May 14, 2013 Joe Kleiman Museums, News Comments Off on Slave Cabin Donated to Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture for Public Display
Washington, DC, USA (May 13, 2013) — The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired a slave cabin from the first half of the 19th century, currently located at Point of Pines Plantation on Edisto Island, S.C. The Edisto Island Historic Preservation Society donated it to the museum after receiving it originally from the Burnet Maybank family, the current owners of the plantation.
Starting Monday, May 13, the one-story, rectangular, weatherboard-clad cabin will be dismantled piece by piece at its current location, removed from the Point of Pines Plantation and transferred to the NMAAHC collection. Smithsonian representatives will be present during the deconstruction to conduct additional research on the structure and those who lived there.
“Slavery is one of the most important episodes in American history, but it is often the least understood,” said Lonnie Bunch, founding director of NMAAHC. “By exhibiting this cabin NMAAHC will ensure that the rich, complex and difficult story of the enslaved will be made accessible for the millions who will visit the museum.”
“The Point of Pines slave cabin will help us share the living history of a place and the resilience of the people, who, in the darkest days of slavery, built the cabin, cleared the land, worked in the fields and raised their families there,” said Nancy Bercaw, NMAAHC curator. “The cabin will be one of the jewels of the museum positioned at its center to tell the story of slavery and freedom within its walls.”
“We are thrilled to be able to share an important part of Edisto Island’s rich history with the millions of visitors who will visit this new museum,” said Gretchen Smith, director of Edisto Island Historical Preservation Society. “This is a story that needs to be told, and we know the Smithsonian will do a wonderful job of telling it.”
The reconstructed cabin will be on view in the “Slavery and Freedom” exhibition when the museum opens in 2015. This exhibition will focus on the crucial role slavery played in the making of America and its impact on generations of enslaved Africans and their descendants.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture was established by an Act of Congress in 2003 making it the 19th museum of the Smithsonian Institution. Scheduled for completion in 2015, it is under construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on a five-acre tract adjacent to the Washington Monument. Currently, the museum is hosting public programs, assembling collections and presenting exhibitions at other museums across the country and at its own gallery at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History.
Comments Off on JRA designs new children’s museum in Wisconsin
Comments Off on Smithsonian to add Women’s History Museum
Comments Off on National Museum of the American Latino to be built on National Mall as part of Smithsonian Institution
Comments Off on Appropriations bill offers millions in COVID relief funding for museums and establishes two new Smithsonian museums
Jan 25, 2021 Comments Off on San Diego Zoo Safari Park gorillas recovering from SARS-CoV-2
Jan 22, 2021 Comments Off on Looking forward, WhiteWater redefines leadership team
Jan 21, 2021 Comments Off on Mad Systems announces addition of Toni Losier to business development team
Jan 21, 2021 Comments Off on Museums Evolving conference goes virtual for second year in a row due to COVID-19 pandemic
Dec 29, 2020 Comments Off on Cedar Fair seeks Corporate Director, Communications
The position will lead strategy development and execution...Dec 28, 2020 Comments Off on Pursuit seeks Financial Analyst, FP&A
This role will focus on all aspects of financial planning...Dec 26, 2020 Comments Off on AOA seeks Show Set Designer
There will be a great deal of freedom, which will be...Dec 09, 2020 Comments Off on Visualization firm THE THIRD FLOOR has openings for a variety of positions
THE THIRD FLOOR is currently seeking Postvis Generalists,...Dec 09, 2020 Comments Off on CineVenture seeks 3D character animator
CineVenture develops high-end content for the global...