Revealing the Practices and Problems in Exhibiting Revolutionary Era Historic Houses

Bringing together contemporary scholars and heritage practitioners who work with historic American houses of the Revolutionary Era, this panel will address a number of pressing issues: the challenges of centering marginalized stories in curation and interpretation; applying new scholarship to old spaces; balancing new interpretation against perceived ideas of the meaning of “Revolutionary,” and the positive reception and/or pushback against the massive changes in narration to the American story that is played out every day at historic house museums and sites across the country. Panelists will discuss Revolutionary Era historic houses in differing geographic and cultural areas, including Albany, New York; New Haven, Connecticut; Charles County, Maryland; and Fredericksburg, Virginia. Attendees will learn about the timely and intentional efforts of different local and federal organizations in doing this work on behalf of the public. The subjects of the houses under discussion include enslaved men and women; a traitor; a Signer of the Declaration of Independence; and a Commissioner of Indian Affairs. What is the new historic house museum scholarship getting right about the Revolutionary Era and what more needs to be done?

The panel is notable as being an all female contribution to the conference. #womenalsoknowhistory