Public History

I have a strong interest in eighteenth and nineteenth century southern United States history and especially the Mississippi and Alabama territories. Belle Mont has met my interests perfectly, from the land association with Cherokee Chief Doublehead and Chickasaw Chief George Colbert, to learning about African American slave descendants still living in the area. As a public history intern, I was challenged and instructed to use my internship to try and identify areas of interpretation that could be improved, (all museums have them!), and implement my own ideas and thoughts into the interpretation of a site like Belle Mont. One of the most challenging transformations in southern museums that are taking place today is finding ways to tell the complete history of places like Belle Mont while being inclusive of all cultures and communities who participated in the history. Historically, this merging of cultures and communities has been avoided because of sensitive topics such as slavery and racism. I immediately focused on the need at Belle Mont to incorporate an African American aspect or perspective into the interpretation given to visitors. We know that the construction of Belle Mont was carried out by African American enslaved workers, but I think there is a great opportunity to go more in depth with the interpretation and discuss more about how skilled these African American craftsmen would have been to construct a house like Belle Mont. I also recognized that there is enough property with Belle Mont that outdoor opportunities and exhibits would not only increase visits, but also allow more opportunities to include Native American and African American history associated with Belle Mont. One project that Ninon, Stephanie, and I are working on, is the interpretation of the Cistern well ruins at Belle Mont. We are working on an outdoor interpretive panel for the two well locations and hope to have the installation approved by the Alabama Historic Commission. I have also spent a lot of time during this internship thinking about other ideas and topics that could possibly attract community participation and a sense of ownership by all residents in the communities surrounding Belle Mont. One subject that everyone has in common and could bring interest from everyone is food. Native American, African, African American, and European cuisine are the foundation of the souths unique and special foods. A site like Belle Mont is a great place to interpret those food histories though special exhibits. I would be interested in a program or festival at Belle Mont that invited visitors to learn about and even sample some of the foundation foods that evolved on plantations in the rural south. This could provide a great platform for a rural ethnic foods cooking competition that could take place on the grounds in the fall and even offer a cash prize to winners. Belle Mont has had some archaeological projects to locate the slave cabins in the past, and I think that it should continue to be pursued and create ways to interpret that part of the plantation. Ninon has shared some promising possibilities about making this part of Belle Mont history accessible to visitors and I look forward to volunteering to help when the time comes. During this internship I have also had the opportunity to help with events like the tea tasting in February. I found a lot of value in experiencing the preparation and work it takes to host a group of around 60 participants for an event like this. There is a lot more than I realized to making an event run smoothly and having your participants happy with their experience. I also spent some time at Belle Mont learning and completing chores associated with collection maintenance. We spent one afternoon learning the proper products and techniques for finish preservation of antique wood furniture. Another day I spent cleaning windowsills behind UV protective panels. I even enjoyed attending a Colbert County Landmarks Association meeting last week. What I enjoyed and learned most from at Belle Mont was giving tours. I have been a docent at many other locations, but I did not possess the public history knowledge I have acquired in my graduate program. I have enjoyed developing my tours but also being aware of how visitors are receiving my interpretation. I have also realized that it is not only about the shiny and valuable objects at a historic house museum, it can also be about the stories of past inhabitants or even a fingerprint in a brick. I have worked with Julie researching the enslaved that worked at Belle Mont and hope that information will emerge that can become part of the interpretation. As I have mentioned, my time at Belle Mont will continue until the end of the Celtic festival on May 14th, 2022. I have really grown to appreciate Belle Mont and the staff and look forward to continuing the friendships I have made while also continuing to be a part of the future interpretation of this important site.