Historic Southern Indiana

Creative Interpretation: Illuminating Our Past
Spring Mill Inn
Spring Mill State Park
Mitchell, Indiana

SPEAKERS & SESSIONS

Historic Sites Jeopardy
Team competitions to discover our knowledge (or ignorance) of Indiana history and geography.

David McDaniel, script editor for Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.

“The Interpretive Equation”
Hosted by Professor Dewey Domore, Ph.D. (Robert Fudge) will cover such topics as: “When is a Thing Not a Thing?: (Clue: the Key to Independence Hall)

“Drawing Connections to the Resource: Finding Meaning in Places”
Robert Fudge will teach ways to develop interpretive themes for existing tangible resources at your site or museum

Robert Fudge is the interpretive specialist at the National Mall in Washington DC. He is one of the architects of the National Park Service certification program for interpreters and performs as a character, Dr. Dewey Domore, Ph.D., to introduce and teach the Interpretive Equation.

“Your Site Through Other Eyes” Part I
Provides you with tools to “hold a mirror to your site” and evaluate it from the visitor’s viewpoint. John Schaust leads the discussion to evaluate the physical environment, educational programming, and interpretation.

“Your Site Through Other Eyes” Part II
John Schaust will continue the evaluation discussion with a practical exercise using the Spring Mill Village as a sample site.

John Schaust, park manager/naturalist of history at Indiana University in Bloomington.

“Are Your Visitors Returning?”
How can interpretation be a tool to bring new visitors to your museum or site and encourage current visitors to return? How do you know when your interpretation is “working,” and what can you learn when it isn’t? Dr. Lois Silverman takes a look at methods, tools, and new ways of thinking about reaching visitors. This session sponsored by The Association of Indiana Museums.

Lois H. Silverman, assistant professor of recreation and park administration and American studies at Indiana University, is a specialist in museum and park interpretation and visitor studies. A former Smithsonian Fellow, Dr. Silverman has worked for numerous historic sites, museums and interpretive facilities across the country. She presently serves as associate editor of the Journal of Interpretive Research, and is currently directing research funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services on the therapeutic potential of museums.

“Creating Meaningful and Memorable Experiences for Our Visitors”
Sandy Weber will provide practical ways to implement the Interpretive Equation introduced by Professor Domore in the plenary session.

Sandy Weber, the interpretive specialist for Cultural Resources in the Washington DC Office for Education and Interpretation, is an historian by background. She is highly praised among her peers for being an excellent instructor of practical interpretive techniques.

“Progress Report on the Indiana Council for History Education”

“History for Our Changing Audience”
Professor James Madison will examine current geographical trends in perspective regarding history and heritage, the changing dynamics of our audiences, and how integrity and authenticity affect the stories that are told.

James Madison is a professor of history at Indiana State University in Bloomington. Among his publications are Eli Lilly, A Life, 1885-1977 and The Indiana Way: A State History. In 1994, Indiana University awarded Professor Madison its Sylvia E. Bowman Distinguished Teaching Award. Most recently, he served as a Fulbright Professor at Hiroshima University in Japan.

“Un-Natural Perspectives”
This year’s hike will emphasize larger interpretive themes such as landscape changes caused by people and creatures, why certain tree species were used for building homes, and reasons for today’s landscape appearance.

Pat Bolman, the naturalist for the Gene Stratton-Porter State Historic Site, was responsible for volunteer trail guide training and educational programs for the Allen County Park system before he joined the historic site staff five years ago. He is a graduate of the natural resources program at Ball State University.

“Collections Care and Policies”
Linda Badger addresses methods and suggested policies to improve standards for on-site collections care.

Linda Badger graduated from Penn State University with a degree in biochemistry and worked at Eli Lilly & Co. in research and development for six years. She began as a volunteer in the collections area at the Indiana State Museum in 1981 and was hired as assistant registrar in 1985. She became the collections manager in 1987 and regularly organizes classes in collections for the entire division staff.

“The Meaning of Millennium for Historic Sites”
Jon Smith addresses the state-wide millennium project and how it relates to historic sites.

Jon Smith is the director of the Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. After graduating from Wabash College, he focused on historic preservation graduate courses at Ball State. He has been with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources since 1991.

“Research 101"
Behind all effective interpretation is a well-researched story. Virginia Terpening and Darrel Bigham will review the fundamentals of historical research, the basic printed resource materials and the most useful WWW addresses and on-line resources.

Virginia Terpening, deputy director of the Indiana Historical Bureau, works with classroom teachers to raise awareness of Indiana history publications, special programs, and opportunities for teachers and students. Ms. Terpening is the managing editor of the Indiana History Bulletin and works with statewide history educational organizations.

Darrel Bigham is a professor of history and director of Historic Southern Indiana (HSI) at University of Southern Indiana, where he has been on the faculty since 1970. HSI, in its thirteenth year, is an outreach program which stresses regional heritage preservation and promotion as a development strategy. Professor Bigham is the author of four books, the most recent of which is Towns and Villages of the Lower Ohio.

Hands-on Training

“Tin Smithing”
Scott Beam teaches a session on working with tin.

“Candle Dipping”
Staff from Spring Mill Historic Village will teach a class in candle dipping.

“Exterior Building Maintenance”
Orbin Ash will point our practical maintenance tips using the Spring Mill State Park Inn as an example.

8600 University Boulevard - Evansville, IN 47712-3596 - 812/464-8600