Having worked closely with NPS at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, it seems to me there has to be more to the story than what is clearly bad taste (the Valentine’s Day post with JWB was at the very least, a bit odd). In my experience as a former President of a Friends group which supported the NPS at Little Bighorn, there is typically a lot of red tape and bureaucracy involved with approving events on NPS sites, so it strikes me that there seems to be a lack of compliance perhaps due to inadequate supervision or unenforced regulations. But some parks may still be very “mom & pop” oriented when it comes to reenactors or living historians, and perhaps give them too much latitude without considering public relations (let alone the global reach of social media).
One other observation I couldn't help but make is that the photo shows what appears to be a group of boys being "armed" and led through the demonstration while a girl stands off to the side, clearly not being given a toy rifle nor included in the exercise. If the point of this activity is educational, then it should be open to ALL children, regardless of race or gender.
One - it is interesting to use the Confederate Flag so prominently at the Andrew Johnson site of all places. He was a staunch unionist, Military Governor of Tennessee, and led a secession movement (among other leaders) to break East Tennessee away from the state after Tennessee seceded from the Union. Additionally, Greenville, TN (Home of Johnson) is one of the few (possibly only) places in the South with a UNION SOLDIER STATUE on the courthouse lawn. Is this what happens when you outsource your living history to local reenactment groups?
Second- During grad school I did research in the area on the Bridge Burners (if you don't know about the event, look it up - cool story). I visited the Johnson house. Let me preface this by saying that I admire the park service. They do tremendous work. But I found the park historian at the Johnson house to a bit too apologetic when it came to Johnson and reconstruction policies. Constructionist arguments and fiscal conservatism aside, Johnson obviously held deep prejudices that played a factor in guiding his policy decisions. So when I saw this story on your substack, I wasn't surprised.
It is, but I am encouraged by the response from a number of my friends who work with the NPS. I suspect that they will work the back channels to address these issues.
Having worked closely with NPS at the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, it seems to me there has to be more to the story than what is clearly bad taste (the Valentine’s Day post with JWB was at the very least, a bit odd). In my experience as a former President of a Friends group which supported the NPS at Little Bighorn, there is typically a lot of red tape and bureaucracy involved with approving events on NPS sites, so it strikes me that there seems to be a lack of compliance perhaps due to inadequate supervision or unenforced regulations. But some parks may still be very “mom & pop” oriented when it comes to reenactors or living historians, and perhaps give them too much latitude without considering public relations (let alone the global reach of social media).
One other observation I couldn't help but make is that the photo shows what appears to be a group of boys being "armed" and led through the demonstration while a girl stands off to the side, clearly not being given a toy rifle nor included in the exercise. If the point of this activity is educational, then it should be open to ALL children, regardless of race or gender.
Two musings:
One - it is interesting to use the Confederate Flag so prominently at the Andrew Johnson site of all places. He was a staunch unionist, Military Governor of Tennessee, and led a secession movement (among other leaders) to break East Tennessee away from the state after Tennessee seceded from the Union. Additionally, Greenville, TN (Home of Johnson) is one of the few (possibly only) places in the South with a UNION SOLDIER STATUE on the courthouse lawn. Is this what happens when you outsource your living history to local reenactment groups?
Second- During grad school I did research in the area on the Bridge Burners (if you don't know about the event, look it up - cool story). I visited the Johnson house. Let me preface this by saying that I admire the park service. They do tremendous work. But I found the park historian at the Johnson house to a bit too apologetic when it came to Johnson and reconstruction policies. Constructionist arguments and fiscal conservatism aside, Johnson obviously held deep prejudices that played a factor in guiding his policy decisions. So when I saw this story on your substack, I wasn't surprised.
Hi Rob. Thanks for the comment. I have heard similar observations from others who have visited that park.
Very interesting insights, Kevin!
Their response seems like a non-response response. Corporate speak, in other words
At least you know that they do take criticism, after they deleted the Valentine post. (Which, while bad…I still cringe-laughed at.)
It is, but I am encouraged by the response from a number of my friends who work with the NPS. I suspect that they will work the back channels to address these issues.