Fort Roberdeau has been busy with visitors over the past few weeks. I have had the honor of serving as tour guide for many visiting families, including my own. My family came to visit me and take a tour for the first time, and I can admit giving a tour to someone you know is much more stressful than to someone you have never met. Since school is out for the summer a lot of the tours I am giving are to families with small or school age children. Making the children exercise their imagination and their thinking skills in a museum context is something I enjoy. I encourage children to ask questions, guess what an object was used for, or remember information I stated previously in the tour. Fort Roberdeau allows children of any age to relate and have a personal experience with history. As a little girl who loved going to historical places; I can see the same sense of wonder and interest in the children I give tours to that I had as a child. Being able to adapt your tour to an age group or interest of the visitor is a skill not to be overlooked. I also had to adapt my tour when my boyfriend came to visit me, because he wanted to start in the fort rather than the exhibits. Each tour is never the same, though carries much of the same information. Having the ability to create my own tour, what I will focus on, and how I will start and end my tour, gives me the freedom to excel as a museum studies student and apply my education. I also am always asking questions and learning new information to add to my tour. I am currently learning fan talk, how upper class women would flirt with men in the 18th century. I constantly have funny and insightful interactions with children. From the child that wasn't happy he would have been the last to take a bath in the same water his family would have before him in this time period, to the child who wanted to hold my hand in each cabin, each child gets special treatment on my tour. Many of the museums I have worked at during this internship have wanted to utilize my past museum studies education. Railroader's Memorial Museum asked me to write down ways that their exhibits could be updated, Baker Mansion has worked with me on conducting a research project on the architecture of the mansion itself, and Fort Roberdeau has asked me to create a new museum exhibit plan incorporating ideas of many of the other workers there. Each of these projects allows me to learn and soak up knowledge from each museum and allow me to apply my past knowledge. If you are ever in Altoona I would highly recommend a visit at each of these wonderful museums. Each of them are dedicated to preserving and presenting history for generations to come. I am so happy and grateful to have been a part of the history of each of these museums.
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Interesting things are always happening at Fort Roberdeau and I am so blessed to be a part of it! The 4th of July event at Fort Roberdeau always draws a crowd and brings the community together. I worked in directing traffic and answering questions about exhibits. I met two little girls who were interested in George Washington and I told them about his connection to the Fort. Seeing the children engaged with history always brightens my day. I like finding different ways to relate the information to the public, by finding their interests and catering my tour to them. The weather caused us a problem for a little bit, but many people stuck it out with us. Another day I gave a tour and later overheard a little boy relating to his mother what I had told them during the tour. Knowing that what I told the children stayed with them makes me happy. I remember going to a living history place as a child and I still cherish the memories from going there. I hope the children that visit Fort Roberdeau remember the memories they made there. I believe it is not the child's job to be engaged, it is the tour guide's job to engage the child with history. One day we had a summer camp visiting the Fort. On days where summer camps or school tours visit the fort various tour guides give demonstrations on how life was like in the 18th century. I worked at the station titled Toys and Games. I love being in creative control of a station and determining what toys and games I will set out and explain for the children. I had fun playing with the 3rd and 4th graders, showing them what toys they would have played with in the 18th century. I reminded the children that if they lived in the 18th century their chores and helping their parents would have to be completed before they got to play. I had the children tell me if any of these toys or games are still played today and what they are called today. Seeing children that are so used to playing on a phone engage with real hands-on toys was a joy to behold. One little girl in particular was fascinated by corn husk dolls and bought a kit to make one in the gift shop. Another day at the Fort me and the other interns were given the job to come up with ways to change the current exhibits. We came up with really good ideas that we are working to implement within the museum. I have started learning "fan talk", a way that women of the time period talked to one another and men when they were not able to outright speak due to the restrictions of their gender. I want to incorporate this skill into my tour guide presentation and have already had some visitors express their interest in also learning the language of the fan. I am always trying to learn new things to incorporate into my tour to better engage visitors with history. Faux Windows at Baker MansionBaker Mansion still holds many secrets for the people that work there today. I happened to be one of the lucky people to bring one of these secrets to light. When the Mansion was restored it was determined that some of the windows on the outside or facade of the house are faux or fake. Meaning though there are shutters on each window, making them appear as if they open into the inside, in reality they do not. The faux or fake windows were created to serve as enhancements to the outside or facade of the house, making it appear visually pleasing from the outside. As you can see from the picture above, when the window shutters are closed you cannot tell the difference between the fake or faux windows from the real windows. Four of the windows on this side of the building are faux or fake. I was given the task of determining which windows are real and which are fake, and then labeling them on a copy of the architect's original plans. There is no documentation or plans showing which windows are fake, so I was given this task. Each fake or faux window corresponds with a fireplace where the window should open. This task only took me about an hour, and then I continued my research on the architecture of the building itself.
