as they come from various beginnings: new to America, enslaved, poor looking for work, used to work at another furnace that failed, possibly from another region of America far north/south.

AVAM Kinetic Sculpture Race and Beyond

For the last months of my internship at the American Visionary Art Museum the entire staff was working on preparing for the Annual Kinetic Sculpture Race. Each year the museum invites teams to build sculptures. However, these sculptures are required to be built around bicycles prepared to go through water, sand, and mud obstacles. The race has been a community staple in Baltimore for the last 17 years and it takes months of preparation. By this spring the race had been almost completely organized. However, there was still plenty to prepare. One of the fondest memories I will take with me from my experience at AVAM was the day I spent folding and sorting t-shirts for the race. I know, it sounds odd that something so menial would be so memorable, but allow me to explain. I started the process on my own. My supervisor soon returned with one other colleague and the Director and Founder of the museum, Rebecca Hoffberger. Rebecca is an impressive figure in the art world and the museum world. Instead of sorting and folding shirts on my own I found myself working alongside two of the museum’s full-time employees and the Director and Founder. We all talked and worked together, and despite the fact that I did have to complete menial tasks in my internship, I knew at this moment that they were jobs that had to be done in order to ensure the operation of the museum. However, no matter how organized an event is, it is no match for problems in the outside world. The race was scheduled for Saturday May 2^nd. At the beginning of the week the Freddy Grey protests took a hold of the city and the museum was forced to cancel the race. This was a massive setback and disappointment; however, it was a wise decision. Museums have to be flexible in order to adjust to whatever the world has to offer. I thought my last day at AVAM was going to be last week; however, I was just invited back for the summer. I didn't apply for the summer intern position, but the person who was meant to take over the position fell through, so my supervisor reached out to me to return to the position, and I was happy to accept her offer. I look forward to the experiences the American Visionary Art Museum has to offer for the next several months.

American Visionary Art Museum Development Intern

As part of my internship at the American Visionary Art Museum I was invited to join the Development Associate and the Director of Educational Programs at the Maryland State Senate on February 18^th. Each year the American Visionary Art Museum, along with other non-profit organizations in the Baltimore area, receive a certain amount of grant money from the Maryland government. However, each organization has to present information to the Maryland State Senate and House of Representatives to prove that they still deserve the grant money. It was a long day with a lot of waiting around, but it was still an educational experience. We arrived around nine in the morning to check in and drop off some paperwork. Several hours later we returned for the hearing process. Along with the packet of information, the Development Associate and the Director of Educational Programs had about two minutes to deliver an oral presentation to the Senate. One of the most interesting parts of the day was getting to see representatives from non-profits throughout the Baltimore area. The Director of Port Discovery was in attendance along with representatives from the Baltimore Zoo, the Walters Art Museum, and the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. Listening to their presentations was very interesting. I learned that the Reginald F. Lewis Museum has suffered some serious financial problems in the last several years. The museum is currently in a difficult position where they haven’t had the money to hire a Development Associate, but they truly need one to get back on track. I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to join members of the staff in Annapolis this year. While it wasn't thrilling, it was educational. I got first-hand experience with the efforts museum staff members go through to keep their institutions running smoothly. I also learned about the problems that museums can experience that can prevent them from getting funding they desperately need.

Internship with Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum

My last day at JPP I worked with Rebecca Morehouse comparing their in house database, regarding collections they house, with those of the Maryland Historical Trust.  The Historic Trust has a new online site, “Maryland’s “Archeological Synthesis” Project.  Through this new project, researchers are able to enter a specific ceramic type and find all the archaeological sites in Maryland that contain those types of ware.  Through this process we were able to pin-point collections at JPP containing diagnostic ceramics which we can now pull and add to the existing study collection.  I was not actually able to pull any samples but hope to continue as a volunteer over the summer. 

It has been a great semester and wonderful to work with Ed Chaney and Rebecca.  Hopefully the update website will up soon along with a new research collection.  Here I've included a couple images regarding prehistoric wares that demonstrate some of the surface techniques and how these vessels actually appeared.

Scanning Photographs at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Musuem

After completing the Martin Star digitization project, I was given the opportunity to work on another digitization project, only this time it dealt with old photographs. A man named Jim Hawkins, who lived in the New York City area, began taking photos of aircraft in the mid-1930s at La Guardia and Idlewild Fields. The head archivist at the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum, Stan, also told me that Jim took images at several military bases in the same area and then worked with Grumman aircraft for a brief period of time right after WWII but he resumed taking pictures in the 50’s of airliners at Idlewild and other airports around the country as he was involved in a construction business that worked all over the US.  He continued taking pictures up until his health declined in 2007.  He was in his 90's and lived in Florida at that time where his collection was donated to the Glenn L. Martin Aviation Museum by his son Robert. Many of the older photographs taken have already deteriorated. This can be attributed to the improper handling of these materials over the years and their old age. Some of the photos were not kept in cold enough conditions causing them to bubble at a faster speed. Some of the photos have also been damaged from human contact because they were not protected. Fortunately, some of the pictures from the 1950’s have survived and many from the 1960’s. I have only been able to get through those years so far because there are so many. So far, I have scanned and labeled about 560 photographs. From these pictures, I have learned a lot about how airplanes have changed structurally and aesthetically over time from each manufacturer. Even though this work is repetitive and time consuming, I am really glad I was given this project because I know I am saving so many photographs, some of which are almost in such terrible condition that they would not have been visible for much longer. Jim took so many amazing pictures and it is really unfortunate that those from the 1930’s and 1950’s are no longer able to be scanned. I will continue to work on this project through the summer until I leave for Graduate School. Overall, I would say it has been a really helpful experience. There are not many archive volunteers that work there and I am happy that I get to help them with such important projects. I have been able to meet such lovely people and they have given me great advice about my future.

Catoctin Furnace Historical Society Internship #2

After the initial delays which beset my boss, I am now fully engaged with my internship and am learning a great deal. I have begun the creation of a formal tour for the Catoctin Furnace Historical Site. I initially researched how to construct a tour outline by contacting Christine Hawthorne, a park ranger and interpreter at the Hopewell Furnace Historical Site in Pennsylvania. She was incredibly helpful and sent a great deal of outlines of various tours which the Hopewell Site employs for public presentation. This not only provided me with solid examples but also allowed me to facilitate relations between the Hopewell and Catoctin historical sites. With this information I have created a rough outline of the information I wish to present to the public, the structure of how to present this information, and some concepts which I might employ in future. It is also important to note that I applied a great deal of knowledge that I have obtained via my study of public history. For example, I wish to present the daily lives of furnace workers in an interactive format in order to entice audiences with entertaining and educational information.

Of course I did not create an outline solely on information provided by Hopewell. I conducted research from various sources in order to construct a strong outline. I read the book provided by the Catoctin Furnace Historical Society titled Catoctin Furnace: Portrait of an Iron-Making Village and contacted the Catoctin Mountain Park in order to more information and facilitate ties with the national park as well. This research allowed me to form my initially outline and as I continue through this internship it will also aid me in forming a more comprehensive outline so that I may be better prepared for public presentation.

I was also lucky enough to attend a meeting of the society and see how a small historical society functions. We discussed a great deal of financial business including various grants, the indiegogo campaign, and restoration expenses towards the creation of the new museum. Upcoming events such as Spring in the Village (an event which celebrates the site with auctions, refreshments, and dressing in traditional outfits) and the upcoming Star-Spangled Tours. This allowed me the opportunity to discuss my tour and, when my work has concluded, an inaugural tour will be scheduled most likely following my graduation.