Woods, Jack Tunstall

University of Queensland eSpace

137 
HISTORY IN MUSEUMS 
Their Role In Community Education 
[By J. T. WOODS, M.Sc, Director, Queensland Museum, 
Brisbane] 
(Presented to the Society on 26 May 1966.) 
In museums the whole gamut of history may be variously 
presented, ranging through the geological history of this 
planet of perhaps 5,000 miUion years to man's prehistory, as 
revealed by archaeology, and on to the story of modern man 
as told by his written and other records. The task is infinite— 
and the events of today become history tomorrow. In my 
museum career I started with an interest in historical geology, 
particularly in palaeontology, but as the years go on I find 
myself becoming increasingly interested in the history of 
modern man and his works. 
FUNCTIONS OF A MUSEUM 
My definition of a museum, which 1 shall express in terms 
of its functions, is also a wide one. Firstly, a museum should 
function as a repository for valuable and interesting items— 
this is the preservation of our cultural heritage; secondly, to 
incorporate a proportion of these items in displays to 
enlighten and delight their viewers; thirdly, to provide educa-
tional programmes and facilities in addition to the displayed 
collections; and fourthly, to carry out original research in its 
fields of interest. Naturally the relative emphasis given to 
these individual functions is going to vary tremendously from 
place to place. 
Falling within this definition are not only the various art, 
science, and historical museums, but historic buUdings open 
to the public, botanical and zoological gardens, and national 
park interpretive centres. There are no sharp barriers between 
these several categories, and history finds a place in the art 
museums and in the museums of science and industry, as well 
as in the many kinds of historical museums in the more strictly 
accepted sense. This was emphasised to me when I recently 
participated in a study tour of museums of the eastern United 
States, organised by the American Association of Museums 
and the U.S. Department of State. 
138 
OVERSEA MUSEUMS 
The museums of the United States receive good pubhc 
support and are generally flourishing, in response to increas-
ing recognition of their major role in community education 
at aU levels. I was given the opportunity in the United 
States not only of studying museum buUdings and the collec-
tions they house, but also to compare the methods by which 
the various types of museums carry out their respective func-
tions, and judge the public reaction to them. 
Art museums often display a proportion of historical 
material. While such items are of intrinsic interest, they are 
often not exhibited in their historical context, and there 
may be little attempt at interpretation by means of detailed 
explanatory labelling. However, when these things qualify 
as works of art at the same time, they may convey impres-
sions of the moods and manners of their provenance that is 
sometimes lacking in an historical museum. 
In the presentation of furnished period rooms there is 
often a direct overlap between museums of art and history. 
Furthermore, items primarUy of anthropological significance, 
especially archaeological relics, may be seen in museums of 
natural science, or in those devoted mainly to history or art. 
The displaying of arms and armour is similarly not the pre-
rogative of any particular category of museum. 
Display dealing with Queensland Exploration at the Queensland Museum, including 
the famous tree from Sweer's Island, marked by the crew of the Investigator in 1802, 
and the Beagle in 1849. 
139 
History in technology—two of the panels from the display of firearms, Queensland Museum. 
Portion of a temporary display of technological items, including photographic and 
X-ray equipment, Queensland Museum. 
140 
The presentation of the historical development of science 
and technology is often the major theme of museums of 
science and industry. The largest, the most comprehensive, 
and the most satisfying of these is the renowned Deutsches 
Museum in Munich. Its aim is to acquaint its visitors with 
the fundamental phenomena of the exact natural sciences and 
to show the historical evolution of scientific knowledge and 
its technical application—and it succeeds. Its many treasures 
in the history of science and engineering include the original 
Magdeburg hemispheres and Guericke's exhaust pump of 
1663, the first Siemens dynamo of 1866, the first motorcar 
by Benz in 1885, and the first Diesel engine of 1897. 
Almost equalling it in the wealth and scope of its collec-
tions is the well-known Science Museum in South Kensington, 
London. Again the historical treatment of the sciences is 
emphasised. 
VITAL EDUCATIONAL ROLE 
In this technological age the museums of science and 
industry play a vital educational role, and at the same time 
ensure the preservation of some of the apparatus and the 
experimental machines of the scientists who made it aU pos-
sible, and whose pioneering efforts are too easily forgotten. 
The recognition of the close tie between cultural and 
technological development is implicit in the decision of the 
United States to build a National Museum of History and 
Technology in Washington. In the magnificent new buUding 
of some 600,000 square feet there will be ultimately 275,000 
square feet of exhibition area, devoted to the civil and mUitary 
history of the United States and the development of some of 
the fields of science and the technologies of their application, 
which assisted the growth of that nation to its present status. 
Opened in 1964 it attracted a total of more than five miUion 
visitors in the first year of its existence. It is the largest new 
museum in the United States in recent years and is destined 
to become one of the great museums of the world. 
PRESERVING CULTURAL PROPERTY 
Historical museums as a class are very much concerned 
with the preservation of cultural property, and I gained the 