Each museum I work at provides me a different experience and opportunity that I will cherish forever. Working at Baker Mansion is one of my favorite experiences of the whole internship. The Greek Revival Mansion rivals the castles of my childhood imagination and each room is meticulously designed and restored to it's glory. I spent a lot of time last week working in the archives, always ending the day with an interesting find. The people that work there are so lovely and always ready to answer my numerous questions about the museum history or history of an object in the collection. I worked with the curator to start my research project on the architecture of the house, how each room was originally set up and used by the Baker family, and how the museum chose to preserve the house. I have a wealth of information to go through and my research will be used in the museum in the future.
One day last week my sister joined me in working in the museum. My sister, who is not a fan of going to museums by any means, thoroughly enjoyed her experience there. I was glad I could share that experience with her and see her eyes light up when I showed her various parts of the museum. She helped me rework the Ipad podiums to be more presentable for the public in the future. I have been working on cataloging their collection into an excel document, so that it will be easier for the museum staff to more quickly and efficiently find the items they are looking for. There have been some very interesting finds I have come across, that I can't relate here. But I can say they are important pieces of history that Baker Mansion will hopefully one day be able to put on display. I can't wait to see what other mysteries the beautiful mansion has for me to find. One of my favorite parts of my summer internship is giving tours to visitors at Fort Roberdeau. People come from all over, different states, different countries to visit our fort. It is an honor and a privilege to share information about the fort with the visitors and take them through each building. When there are children on the tour I try to make it interactive for them and engage their interest in history. I have found telling the children about what their job would be at the fort if they lived back then, the process of smelting the lead from the rock that the miners did, and dressing them up in colonial garb to be helpful in making their experience a memorable one. I got my work out recently when I gave five tours in one day, the most I had ever given. I am constantly gathering more information to interpret to add to my tour. I also worked a day at the Railroader's Museum, where I spent most of my time in the archives, sorting each item into a category and box. But I also got to put some of my museum training into practice. I evaluated some of the exhibits and made comments on how I feel they could be improved and more interactive. I came up with some good ideas that could be implemented in the future, but many of the exhibits are already very engaging and interesting for the visitors.
Now I look forward to working a few days at Baker Mansion. Ipads and technology is the future, but what does that mean for museums? In what ways can they utilize technology, in this case Ipads to help enhance museum visitors and their experience? These are the questions that Baker Mansion is asking as it works to incorporate Ipads into their museum experience. I am one of the museum workers working to help develop what will be put on the Ipads to enhance the museum visitor's experience. You must think of the placement of the Ipad stand in the room. What placement will be beneficial to the experience, yet not hinder the historical integrity of the room? How can you make the technology accessible and easy to use for the older generation who may struggle with technology?
In the future the Ipads may be used to guide visitors throughout the museum, working as a sort of tour guide for the museum visitor. We want to make it so that visitors can select an image of certain object in the room and learn more information about it. I worked to take photographs that may be used on the Ipads. It's amazing what skills come in handy in the museum field. I have a background in photography and have taken many photography classes, but if you had told me they would come in handy in the museum field I wouldn't have believed you. I also filmed a demonstration put on by one of the knowledgeable volunteers about the various place settings and types of silverware a wealthy family would have in the 18th century. We felt having this video might prove to be interesting to visitors who wish to know more about the various distinct silverware that is so different from the silverware we use today. From the salt spoon to the bone dish and the different forks you used for each course, the video proves to be very informative. I also worked to record items and their whereabouts in the archives for the curator to help her find the desired item/record more quickly. There is always work to be done in the museum, and I can't wait to see what new projects the museum world holds for me in the future. When tour guiding at Fort Roberdeau you never know what type of people you will meet and the connections you will make. Some of the days I worked last week the fort was extremely busy and I had to give tours, one after the other. I always try to cater my tours to the audience. Some people are interested in the architecture of the fort, some are interested in the daily life of people at the fort, and some people want to find more information about their past relatives who lived and worked at the fort. I encounter each of these different types of people on a daily basis. It is a tough job to move smoothly from one topic to another and relate your interpretation to your audience and their lives. One that I face daily. But last week pushed me to become a better tour guide as I had to ask myself questions like "how do I relate this information in a way that children will understand but that adults will also find interesting?" "How do I engage everyone, adults and children, with the information I am presenting?" One way I have found to do this effectively is to put adults and children alike into the time period, explaining what their life would have been like if they lived back then. I tell the children how their job would be to run back and forth, a mile and a half there and back, everyday getting water for everyone in the fort. I watch their eyes light up when I explain the mining process of lead in laymen's terms, letting them hold the different rocks that are produced from the process. I have found if you give children attention they will be more open to asking questions, or answering ones you may ask. I had one little girl ask me many questions throughout the one tour I gave. They ranged from "where would they go to the bathroom?" to "did the girls play with dollies back then?" and I answered each one and thanked her for asking questions. I had to laugh when she came up to me later, looked me in the eyes and said with all seriousness and sadness a six year old can have "Someone told me people didn't live long back then."
