This summer I was fortunate enough to visit the Wilcox Mansion in downtown Buffalo. It is the site where Theodore Roosevelt was inaugurated as President of the United States after the assassination of William McKinley. What impressed me the most was how the curator, Lenora Henson, first introduced this historical event by culturally describing what was happening in Buffalo at the time. The Orientation Room features stories, artifacts and amusement games from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition.
Although I had no idea that only six months later I would be doing a Public History project on the Expo, the Wilcox Mansion impressed me. Noises of children laughing, carnival "dings", people talking filled the Orientation Room as the viewer discovered not only what the Expo offered, but what it meant. It meant a time of change; electricity was revolutionary--- the entire Expo brought the world of art, beauty, music and culture to Buffalo's doorstep. The Wilcox Mansion weaved stories of Expo visitors with overall, general history to convey emotion--- it was profound to say the least. It would be difficult to deny that this exhibit at the Wilcox Mansion of the 1901 Pan-American Expo is what ignited my curiosity to do this project.
While I was browsing their website, I noticed in a corner the "Events" section. The upcoming event (and the only one scheduled until May) is called "Behind the Scenes Tour: Buffalo's Pan-American Exposition: Souvenirs & Stories". I thought to myself what a wonderful opportunity to not only revisit the site and see all the juicy stuff that goes on behind the scenes, but also to view the entire exhibition with this project in mind. Excitement filled me, until I saw the "SOLD OUT!" text above it. It was disappointing, but I hoped that with ingenuity and persuasion, they could allow one more guest (a humbled research student) to join. I immediately emailed them, stating I was researching the Pan-Am Expo for a Virtual Public History project and is there any way they might be holding a similar event before the end of April? (I felt bad for asking straight out if I could crash their tour, so I decided to try artfully implying it) Within hours, I received the nicest email from the Curator herself, informing me that unfortunately the behind the scenes tour would not be repeated until July 19th, and that to visit the website's "Orientation Room", I could gather a brief but general impression of the Expo. She also provided me with some advice, stating that depending on how deep my research needs to be, I could seek out "diary accounts and/anecdotal evidence from extant registers". Such a nice lady, and so helpful! Although I guess from the email the tour for this Saturday was going to be a no-go, there's always the phone call and the hopes of a waiting list : )
P.S. -- In addition to this, I found online through the Buffalo & Erie County Library's website that there is microfilm from the 1901 Expo! Yes! One score for me! I filled out a form online to "Book A Librarian", where for an hour appointment, the librarian will help you with resources unbeknownst to you. No reply yet, however I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
I just went back to re-read my post (and make sure there weren't any spelling errors!), when it just dawned on me that Virtual Public History is a lot like detective work. Nothing is laid out for you in a linear fashion; you have to create that for yourself. This really ties into my coursework in Museum Studies---designing exhibitions, both virtually and publicly, to tell a story that connects meaning with the audience.
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