A revolutionary exhibit
The unveiling of a completely new exhibit at Fort Laurens in Bolivar took place Wednesday, April 20. Rather than the traditional display in a museum where artifacts are on shelves and behind glass, this exhibit is actually a hole in the ground. The new excavation exhibit at the fort is a display of an archaeological dig, complete with work tools, bones and other finds on a dig, encased within a one-meter square area in the museum’s theatre floor. But, the whole display has an acrylic cover, made by Museum Acrylics Company of New Philadelphia, that allows people to walk on it to look down at what the excavation at the fort during the 1970s looked like.
“This is a one of a kind display,” said Dee Grossman, executive director of the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “The display allows people to walk on it and look down, kids to crawl on it and those in wheelchairs to get right up and look in. We’re expecting this new exhibit alone to double our attendance this year. The fact that it is something entirely new to the area and can only be seen here will be a major draw.”
Almost two years ago the Ohio Historical Society gave the management of Fort Laurens to the Tuscarawas County CVB as a means for the state run organization to save money. Since then the fort has added many new programs and has many ideas for the future on how to attract even more people.
“Our next major goal is to build a replica of the fort here on site,” continued Grossman. “We’re already in talks with the Ohio Historical Society to get the ball going with it. The first step will be a complete electronic scan of the grounds, which will be quite exciting since there has been no excavations for the entire site, only the grounds around the main building. We don’t know what’s out there for certain, but we have ideas. We know there were shots fired at one point, so we’re hoping to maybe uncover some of the rounds. There’s just so much that we don’t know about the history that might be in the ground all around us here.
“One thing we hope to do with the new exhibit is capture the imagination of those who come through here. The excavation exhibit should help us do just that,” said Tammi Mackey, site manager at Fort Laurens. “It allows kids to get down and look and wonder what it would have been like back in the 1970s when they were digging around the fort area.
“The exhibit also shows that there’s more history there than just the fort, with one part of the exhibit showcasing the Paleo-Indian history of the area, going back close to 5,000 years. The exhibit also shows how the excavators would have marked each area and some of the tools they would have used during the dig.
“This new exhibit is the latest addition to Fort Laurens,” said Mackey. “It will be an exciting addition to our upcoming programs. We’re hosting Let them Eat Cake once again in May, along with a showing of National Treasure in our theatre later this year. Our traditional programs will also be returning, such as the encampment and moccasin roast later this year. We hope to continue using this energy into further enhancing Fort Laurens and ensuring that it continues to tell the history of Tuscarawas County during the Revolutionary War.”
“This is a one of a kind display,” said Dee Grossman, executive director of the Tuscarawas County Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB). “The display allows people to walk on it and look down, kids to crawl on it and those in wheelchairs to get right up and look in. We’re expecting this new exhibit alone to double our attendance this year. The fact that it is something entirely new to the area and can only be seen here will be a major draw.”
Almost two years ago the Ohio Historical Society gave the management of Fort Laurens to the Tuscarawas County CVB as a means for the state run organization to save money. Since then the fort has added many new programs and has many ideas for the future on how to attract even more people.
“Our next major goal is to build a replica of the fort here on site,” continued Grossman. “We’re already in talks with the Ohio Historical Society to get the ball going with it. The first step will be a complete electronic scan of the grounds, which will be quite exciting since there has been no excavations for the entire site, only the grounds around the main building. We don’t know what’s out there for certain, but we have ideas. We know there were shots fired at one point, so we’re hoping to maybe uncover some of the rounds. There’s just so much that we don’t know about the history that might be in the ground all around us here.
“One thing we hope to do with the new exhibit is capture the imagination of those who come through here. The excavation exhibit should help us do just that,” said Tammi Mackey, site manager at Fort Laurens. “It allows kids to get down and look and wonder what it would have been like back in the 1970s when they were digging around the fort area.
“The exhibit also shows that there’s more history there than just the fort, with one part of the exhibit showcasing the Paleo-Indian history of the area, going back close to 5,000 years. The exhibit also shows how the excavators would have marked each area and some of the tools they would have used during the dig.
“This new exhibit is the latest addition to Fort Laurens,” said Mackey. “It will be an exciting addition to our upcoming programs. We’re hosting Let them Eat Cake once again in May, along with a showing of National Treasure in our theatre later this year. Our traditional programs will also be returning, such as the encampment and moccasin roast later this year. We hope to continue using this energy into further enhancing Fort Laurens and ensuring that it continues to tell the history of Tuscarawas County during the Revolutionary War.”
Published: April 26, 2011
