From These Pages

Katie Labbe, Political Science/Women and Gender Studies, 2014

Throughout the past week, the class has been presenting summaries of the information gathered for the Haley Exhibit.  I had no doubts that each group would be able to find unique information, and present it well.  Not only did my classmates meet these high expectations, they surpassed them.  Each presentation displayed thorough research on their subject matter.  Even obscure information that is difficult to attain was found.  During the presentations, it was clear that my classmates have a strong understanding of their sections.

Much like my classmates, I feel as though I am becoming a history investigator.  Although I am not a history major, nor minor, I understand the importance history has on our present and future.  Due to this belief, I find interest and enjoyment in discovering the ramifications of major historical events.  This characteristic prompted me to join theme four, Remembering the War.  I am focusing primarily on what happened to John Haley’s 17^th Maine, Company I comrades after the end of the war.  Although an intimidating undertaking, I have found myself captivated by the work.  It is amazing to realize that through this exhibit, the men who so bravely served in the 17^th Maine, Company I, will still be remembered 150 years later.  Understandably, it is unrealistic to expect history to give individual recognition to every man that served during the Civil War.  Over time, the names that are remembered and published in history books are those of prominent lieutenants or sergeants.  Through this exhibit however, the previously unearthed stories of the equally brave, yet relatively forgotten veterans can finally be told.

Madeleine Cox, Aquaculture and Aquarium Science, 2015

Reality of what is around the corner is setting in, and we couldn’t be more excited! After spring break, plans for the final steps in the process will start rolling. Research papers on each group’s specific topics are turned in, artifact lists are being finalized, and final research is pushing us through the first finish line. This week in class we are hearing our peers present on their topics. It’s interesting to see how other groups have laid out their themes, and the amount of information on each is immense.

Each presentation is almost like a mini exhibit that we are being taken through, seeing in textual form, and some visual form, what will be displayed in the Saco Museum in May. It’s interesting to know that each one of us is now specialized in a certain topic from the Civil War. This almost puts the whole exhibit into perspective to me. In other words, it’s finally coming together.

As we now have all the information and research we need, we are able to piece together in our minds what will become of all this information. Visions of panels are creeping into our heads, and we have finally created an image in each our minds of what is to come.

Heather Duquette, Medical Biology major/ History minor, 2013

This week in Museums & Public History we started to write the precursor to the labels for our Civil War exhibit. At the beginning of the semester we were informed that 3-5 page research papers would have to be trimmed down, to about a paragraph in length. As our teachers keep repeating “This is the hardest paragraph you will ever write.” As I sat writing my paper, on the relatively narrow subject of remembering the war, I began to wonder how others would succeed in writing theirs. Some of the topics for this exhibit are extremely broad, focusing on medicine, transportation, triggers, or economy leading up to, or during the war. Then I began to worry, is it possible to fully explain the Civil War using John Haley’s voice? Haley’s diary is an edited book filling up roughly three hundred pages, edited first by Haley himself, and then by Ruth Silliker. From these three hundred pages we chose topics pertaining to the Civil War, and scoured the text looking for Haley’s voice on the subject. These paragraphs must not only completely encompass the research from the Civil War, but must also catch and keep the visitors attention. I truly see now, why the exhibit labels for John Haley’s Civil War will be the hardest paragraphs anyone in our group will ever write.