Historic house museums
Encyclopedia
A historic house museum is a house that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a variety of standards, including those of the International Council of Museums
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The International Council of Museums define a museum as: "A museum as a non profit-making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purpose of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment."
. Some museums are organised around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell the story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The ‘narrative
’ of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. In each kind of museum visitors learn about the previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of Social History
.
Following this historical movement, the concept of ‘Open Air Museums’ became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact the lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to the era adding to authenticity.
is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums – However not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of Collective Memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, in ‘La memoire collective’ (‘On Collective Memory’, 1950). This extended thesis examines the role of people and place, and how collective memory is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience.
An example of a site that utilises collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has the inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The ‘Hiroshima Traces’ (1999) text takes a look the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war.
for a building to become a historic house, an individual must nominate the building, site or space and provide sufficient documentation to justify reasoning. Following this, a four step criteria must be followed:
’ – “Scandinavian Ethnographical Collection”. Located in Sweden, it was a compilation of various objects collected by ethnographer Arthur Hazelius. It is also known as the worlds most famous and first ever ‘open-air museum’. Hazelius had a profound love and interest of Swedish culture, and also constructed the Nordiska Museet which was another museum housing objects native to Sweden.
It has been restored and refurbished by the ‘Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales’ into different time periods based on photographs of the deceased inhabitants and on memories of the once residents (In particular ‘collective memory’). Each terrace and rooms have been made to represent a particular family based on their ethnicity, social class and time that they occupied the terrace.
International Council of Museums
The International Council of Museums is an international organization of museums and museum professionals that is committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible.- Overview :Created...
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The International Council of Museums define a museum as: "A museum as a non profit-making, permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits, for purpose of study, education and enjoyment, the tangible and intangible evidence of people and their environment."
About
Also known as a ‘memory museum’, which is a term used to suggest that historic house museum contains a collection of the traces of memory of the people who once lived there. It is often made up of the inhabitants’ belongings and objects – this approach is mostly concerned with authenticityAuthenticity
Authenticity refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions.Authenticity or Authentic may refer to:*Authentication, having passed the tests thereof...
. Some museums are organised around the person who lived there or the social role the house had. Other historic house museums may be partially or completely reconstructed in order to tell the story of a particular area, social-class or historical period. The ‘narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
’ of the people who lived there guides this approach, and dictates the manner in which it is completed. In each kind of museum visitors learn about the previous inhabitants through an explanation and exploration of Social History
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
.
Philosophical/ideological influences
The idea of a historic house museum derives from a branch of history called Social History that is solely based on people and their way of living. It became very popular in the mid-twentieth century among scholars whom were interested in the history of people, as opposed to political and economical issues. Social history remains an influential branch of history. Philip J. Ethington is a Professor of history and political science, further adds to social history and its relationship to locations by saying –- "All human action takes and makes place. The past is the set of places made by human action. History is a map of these places."
Following this historical movement, the concept of ‘Open Air Museums’ became prominent. These particular types of museums had interpreters in costume re-enact the lives of communities in earlier eras, which would then be performed to modern audiences. They often occupied large wooden architecture buildings or outdoor sites and landscapes, that were true to the era adding to authenticity.
Collective Memory
Collective memoryCollective memory
Collective memory refers to the shared pool of information held in the memories of two or more members of a group, and was coined by the philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs. Collective memory can be shared, passed on and constructed by groups both small and large...
is sometimes used in the resurrection of historic house museums – However not all historic house museums use this approach. The notion of Collective Memory originated from philosopher and sociologist Maurice Halbwachs, in ‘La memoire collective’ (‘On Collective Memory’, 1950). This extended thesis examines the role of people and place, and how collective memory is not only associated with the individual but is a shared experience. It also focused on the way individual memory is influenced by social structures, as a way of continuing socialisation by producing memory as collective experience.
- "Each aspect, each detail, of this place has a meaning intelligent only to members of the group, for each portion of its space corresponds to various and different aspects of the structure and life of their society, at least of what is stable in it."
