The Athens County Historical Society recreated four aspects of Athens County life over the past two centuries in a museum display called Athens County: Historical Perspectives, which opens tonight.
The exhibit consists of four main displays, each representing a different aspect of Athens County life from 1945 to 1990.
I wanted to do an exhibit that's a little more recent
said the museum's curator Heather Reed, adding that the Cold War was still going on when a lot of college students and young adults were alive. History happens in our lifetime too.
Each display prompts viewers to question what they have learned about the time period. For example, the first display depicts the Underground Railroad in Athens County through a hand-painted mural. Although Ohio was a free state, slaves were often not allowed to live freely in the United States at the time, Reed said.
An Underground Railroad display specific to Athens County was difficult because a lot of African American artifacts and documents were destroyed, said Sean Farrow, an intern who developed the Underground Railroad display and a senior studying political science.
The second display focuses on archaeology and Native American cultures, such as the Adena Indians, whose burial mounds are interspersed throughout The Plains. Reed said she hopes people will question whether or not archaeologists should dig up these mounds for educational gain.
All of the artifacts on display are either donations or loans to the historical society. The third display is set up like a photography studio and features an antique camera from 1925, loaned to the society by Lamborn's Studio and Custom, a local photography business.
Heather Hussong, who created the photography display, said the most interesting part was learning about the history of Lamborn's.
The business has been around for over 100 years here in Athens (County) and it's interesting to see how a family-owned business can last that long
said Hussong, the museum's registrar and a senior studying history.
The fourth display is a recreation of a living room during the 1950s. The window is lined with aluminum foil, and on the coffee table are old instructions for building a fallout shelter - both recommendations the government made to families to protect them from nuclear fallout. Reed said she wants viewers to question if families at that time were as safe as the government assured.
It's just amazing that this went on for 45 years ... for people's complete lifetimes. All they knew was that at any time they could be attacked
Reed said.
An opening ceremony tonight will kick off the exhibit, which will remain on display for two years.
I think you can understand how to live today
said Reed. There are a lot of things (today) that are mirror images of what happened back then.
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Culture
Emma Morehart
