Keri (Margaret) Adams, Assistant Director, Center for Public History, University of West Georgia
Proposal Type: Panel
Seeking: Additional Presenters, Specific Expertise, General Feedback and Interest
Abstract: Heritage trails can present unique visitor-driven experiences that generate tourism and share stories of the past, but how can public historians ensure a trail’s success?
The purpose of the proposed traditional panel is to bring together a variety of public historians to address the practical boundaries related to heritage trail management, engage in dialogue about practices, challenges, and successes in maintaining heritage trails.
Seeking: This traditional panel seeks to address both the challenges and successes of creating, managing, and/or providing consulting services for a heritage trail.
A heritage trail may be founded and managed by a variety of institutions or organizations each of which may face unique and varying challenges when creating and managing a trail, including generating membership or including sites and organizations/institutions, funding and budgeting (staff, events, projects, etc.), defining the trail/area, balancing business and public history practices and standards, for examples.
I am seeking panelists from a variety of disciplinary and professional backgrounds to present their experiences, both successes and lessons learned, in creating, managing, staffing, or consulting for a heritage trail organization. Questions and issues to be explored may include:
- What purpose does a heritage trail serve – commercial/tourism, preservation, public awareness, mitigation, or exhibition? Or can there be a sustainable balance among those? What role does a trail play in a contributing/participating community?
- How do you define a heritage trail? What stories are included? Excluded?
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of a specific type of organization or institution managing and staffing a trail?
- How do can you generate public support and involvement for a heritage trail?
- How do you facilitate public history projects for a trail?
- Depending on the size or length of a trail, how can public historians successfully weave together shared histories?
- Do heritage trails help to preserve extant historic resources and/or generate civic engagement?
- What role do digital projects play in heritage trails?
I am interested in sharing my heritage trail experiences both as a graduate student that curated exhibits for the West Georgia Textile Heritage Trail and, now, asUniversity of West Georgia faculty/staff member that co-directs the Textile Trail. I have a background in material culture, with a focus on the American Southeast, and museum studies. I am interested in hearing from people who work in other disciplinary fields and scholarships, such as public history, architectural history, urban development, cultural resource management, archaeology, tourism development, historic preservation, and heritage preservation — and others.
If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Keri (Margaret) Adams,madams[at]westga.edu
If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.
All feedback, and offers of assistance, should be submitted by July 3, 2015.
Related Topics: Consulting, Museums/Exhibits, Place
Hi Keri,
I would recommend maybe getting in contact with Aaron Marcavitch of Maryland Milestones/Anacostia Trails Heritage Area. His work in PG County, Maryland with the heritage trails has done a lot to rejuvenate/transform the Route 1 Corridor in Hyattsville.
http://www.anacostiatrails.org/
info(at)marylandmilestones.org
Thanks so much, Courtney!
Hi Keri,
This is a very interesting proposal. One thing I would think about in the discussion, is the terminology of the word “heritage” in “heritage trail” and what this means. What is being interpreted, remembered, and preserved when a trail is created? What audiences is it being created for?
I really like your idea about the conversation over collaboration between organizations and institutions that is very common in heritage trail planning and administering. How does this take place? And how does it continue after the trail is created? It is very easy to generate excitement when a trail is first created but how do you sustain this in the long term?
One example that I have followed in recent years is the Journey Through Hallowed Ground, where they are placing trees between Charlottesville and Gettysburg to honor the 620,000 Civil War dead: http://www.hallowedground.org. You might want to reach out to them to see if they would have an interest in being apart of this especially because it will be in their corridor in Baltimore.
Great Idea!
-Mattea
Mattea, I appreciate your interest and feedback! Thanks for the additional contributed questions as well
Keri
Of course, the westward movement trails–Oregon, Santa Fe, Nez Perce etc.–are nationally recognized and have active friends groups. Have you reached out to any of those?
I have not yet reached out, Larry — yet! thank you for calling those trails to my attention.
Keri