impression that it is in this field in the United States that 
private resources, applied either through the activities of 
individuals or societies, are making their greatest contribu-
tion to museum work. In Connecticut alone there are more 
than 80 historical societies, preserving and maintaining his-
toric buUdings, and some of them entering into other museum 
activities as well. For the whole nation it was reported that 
in 1962 nearly 68 per cent of the preservation projects were 
141 
in private hands; while the Federal Government accounted 
for only slightly more than 5 per cent of the projects.^ Never-
theless the Government is undertaking some particularly 
valuable work in its contribution through the National Park 
Service. A major project of restoration followed the estab-
lishment in 1948 of Independence National Historical Park, 
in Philadelphia. In this area of more than four blocks near 
the heart of the city the preservation is under way of some of 
the nation's most important historic buildings, including 
Independence Hall, which housed the first Congress. 
IMPORTANCE OF INTERPRETATION 
While preservation is a fundamental function of historical 
museums, the teaching of history demands interpretation, and 
museums which involve themselves in the presentation of 
items of historical significance should contrive to display 
these items so their proper context may be appreciated. How-
ever, the materials of history often refer to fragments of a 
very complex story and most historical museums have a 
proportion of miscellanea among their displays. 
In their presentation and interpretation of matter of 
national significance, historical museums can make an impor-
tant contribution to the national ethos. Also, and not so 
intangibly, they contribute to the tourist industry. It has 
been reported that a survey made by the United States 
Department of Commerce revealed that an average of only 
28 tourists a day visiting a town with historic attractions will 
bring in as much money during the year as a new industry 
or business with a $100,000 annual payroU.^  
George Washington lived and (lied at Mount Vernon, 
situated twelve miles from the heart of Washington, D.C., 
and I am sure that to the majority of the one million annual 
visitors to the home of the first President their visit is some-
thing of a pilgrimage. The buUdings and gardens are immacu-
lately maintained by the Mount Vernon Ladies' Association 
of the Union, and it is easy to understand why Washington 
himself said "No estate in the United America is more 
pleasantly situated than this." 
WILLIAMSBURG RECONSTRUCTED 
Life in those troubled days preceding the achievement of 
independence of the American colonies is magnificently inter-
preted at Williamsburg, the colonial capital of Virginia 
between 1699 and 1780. This preservation project was 
initiated with the generous financial support of the late 
1. Wittman, O., 1965. Points of View. Museum News, 43(8), p. 9. 
2. Ibid. 
142 
John D. RockefeUer, Jr., who provided funds amounting to 
almost 70 miUion doUars. To date, 83 buUdings have been 
restored to their eighteenth century condition and many 
others, which had not survived, have been reconstructed. 
This reconstruction has been based on detailed archival 
research and preceded by archaeological work in the area. 
Apart from exposing foundations, the archaeologists have 
revealed many relics relating to the everyday lives of the 
inhabitants of the period. In aU, a very serious attempt has 
been made to restore the eighteenth century atmosphere as 
accurately as possible in the buildings and their furnishings, 
throughout the restored area, which covers some 130 acres. 
The practice and public demonstration of some of the crafts 
of the time, and the costuming of the craftsmen and the 
hostess staff, all contribute to the visitors' impression of the 
life of the times. 
FOLK MUSEUMS 
The portrayal of the domestic life and culture of a parti-
cular period within a chosen area has resulted in the develop-
ment of the so-caUed "folk museums" or "open-air museums," 
which present material with historical, ethnographical, and 
artistic aspects. Museums of this broad category have been 
most extensively and most successfully developed in Scan-
dinavia. However, the concept is now virtually world-wide, 
and embraces the presentation of folk-life in structures vary-
ing from single-roomed museums of local history to ambitious 
attempts at comprehensive displays in reconstructed or 
restored towns and vUlages. 
In Australia the place of history in museums has been 
relatively neglected. The only major museum concerned with 
our national heritage is the AustraUan War Memorial 
Museum in Canberra and, while this is a most impressive 
institution, meeting with a justifiably good public response, 
it deals only with our military history. In addition, some 
historical societies have done very good work, and with 
increasing membership and support are intensifying their 
efforts in recording data and preserving buildings and mate-
rials of interest. In fact, the last decade has happUy produced 
evidence of greater public concern, shown in the birth and 
development of several local historical societies and the set-
ting up of National Trusts in all States. There is also increas-
ing coverage of history in some of the State museums, with a 
widening of their fields of interest. 
At the Queensland Museum, a start has been made in the 
development of a technological section, and since a propor-
tion of this material is of historical significance the presen-
143 
tation of these displays wiU have historic overtones. Con-
versely, a series of displays planned to show the development 
of the State of Queensland wiU emphasise technological 
aspects. It is my earnest belief that a museum which presents 
a minghng of cultural interests can add an extra dimension 
to community education at aU levels. 


History in museums : their role in community education

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