Some people that take a tour may already know a lot of information on the fort and some may not have any background information on the fort at all. As a tour guide you have to be able to cater your tour to both types of people. One day the last tour of the day had a woman on the tour who was a historian and who traced her linage back far enough to know one of her relatives had lived and built the original fort. I took them through the buildings inside the fort, hoping to reveal to her some information she hadn't previously known before. I succeeded and we even found a copy of a record from the original fort with her relative's name on it. Being able to help people understand and have a better appreciation of history is what I strive to do in every tour I give. Knowing that I helped this woman get a better understanding of her heritage made me overjoyed. As I finished the tour I had a woman come up to me I had given a tour to earlier. She said she just wanted to let me know that I gave the best tour she had ever taken of the Fort and thanked me for helping her learn things about history she hadn't known before. Anyone in the museum business will tell you, you rarely if ever see the impact your hard work has on people. Getting to see at least a part of the impact I have made makes me beyond thrilled for this amazing internship experience. Baker MansionBaker Mansion with it's elegant columns, winding staircase, original furniture, and displays that are a reminder of the past and all it's glory, never fails to amaze me. I recently sat in on an event planning session to understand all that goes into planning an event for a museum. I never realized how much effort and planning must be done to make sure the fundraising event is a success. Getting coverage in the newspapers leading up to the event, getting sponsors, getting a guest speaker and prizes, getting people to register, getting food, and making sure there aren't other events in the area that could conflict with your event, are just some of the things that must be done to make an event successful. I encountered my first archival work in the archives at Baker Mansion. They have a vast number of items and documents pertaining to the history of Altoona and the surrounding areas, Allegheny Furnace, the Baker family, and other wealthy families that lived in the area. They often have people emailing them asking for information or documents on their deceased family member or on a certain topic they are researching. I was given an assignment to fulfill one of these requests by shifting through documentation we had on the subject. I thoroughly enjoyed working in the archives, diving deeper into material, and feeling that I was utilizing my skills as an Historian. I observed various tours of the house, learning more about the family and the architecture of the house itself. It is interesting to see the differences in how tour guides give tours and how they interpret information differently.
Railroader's Memorial MuseumRailroader's Memorial Museum is one of the most interactive museums I have ever been in. It has something for everyone, even for people who aren't necessarily interested in the history of the railroad. The lady I live said going through there brought back so many memories of her childhood, crossing over the bridge walking to school where the railway men were working and the steam from the engines would blow her skirt up. And the bar that they recreated in one of the rooms is an exact replica of the one her father went to everyday after work on the railroad.
I spent my time there recording the items and documents in the archives that needed to be cataloged and organized. I enjoy my time spent at both places in the archives and the wonderful opportunity I have to work with archival material I wouldn't have otherwise. Last week has been a blur as I was thrown into training as a tour guide for Fort Roberdeau. Almost everyday last week I observed and helped lead school tours for students in 3rd and 4th grade. Watching the childrens' faces light up when they started to understand what life was like back in the 18th century and the significance of the Revolutionary War fort was a joy to experience. I helped in various ways, from dressing the children in the colonial garb that they would have worn if they lived in the 18th century, to helping them learn the art of quilling that was performed by wealthy women of the era. Seeing the joy of learning on the children's faces was a reminder that many schools are cutting back on school tours that allow for children to have this experience. Throughout the week I observed tours of the fort given by my fellow tour guides. Each guide has a different way of interpreting the information, relating to the visitors, and making the information their own. By observing the different guides I was able to digest information quickly and create my own tour by combining bits and pieces of interpretation from each tour guide. Two days ago I felt comfortable enough to give my first tour on my own, with a fellow tour guide joining the tour for support. The tour went well and the visitors enjoyed the tour so much that the tour lasted much longer than a normal tour. They were very engaged with my interpretation and eager to learn more.
