Balancing Inspiration and Education at George Washington's Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens

• Published in: The Public Historian Vol. 29; no. 4; pp. 129 - 135
• Main Author: MERINGOLO, DENISE D.
• Format: Book Review Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Santa Barbara University of California Press 01-11-2007; University of California Press Books Division
• Subjects: Education; Gardens; Historians; Historic buildings & sites; Historic preservation; History; History instruction; Inspiration; Legacies; Luxury homes; Mansions; Motion picture industry; Movies; Museum exhibits; Museums; Review Essay; Slavery; United States history; Americas; Virginia; California
• ISSN: 0272-3433; 1533-8576
• DOI: 10.1525/tph.2007.29.4.129

[...]although both facilities represent a departure from the institutions traditional mission, they have not signicantly altered the visual appeal of the historic landscape. The Education Center is clearly aimed at students, families, and rst-time visitors seeking an enjoyable experience; the Houdon projection is reminiscent of a similar Mickey Mouse projection at Disneyland.9 The Education Center is dominated by video monitors, audio soundtracks, push-button panels, sound and light maps, and other technological tricks designed to transform otherwise traditional museum display techniques (such as life-sized dioramas) into a multisensory experience. The fact that the education center contains a signicant section on slavery at Mount Vernon is to be commended. [...]relatively recently, visitors could still hear stories about the servants on site without confronting the fact that Mount Vernon was a plantation and that George Washington owned over 300 slaves. Interestingly, the museum does include a case of artifacts that document the experience of slavery at Mount Vernon. Because these objects are displayed no differently than any other of Washingtons possessions, the section is in some ways more provocative than the more cautiously balanced interpretation in The Dilemma of Slavery.