The Highlands Historical Society Museum will have a new look for 2021.
With the help of a group of students from Western Carolina University’s public history department, the facility will be getting a post-COVID-19 facelift.
“A number of our exhibits had been in place for several years, and it felt like the museum had gotten kind of stale,” Highlands Historical Society president Obie Oakley said. “We wanted to go a different direction and freshen up the exhibit space with some new items that people haven’t seen before. Being closed due to COVID-19 for a year has allowed us the time to rethink our layout and our exhibits.”
Most of the previous exhibits have been removed and the museum is now a blank canvass for the students in Dr. Jessie Swigger’s museum studies class at WCU. After receiving input from the historical society board, the students were broken into six teams to develop new exhibits on six pre-discussed topics.
Students will be graded on their concept, construction and overall educational value of their exhibits.
“We want to stay true to the roots of Highlands, so the new exhibits will focus on topics that make our area unique,” Oakley said. “We are going to have one exhibit on early education, for example, and we have some of the old desks from the original Highlands School. There will be an exhibit showcasing several of the prominent early homes of Highlands… The topics the students chose are really interesting.”
Oakley added that the centerpiece of the museum will be an exhibit on golfer Bobby Jones and his impact on Highlands.
“Golf has played an integral role in shaping Highlands and that really started when Bobby Jones hit the first tee shot at Highlands Country Club,” Oakley said. “We have a professional company designing that particular exhibit, which will feature a timeline of Jones’ career along with a number of historical photos and a set of Jones’ clubs, which we have been fortunate enough to obtain.”
Oakley described the process of revamping the museum on 4th Street as a win-win for the historical society and the WCU students creating the exhibits.
For their part, the students receive hands-on training and the opportunity to see their ideas from design to installation in a working museum. The historical society will get a fresh look without breaking the bank.
“One of the big benefits for us in working with Dr. Swigger and the students from Western Carolina is they have agreed to come install the exhibits they are putting together,” Highlands Historical Society board member Harry McDonald said. “That will save us a lot of time and keep costs down as we work to have the museum ready to open Memorial Day weekend.”
Working in collaboration with WCU has also opened a line of communication with the Mountain Heritage Center and program director Pam Meister, who Oakley noted has been in the loop regarding the future plans of the Highlands Historical Society Museum.
“The Mountain Heritage Center is on campus at WCU and it is an incredible resource,” Oakley said. “From locating exhibits that we may wan to bring to Highlands, to exploring grant options, Pam and her staff are a wealth of knowledge. We hope that partnership can continue to grow as we move forward.”
The goal of the historical society is to make the museum a “must see” attraction for both residents and visitors.
“By reimagining the museum we are hoping to bring back some of the excitement that is Highlands history,” Oakley said. “We want people when they walk into the Chamber of Commerce, or they go to the front desk at their hotel, to get the message that our museum is truly an attraction and something they should check out.”