I enjoy giving tours and it reminds me of how I went to living history museums as a child and I still remember the experiences I had there. I hope the children that visit Fort Roberdeau remember their experiences there, just as I remember mine. My dream job as a child was to be able to dress in colonial garb everyday and give tours of an historic site. And here I am living out my dream. I have been privileged to be accepted into the Dancyn Internship Program that will allow me to volunteer at 4 different museums in Altoona over the summer. As a student studying Museum Studies and History at Juniata College I have gained the necessary skills to work in a the museum field and now I get to use them! I am taking the internship for credit with Professor Streb, the museum director of the Juniata College Museum of Art. Through this internship I hope to get more experience working in museums and better discover which aspect of the museum I would like to work in for the future. What will I do at the Museums?This is a question I get asked quite often and my answer varies depending on the museum. I have made myself available to the staff at every museum and made it clear I am willing to do everything that needs done. From helping organize the archives and write interpretation to dusting and sweeping the museum floors, I am prepared to do it all. On Monday I visited each museum, met the staff, and got more of an idea what I will be doing at each museum. Baker Mansionhttp://www.blairhistory.org/baker-mansion.html Baker Mansion is run by Blair County Historical Society and tells the story of Elias Baker and his family along with the story of the Alleghany Furnace, owned by the family. The house has been restored to how it was when the family lived there and I highly recommend paying it a visit. My job there will mostly consist of working in the archives and giving tours of the house itself. Railroaders Memorial Museumhttps://www.railroadcity.com/visit/museum/ Railroaders Memorial Museum follows the story of the railroad in Altoona and the Horseshoe Curve, along with telling the stories of the common man who worked the railroad. My job there will consist of working in the archives and working in the bookstore/gift shop. Southern Alleghenies Museum of Arthttp://www.sama-art.org/museum/location/altoona.htm The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art museum showcases various works of art and maintains a collection of over 4,000 paintings. For two weeks of the internship I will be working at Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art camp for kids. Fort Roberdeauhttps://www.facebook.com/FtRoberdeau/photos/a.1437002596355419.1073741866.179522055436819/1437023983019947/?type=3&theater Fort Roberdeau is a recreation of am 18th century fort that was used for protection for the settlers in the area along with lead miners. The lead miners that were making lead for bullets and settlers needed protection from Tories and Native Americans in the area. My job at Fort Roberdeau will consist of working as a tour guide in time period garb (there will be more pictures to come). I can't wait to get started to work at each museum and see where these great opportunities take me.
Once every two weeks I can be found walking into the local post office.
I grin and push my envelopes through the mail slot, silently wishing that they reach the intended recipient. I cradle the rest of the envelopes and approach the counter, where I receive a familiar greeting from the mail carrier. “Where to this week?” he remarks as I hand over the mail that will be traveling farther than the others. “Oh, you know The UK, Germany, and Australia, the usual,” I simply reply as he adds up the total of the stamps to be purchased. He never questions the art that is prominently displayed on the envelope or the fact that the words ‘sent with love’ are written where I licked it shut. “They will be out in the mail shortly,” he says as I turn to leave. I jangle my car keys in my hand and smile knowing that my words are helping someone in need. The hours, hand poised at paper searching for the right words to say are far from my mind as I cross the busy street. My words, the words the recipient needs to hear are on their way and I sigh in satisfaction knowing that two weeks from now I will be carrying another bundle of letters. Before last year you couldn’t have paid me to go to the post office. “The practice of mailing letters is dying out,” I would have stated as I changed the conversation to the show I watched the night before. But in the back of my mind, I wasn’t able to shake the memory of the little girl in ruby red slippers skipping excitedly to the mail box to gather what treasures had appeared there almost overnight. Memories have become precious to me, and that memory of the little girl I used to be kept finding its way back into my mind. In August of that year I sustained a concussion, a concussion that wiped many of my memories and preexisting sense of identity clear out the window. I was struggling to remember what to order at a restaurant, what my favorite movie was, and how words on a page that had previously taken me a matter of minutes to read were now taking me an hour. No matter how hard I tried, the words and their meanings continued to frustrate me. I would go out and spend my time and money just buying books I had plans to read in the future when the words could make more sense again. It was on one of these outings, in the middle of