An example of a site that utilises collective memory is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in Japan. It was restored and is based on the dialectics of memory, however it also has the inclusion of joyous festivals to mask the turmoil. The ‘Hiroshima Traces’ (1999) text takes a look the importance of collective memory and how it is embedded in culture and place. Thus, collective memory does not only reside in a house or building, but it also resonates in outdoor space – particularly when a monumental event has occurred, such as war.
- "The taming of memory that can be observed in the city’s redevelopment projects reveals local mediations and manifestations of transnational as well as national structural forces."
Criteria
According to the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
for a building to become a historic house, an individual must nominate the building, site or space and provide sufficient documentation to justify reasoning. Following this, a four step criteria must be followed:
- A notable event must be evident, and also have made a significant contribution to the history of the community or country.
- A person/group of people of the place of interest must hold significance.
- The design and construction of the building should hold some form of artistic significance and/or be unique to that era.
- It must have the potential to be able to educate and inform modern audiences, and most importantly be relevant to history.
Authenticity
A degree of authenticity is also to be considered in the restoration and creation of a historic house museum. The space must be authentic in terms of truly replicating and representing the way it once stood in its original form and appear to be untouched and left in time. There are three steps when declaring if a space is authentic- Proof of identity must be presented and certified by a credible individual
- The attributes of the object or person must then be compared to the existing knowledge about it
- Documentation and credentials must then be used to support it and thus declare if it is authentic.
Skansen and Nordiska Museet, Sweden
The first historical house museum was called ‘SkansenSkansen
Skansen is the first open air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era....
’ – “Scandinavian Ethnographical Collection”. Located in Sweden, it was a compilation of various objects collected by ethnographer Arthur Hazelius. It is also known as the worlds most famous and first ever ‘open-air museum’. Hazelius had a profound love and interest of Swedish culture, and also constructed the Nordiska Museet which was another museum housing objects native to Sweden.
Sir John Soane’s Museum, London, England
‘Sir John Soane’s Museum’ is a historic house museum that has for many years been refurbished and renovated. It too is a collection of objects, however unlike the ‘Skansen’ and ‘Nordiska Museet’ in Sweden, it is full of the architects models, drawings and artworks of his projects. Over the years there has been an extensive re-arrangement and assortment of objects to either create narrative or to enhance the existing architecture and light within the space. Soane also attempted to use his museum to re-define architecture, however with his compilation of artistic objects he failed to deter architecture from art. This museum is an example of one created by an individual inhabitants memory and architectural properties.Susannah Place Museum, Sydney, Australia
Located in The Rocks district of Sydney, this house museum is made up of four terraces that have had over 100 families inhabit the site. Mainly working-class families lived there as it was close to the wharfs. At its present state, the museum tells the story of three families in the first three terraces, and the fourth is made into a corner shop with objects and food from the era – it is also made into an office administration area.It has been restored and refurbished by the ‘Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales’ into different time periods based on photographs of the deceased inhabitants and on memories of the once residents (In particular ‘collective memory’). Each terrace and rooms have been made to represent a particular family based on their ethnicity, social class and time that they occupied the terrace.
Magnolia Manor, Illinois, USA
This particular house has been made to replicate that of a Victorian period house. It is also made up of the original 19th century authentic furnishings from the era. It is an example of a historic house museum that is based on the aesthetics of a previous time period and not on human inhabitation.Organisations
There are a number of organisations around the world that dedicate themselves in the preservation, restoration and resurrection of historic house museums, they include:- Historic Houses Trust of New South Wales
- Historic Houses AssociationHistoric Houses AssociationThe Historic Houses Association, a not for profit organsiation, represents 1,500 privately owned historic country houses, castles and gardens throughout the UK. These are listed buildings or registered gardens, usually Grade I or II* and often outstanding....
- Historic Houses Trust of New York
- National Trust for Historical Preservation
- Historic New EnglandHistoric New EnglandHistoric New England, previously known as the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities , is a charitable, non-profit, historic preservation organization headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. It is focused on New England and is the oldest and largest regional preservation...
- Save Our Heritage OrganisationSave Our Heritage OrganisationFounded in 1969, Save Our Heritage Organisation is a non-profit organization devoted to the preservation of the historic architecture and landmarks around the San Diego, California area. Currently Save Our Heritage Organisation maintains several historic buildings including the Whaley House and...