On Doing Local History in New York State: THINKING ABOUT HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

On Doing Local History in New York State: THINKING ABOUT HISTORICAL SOCIETIESAuthor(s): CAROL KAMMENSource: New York History, Vol. 67, No. 1 (JANUARY 1986), pp. 93-98Published by: New York State Historical AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23178769 .

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On Doing Local History in New York State

By CAROL KÄMMEN

THINKING ABOUT HISTORICAL SOCIETIES

Several things about today's historical societies seem to be true:

They are thriving, with older institutions undergoing revitalization and new societies devoted to a particular geographic region or to

special themes or ethnic groups appearing all over the country; the

people involved with historical societies seem to be younger— whether in age or in spirit—thereby destroying the myth of histor ical societies as the refuge of older people; and, those who run local societies are more professional—a condition some get by training and others achieve by attitude and the desire to do an excellent job. Obviously, these statements might be challenged or qualified by particular examples of moribund groups; but such examples are, I

believe, not the rule, only the exceptions that prove it. In thinking about historical societies I wondered about their

constituencies, for an historical society, be it public or private, exists to serve a number of different interests. Identifying the various constituencies of an historical agency is relatively straight forward. Some mentioned here are obvious. Others are likely to

surprise—not because they are bizarre but because their needs are

generally met only inadvertently, and sometimes not at all. A consideration of these groups should challenge some historical societies to make their activities more inclusive; it will help other

agencies to so focus their activities that more people may be served. Responses to the needs of various groups, rather than to the more general interests of undefined 'members' can only be deter mined locally according to the strengths of a particular society, the

talents of its staff, the interests and time available to those involved. What follows are suggestions that identify and illustrate some of the groups of interests who draw upon the resources of a local historical society and should therefore be considered by agency personnel.

New York History JANUARY 1986



94 NEW YORK HISTORY

The Membership constitutes the first group of people to be served by any society. Their dues represent a commitment to an

organization that concerns itself with a community's past. At this

point, however, the membership ceases to be a monolith and becomes instead a diverse variety of interests. Some people join historical societies to be entertained and educated in one or several visits. They enjoy ice cream socials and Christmas parties, espe cially if the former is held at a restored one-room school house and the latter features an elaborate "period" Christmas tree. They attend exhibits and support lecture series. By and large most members

prefer oral history and folklore projects, and artifacts exhibited as art, but they are good natured and respond to everything else offered for their observation. The membership joins historical societies to show support for their community—one does not, after

all, "join" a town, although taxes may be construed as a form of

dues, albeit not voluntarily offered. Many join historical societies to feel connected with the past of a community, to affirm its traditional values, or to learn about the place where they live. Many newcomers to an area join historical societies to forge a place for themselves in a community's affairs.

The board of trustees of an historical society constitutes another interest group, more refined, more particular, than the general membership. The board is concerned with operations, personnel, and costs. Boards sometimes seek to set policy and direction for a

society. Those that do not take an interest in these functions tend to

rubber-stamp the plans of the Director, making her or his life a great deal easier. But boards should also be seen as an intimate group of the membership, willing to be educated in various subjects beyond mere questions of operating costs. Are upcoming exhibits dis cussed with the board, their merits explained, and the historical reasons for the importance of such an exhibit underlined? The

people on a board are generally not historians but their presence attests to an interest in history and they should be made partners in the historical process of selection of topics and of the historical

questions involved in any presentation. While an entire board would be an unwieldly group, and an inappropriate group, to select each item to be put on display, the board is the correct group to hear a presentation of why a particular subject has been selected for exhibition and the underlying importance of the display.

Outside the doors of any historical agency there exists the

Public-at-Large, a group often ignored by local historical societies because the P.-at-L. does not pay dues or attend society functions



Doing Local History 95

regularly. This is a group of people, however, who are too impor tant to neglect. They are of course potential members, and if

carefully cultivated they might plunk down money or lug an old

diary out of the attic for the archives, but these are secondary considerations. The primary reason is that the society's collections

and archives are about the general public and the images and data

of such material should in some way be returned to them. This is

part of their heritage, and local history is surely so absorbing that it

should be accessible to everyone. Attending to the needs of this

group, however, means that some exhibits mounted by historical

societies may be better shown in public or civic places. Reproduc tions of pictures illustrating changes in local transportation, for

example, could be placed in the advertising slots on buses. It could

mean a series of traveling exhibits, weekly historical columns or

pictures of yesterday in a local newspaper, regular short programs on area radio or on public access television, and particular celebra

tions, such as the anniversary of a business or church, marked with

a movable display. The ways of responding to the general public are limited only by

imagination and, alas, by time and money. But it is crucial that

forays be made into this terrain. It has been suggested that in a

world like ours, marked as it is by rapid change and the questioning of national values and goals, more and more people are seeking the security of hometown, traditional values. The local historical

society ought to offer these seekers one more place in which

to search. A society's volunteer staff—and what society can do without

dedicated volunteers?—represents another constituency to con

sider. For too long volunteers have been regarded as people needed

for the many housekeeping chores that keep a society running smoothly. They catalogue collections, guide visitors, and inevita

bly, they "man [or woman] the front desk." Volunteers are needed, but they also have their own needs. Their work should be useful to

the society, but for those volunteers who are interested, the work

should also help them grow in ability and interest. Many volunteers

can be trained to do historical tasks that the staff has little time to

complete. My mother, an older woman, yet still active and able, has been doing census research for the Sandwich, Massachusetts, Glass Museum for several years, a task she loves because it gives her a sense of participating, not only as a docent but also as a

member of the research staff. She has learned a lot in the process, and the museum is able to complete important research without a

drain on staff time.



