Heritage Represented Through the National Constitution Center and the President's House

I do not typically think of heritage as being debatable – I take for granted that family history, or a nations history, can only be presented as fact.  But when visiting the National Constitution Center (NCC) and the President’s House this week, I evaluated these popular tourist destinations while focusing on how they portray America’s heritage.  How they present the nation’s history is particularly important due to the high volume of visitors Old City receives.  Steven Hoelscher describes this importance adequately by saying heritage representation is not only “central to the constitution of the museum” but spills “beyond its confines” (200).  My last visit to the NCC was during a middle school field trip, but all the aspects of this museum, Freedom Rising, the interactive exhibits, the circular space combined are still vivid and clearly left an impact.  Its innovative exhibits appeal to people of all demographics and are aesthetically pleasing, but its administration has a responsibility to present their message of American heritage equally.  

If heritage is a “celebration of the past,” then the NCC definitely tries to portray heritage in this way.  It depicts national heritage through Democracy representations, but as many heritage displays, is also localized (Hoelscher 202).  Philadelphia-specific heritage is portrayed through the location of the building.  Located in the heart of what is preserved as Old City, the NCC is not a historic site as defined by Amy Webb and Carolyn Brackett; it not as old as the artifacts displayed.  It is rather part of Old City, itself a larger “site of memory” (Hoelscher 204).  The artifacts were removed from their original sites and placed here strategically (Webb and Brackett 30) to positively represent democracy and “link individuals with a larger collective” (Hoelscher 200).  From its entrance, visitors face Independence Hall where the Constitution was signed.  Although the NCC is not a heritage building, the original meeting place for the delegates and the signing is only a block away.  The Constitution may be the original attraction, but for preservation reasons, it is not always displayed.  On this week’s visit, it had been replaced by a late 18^th century newspaper copy.  However, once inside, attraction expands beyond the document. 

Visitors, starting on the ground floor, are first shown a presentation giving a brief history of the drama, turmoil, and struggles surrounding the foundations of democracy, the delegates who fought for its creation, and its uniqueness to America.  In this setting, a live performance provides better rhetoric to emphasize ‘we the people’ equality ideals than a movie could portray.  It is also appropriately titled Freedom Rising, because upon conclusion, visitors are ushered up the stairs to freedom on display in the round.  They can then, democratically, choose which exhibits they interact with.  The circular layout of both the presentation and the exhibits give visitors a sense of belonging and equality.  These ideals are represented throughout as rhetoric to display democratic heritage positively.  Through fun, modern exhibits; they are diversifying visitation (Webb and Brackett 33) and “transforming what is shown into heritage” (Hoelscher 203).  Its layout is also organized chronically which represents how democracy has transformed over time (Hoelscher 206).  One interesting exhibit is titled “Could You Vote?”  It is a computer screen with a list of personal attributes such as age and gender visitors can check to see if they could vote in the year mentioned.  It repeated along the timeline of exhibits.  Robert Hewison said heritage is mostly conservative while emphasizing “order and tradition” (Hoelscher 207).  However, the NCC balances the truth with ideals better than other heritage tourism sites such as the Powell House or Charles Wilson Peale’s museum.  The NCC administrators stress the positives of democracy, but also recognize the flaws.  The presentation addresses how slavery was ignored by the ‘founding fathers’ while exhibits share the ongoing struggles for true equality. 

However the President’s house does not have the same appeal.  Only remnants of some of the walls and the basement remain as a reminder of where the first president once lived.  It can be seen as the free constitution center, because it represents the same ideals, but through George Washington and following presidencies.  It also addresses democracy’s flaws, such as not addressing slavery.  The basement where Washington housed nine slaves is still on display.  However, it is not presented in an inviting way.  It acts more like a waiting area for the Liberty Bell and seems upstaged by the modern center.  I have passed it multiple times without realizing its significance.  It may be purposefully neglected (i.e. not modernized) because of its prominent connection to Washington’s record as a slave holder.  Its lack of attention only emphasizes the ideals of Old City which modern centers like the Liberty Bell Center and the NCC conform to – to platform Philadelphia’s importance as the ‘birthplace of democracy’ while downplaying its flaws like the long history of slavery.    

Eastern State Penitentiary: A Center of Community

This weeks’ excursion to Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP) was my first visit exploring the site.  Last year, I volunteered at Bache-Martin Elementary School located directly behind the penitentiary.  My first time traveling to the school, I only saw the back walls and I remember wondering if a prison could be detrimental to the student’s learning.  However, I soon realized it was not just any prison, but Eastern State, a historical monument.  Its presence enriches the surrounding community and acts as a central reference point for locals. 

The historical importance of ESP continues to increase tourism into the surrounding area.  As the world’s first penitentiary, its purpose was to aid inmates’ rehabilitation through silent confinement.  The walls are deteriorating, but are not being renovated; this physical evidence adds to the sense of place and proves its history.  Sparse images on the walls depict influential famous Philadelphia figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush, placing the Penitentiary in context with visitors’ common knowledge of the city and illuminating its significance.  Its change over time from a place of individual confinement to a incarcerated community.  As development and expansion increased inside the walls, a separate community formed in the surrounding area.  After its closing and establishment as a museum, these communities converged.  ESP was originally 2 miles outside of Philadelphia city limits, but currently rests in the center of a prospering community.   

Community is the formation of “collective identities” the sense of “belonging” (Crooke 174). The neighborhood surrounding the school and ESP is well kept, possibly due to the importance and popularity of the neighborhood’s central ESP.  Bache-Martin’s small playground is also located on ESP grounds and is maintained by Friends of Eastern State Penitentiary Park.  The school administrators recently received a grant from Friends to improve their annual fall festivals.  Supporters of ESP involved in the maintenance of the site are also involved in community development.  ESP is the community; the attention and publicity it has received is cause for investments.  This monetary support in turn built the neighborhoods and continues to give them cause for rehabilitation.    

Connections between museums and surrounding communities are increasing survival tactics benefiting both the site and its locals.  It is often employed by museums and embraced by the community.  It also promotes cooperation and aids in solving local social problems such as crime (Crooke 182).   I continue to support the integration of haunted tours into museum programming because it increases revenue which then is recycled into the surrounding community.  However, it should be required that any lack of historical accuracy should be explained to visitors.  Visitors enter with a preconceived notions of fear associated with prisons and especially confinement.  ESP cannot nullify these socially perceived connotations, but they can help provide the educate visitors about the foundations for these fears.