Class Year
2017
Document Type
Blog Post
Publication Date
Summer 7-31-2017
Department 1
Civil War Institute
Abstract
he first time I ever gave an interpretive tour was two years ago at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War in New Market, Virginia about a farmhouse that was in the midst of the fighting. My supervisor told me to make the house a home. Her advice to make a human connection between visitors and the past has influenced my style of interpretation, and I have carried it through other various internships including my time this summer at Richmond National Battlefield Park. While working in Richmond, I have been challenged, and challenged visitors, to think differently about the conflicts and battles in and around Richmond. The style of interpretation at Richmond National Battlefield Park follows what Freemen Tilden believes about interpretation: provocation is elemental to effective interpretation. Although it comes with its challenges, provocation brings opportunity and diversity to the visitors’ experience and sheds new light on concepts they thought they understood before exploring the park.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Sawyer, Kaylyn L., "Provoking New Questions at Richmond National Battlefield Park" (2017). The Gettysburg Compiler: On the Front Lines of History. 221.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/compiler/221
Comments
This blog post originally appeared in The Gettysburg Compiler and was created by students at Gettysburg College.