96 NEW YORK HISTORY

Historical societies usually contain archives, used both for the

planning of exhibits, and by researchers interested in the local past. Academic scholars also use local historical society documents as do newspaper journalists seeking the background for a story. This archival function is generally undertaken with considerable care and there are books and technical pamphlets that preach and teach about the subject. It is mentioned here because of the importance of local historical society archival holdings to a wide variety of

people. Training sessions on the use of archival materials may be one way to educate the public about the functions of resource materials. The specific holdings of a local society can be presented in newsletters issued by the society.

One group of people often found in historical societies are

"history buffs," local historians, amateurs (not a prejorative word at all if one remembers that its origin is the Latin amator, meaning to love: therefore an amateur historian is one who loves history). These people often do their research at historical society facilities, are sometimes found on a society's staff, or on the board of directors. They are consulted by historical societies, but they also

represent a group of people who would be well served by some

special attention from the society. What sort of attention? These home town historians, special interest "buffs," and the others who use historical society collections could meet under the auspices of the historical society as an informal seminar. At monthly meetings, members would be encouraged to discuss their individual inter

ests, what it is they hope to do and how they have set out to do it. Other sessions might feature a speaker from a local college or

university, or from another historical agency in the nearby area. At some meetings historical methods could be discussed and their

applicability to local research considered, recent histories from the

general area could be read and their implications for local histo rians pondered. There is relatively little an historical society need do for such a seminar except organize it, call meetings, offer it a

home, and on occasion give it some direction. The benefits to the

society and to society at large are many: local historians who now

mostly work alone and who tend to go to press uncriticized and unedited would learn to share their problems involving research,

they would see the beauty of cooperation, they would learn new methods to try themselves, they would gain a broader understand

ing of modern historiographical trends, and they could cooperate on special historical topics.

Local history seems recently to have been rediscovered by public



Doing Local History 97

school systems from coast to coast. Teachers, who are mostly untrained in the historical method, need help. Sessions devoted to their needs would be a significant community service. Their stu dents constitute an important audience for society programs and should (and usually do) receive special attention.

An historical agency exists in a community and should be part of the life of that place. It would seem obvious that historical agencies work hand in hand with local chambers of commerce, especially since historical sites rank on a par with natural geological features as tourist attactions. Chamber of commerce brochures might be reviewed by historical agency personnel to insure accuracy while the historical society might provide history tours for the chamber to distribute.

Historical agencies should also take a place in the cultural life of a community. The historical society should be partners with arts

groups, music and dance and drama organizations, with historic

preservationists, to help create a textured and rich cultural life. This affords the historical society high visibility beyond its traditional role and outside its usual confines.

Finally, historical societies should consider future generations as an important constituency. Preserving the past and serving the

present are not enough. Instead, historical societies should be conscious that one very particular duty is to preserve materials about the recent past for future use. Is the society collecting documents that date from the 1980s? Is it considering what aspects of our culture may help others know about our time on earth? Are

programs from theatrical productions saved, the obituaries from

yesterday's paper clipped, are photos taken of protest parades, Halloween festivities, high school graduations, weddings, funer als? Are leaflets that promoted, or opposed, a local bond issue

collected, or are we leaving to chance what documents from our era will emerge in later years? Are newly constructed buildings pho tographed, before and after? Are football rituals and little league games documented? Are Memorial Day parades covered as poten tial historical events? Are memoirs from individuals sought—or is this type of reminiscence left to private initiative? If an individual attends a "freeze rally" or fights a local school board battle, or watches while preservationists attempt to save a local bank, or is on hand when an old hotel burns or when a railroad car overturns, are their accounts of what they saw and what they experienced sought? Well, shouldn't they be?

Today we communicate many topics of importance over the



NEW YORK HISTORY

telephone rather than writing them down in diaries or letters. Letters that we do receive are often read and tossed away. The documents that threaten to survive our age and represent us to the future are photocopies of just-about-anything, and government records. We are certainly a more varied and interesting people than

any of these remains reveal. Is it not the responsibility of a local historical society to educate the public as to what historians do with

personal doucments, and to make known the fact that such items are always welcome in their collections? Does not an historical

society have a responsibility to the future as well as to the past and the present?

Some societies will be able to add other constituencies to this

suggestive list. Historical agencies supported by public funds will have an obligation to inform and educate—and perhaps advise— local governmental units. Those societies devoted to a particular ethnic group or institution will have additional demands placed upon them. The value of thinking about the variety of needs an historical society attempts to serve is not in the number of constitu encies totted up, but in what can be done for them and how serving them will stretch and enliven a society's program. Some constitu encies are served in the course of business-as-usual; others need to receive attention on special occasions. A few are never addressed at all. Thinking about the audience and its various needs before

programs are given and exhibits established can help an histori cal agency evaluate its agenda. This kind of consideration, rare in many organizations, can spark, and can strengthen, local histor ical societies.



Documents

On Doing Local History in New York State: THINKING ABOUT HISTORICAL SOCIETIES