By Griffin Nordstrom, serving with Beverly Heritage Center
The Beverly Heritage Center is composed of four historical buildings, dating from 1808 to 1907 that showcase a range of architectural styles and original purposes. An element of exhibition design here is negotiating around this pre-existing infrastructure, such as the large windows in the Aries Hill Building (1907). The saloon room windows have been addressed and populated with small exhibits such as the Wild and Wonderful Women of West Virginia which was organized by past AmeriCorps member Jessica Black. The third window on the side had been left empty excluding a hanging scrim depicting a scene from the 1861-1863 Wheeling Conventions. Coming into the BHC, this unused display was identified as a potential project, and one I found interest in.
Exterior of the Hill Building
The mannequin amputee
A major issue in theming the exhibit in the past was trying to tie the window in with the room’s interior exhibit. Through brainstorming, we came upon the idea of moving and retheming a small exhibit about the medical industry. During the Civil War, several buildings in the town of Beverly were used as hospitals for both sides of the war. After the Battle of Philippi, one of the first amputations of the Civil War was performed in town by Dr. John Huff; where he used a butcher knife and a carpenter saw to treat a Confederate soldier who had been hit in the leg by a cannonball. In the First Campaign room, we display the saw used in this operation, so a depiction of this medical scene themed perfectly with the rest of the exhibit.
medical artifacts and recreated graffiti
Starting the production process, all we had for the window were three large unpainted wood panels that would perform as the backdrop for the exhibit. I painted the panels white, then used black paint to recreate samples of Civil War era graffiti found throughout town, including an idyllic farm scene and Abraham Lincoln fighting a Jefferson Davis-demon creature. We used patriotic bunting from an old exhibit to add some visual depth to the wall and were ready to move in our artifacts. We placed in the exhibit a medical cabinet, wheelchair & crutches, and a range of authentic and replica glassware, medicine boxes, and metal tools. I took some scrap white fabric, coated it in red paint and wrapped it around a seated mannequin’s leg, placing him in the wheelchair. In the next month or so, we will be printing out a couple information panels about Dr. Huff’s operation and the many Civil War hospitals in Beverly, but for the most part, the window exhibition is complete.
This was a really interesting and gratifying project to complete as a start to my AmeriCorps term. I’m especially proud of how resourceful we were able to be with it; not having to invest in new supplies or objects to create a visually complete display. It simultaneously solved the empty window display and created new space in the Hill Building to reimagine the current theming of the room’s exhibits, which will likely be part of my ‘major project’ for the year.