an Ollie’s on a Saturday, that my life started to begin again. I perused the books, running my fingers over their spine and casually ever so often picking one up to breathe in it’s scent. By scanning the ransacked bookshelves, I was creating a hope within me that one day I would be able to read them again with the same love and understanding as before. That’s when it caught my eye; the cover was picture of lined paper with the words IF YOU FIND THIS LETTER: A MEMOIR by Hannah Brencher. If you don’t believe that a book can spark a change in the world you haven’t been reading the right ones. This book was the start of my journey with More Love Letters. By writing letters to strangers who were struggling, I was able to overcome my own struggles and make a difference in the world. In summary the book details the journey of Hannah, a girl who longed to make a difference in the world. One day Hannah makes a promise to the Internet: “If you need a letter, some words of encouragement, I will write you one, no questions asked.” The requests came pouring in from all over the world, from people who needed to remember what it was like to know that someone was thinking about them. Hannah’s project produced the non-profit foundation More Love Letters. I imagined the rush of the subway train under my fingers sitting next to Hannah while she penned the first love letter that would change her life and mine forever. Within moments of finishing the book, I was typing those three little words into google. Little did I know that the first result on the list would be the place on the internet I would soon call home. I clicked on the button LETTER REQUESTS and I don’t think my heart or my browser has left that page since. There were names, each name a different story, a different reason why someone in their life felt they needed a letter of hope and encouragement. I sat on my back porch pouring my heart out to each person that needed to be reminded they were not alone. Karen had just lost the love of her life to cancer and didn’t think she could go on living in a world where he wasn’t there. Tears stained the paper as I wrote: “This world has more to offer you than the empty side of the bed where he used to lay. I’m sorry for your loss, and if I could hug you and put all the pieces of your life back together for you I would. We all lose someone in life, it’s the sad, terrible truth and I’m deeply sorry it had to happen to you. All we can do is hold onto the memories and know that we were lucky enough to hold them for the time we did. The pain in your heart will lessen and one day you will be able to laugh again. That day will be the best and worst day of your life. That will be the day that you realize that there is more this life has in store for you. It will be bittersweet, but know that you have people that will be there for you through it all.” Leslie was a victim of sex trafficking and trying to gain a life outside of her past. In the first light of day with a cup of hot chocolate in my hands I wrote what I knew she needed to hear. “You are not defined by your past. You are not defined by your mistakes, or what others did to you. You are stronger than all of that, you are in charge of your future. What you do with it is up to you, you my dear are a fighter and nothing will be able to stop you from achieving your dreams. If you have as much faith as I have in you and your ability, I know you will be able to reach every goal you set. This life isn’t done with you yet.” I started realizing that what I was writing to these individuals I had never met was what I needed to hear. They were what I wished someone would say to me in a packed subway train as I struggled to read the book in my lap. By writing these letters I was not only writing to others, but I was writing to myself. The words that I wrote were slowly changing me from the inside out. It didn’t surprise me to hear comments of “You’re different”, “It’s like you’re you again”, or “that light is back in your smile” coming from those around me. Last week I got a letter in the mail. Amongst the bills and magazine subscriptions was a letter addressed to me. “That’s odd, I don’t know anyone in New York” I muttered to myself as I ripped it open. There in shaky handwriting were the words I had been longing to hear. “Your letter was just what I needed to realize that I can accomplish anything I set my mind to. You reminded me that my disorder does not define me and that I have people that will always love and support me. You helped me through a dark time and I will never be able to thank you enough for that. Thank you for letting me know I will always have a friend in Pennsylvania. Love, Debbie.” I felt a tear slide down my cheek as I remembered Debbie’s story of depression and feeling that she didn’t belong anywhere because of her learning disability. If I could inspire one person to overcome the obstacles in their life, I knew that it was all worthwhile. I carried the letter inside and sat down, opening my web browser to the LETTER REQUESTS. There were people out there that needed my letters; my words were breaking the barrier of distance and inspiring someone that needed the encouragement to keep living. So, if one day you find a letter in your mailbox from a place you never heard of with the words “Sent with Love” written on the envelope, don’t be scared. Know that a girl that cares an awful lot sat down and wrote you a letter. |
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