Historical society partners with WCU, Mountain Heritage Center to update exhibits
The Highlands Historical Society teamed up with Western Carolina University students and the Mountain Heritage Center to give the Historical Museum a complete makeover.
“This has been a culmination of a year-long project,” Highlands Historical Society president Obie Oakley said. “If you would have been a here a year ago at this time, you would have gone into the museum and you would have seen nothing. We only had a couple of exhibits and not much description of them.”
A group of WCU students under the direction of Dr. Jesse Swigger of the Department for Museum Studies were separated to handle each of the new exhibits in the museum.
“The students were divided into three person teams and then we turned them loose,” Oakley said. “We also partnered with the Mountain Heritage Center, and they worked as our quality control person. With all of the people that helped us and what we had to offer; it has been a remarkable transformation.”
Oakley said the remodel is a gift to the town of Highlands.
“I can’t wait for people to come in and see the new exhibits,” Oakley said. “I view this as our gift to the Town of Highlands, because what we have presents the history of this wonderful town. You can start with before the Cherokees came to the town and follow it to see the schools and churches that came to the area.”
Highland’s mayor Patrick Taylor said the town appreciates everything the Historical Society has done to remodel the museum.
“On behalf of the town, we appreciate everything the historical society does for the community,” Taylor said. “It truly is a gift to our community to document what has happened in the past, so we don’t ever forget where we came from and what it took to get this community to where it is today. We appreciate all of the work that you folks have been doing.”
Cherokees in Highlands
The first part of the museum starts out with how the Cherokees came to Highlands.
“We wanted to make sure that we started out the exhibits with the Cherokees and specifically how they came to Highlands,” Oakley said. “We have all of these artifacts that came from the Cullowee Nature Center. They have 2,400 artifacts at the center. So, they let us borrow a couple of them.”
Churches in Highlands
From the First Presbyterian Church to the First United Methodist Church the new exhibit features the history of all of the Highland’s churches in the area.
“We felt like it was important for Highlands because they were a social and spiritual gathering place for people back in the day and now,” Oakley said. “We focused on the four original churches in Highlands. There are definitely more now in the area.”
The Ravenel Family
The descendants of the Ravenels continue the family legacy by serving on the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust and playing a key role in chronicling the town’s history.
“From the start, the Ravenels have helped make Highlands the unique place that it is today,” Oakley said. “This property that they own has changed hands two times. The Ravenels sold it to a family out of New Orleans and it stayed there until last year. We were scared to death that this property would be swept up by some developer, but two guys bought it and they do not plan to develop it. They will live in the old house that is there. It is a wonderful gift that the Ravenels left.”
Helen’s Barn
Back in the day, Helen’s Barn was a place where locals, visitors and workers could blow off some steam by dancing and listening to live music.
Oakley said Helen’s Barn was a Saturday night staple in Highlands.
“People would flock there, and they would dance and sing,” Oakley said. “Now, it is where the Asian King restaurant is. It was just a gathering place for people.”
Susan Clarkson, granddaughter of the owner of Helen’s Barn, said it is an honor to see the exhibit on Helen’s Barn.
“It is just unreal,” Clarkson said. “My mother said Helen’s Barn was always the great leveler of Highlands. At 10 p.m., all of the help had finished serving dinner, so everybody went to the barn.”
Bobby Jones exhibit
Oakley said Bobby Jones was a heavy influence on the golfing scene in Highlands.
“It’s clear that Bobby Jones and golf brought a social and economic impact to the town,” Oakley said. “At the Highlands Country Club, Bobby Jones was the one to hit the first ball off. This exhibit basically gives a timeline of his legacy.”
The exhibit features clubs that Jones played with while in Highlands.
“Bobby gave his clubs to his caddy,” Oakley said. “So, they stayed around and eventually passed away. His family contacted us and donated the clubs. This is one of the few sets of clubs that are still in existence that he played with.”
Dr. Mary Lapham
Dr. Mary Lapham’s pneumothorax machine was one of the main cures for tuberculosis. The exhibit features a dress that Lapham wore.
Oakley said back in the day, Lapham established the Highlands tuberculosis sanatorium where she would treat patients with the fresh mountain air.
Lapham treated tuberculosis by gradually collapsing the infected lung by injecting it with a small dose of nitrogen.
“She might be one of the most famous Highlanders,” Oakley said. “She had 65 little ‘tent cabins,’ on Bug Hill.”
Moonshine exhibit
Before the remodeling, the moonshine exhibit was stuck in a corner. Now, it is displayed with pictures, and diagrams along with a story about the Moccasin War.
“Moonshine is a part of our culture, so we needed to do something about it,” Oakley said. “We decided to write a big narrative, put up pictures of different movies and songs that reference it and give a little history about the Moccasin War. The Moccasin War happened in 1885 because moonshiners from Georgia were coming up to Highlands to sell their booze. Not only did Highlanders not like that, but it was also against the law. So, a revenuer arrested two of the bootleggers and kept them captive at the now Highlands Inn under lock and key. The Georgia people formed a posse and declared war, but the Highlanders also formed a group. There was a big battle, and a young boy was killed. The war ended peacefully with a threat and a prayer.”
Veteran’s exhibit
The veteran’s exhibit now features several local veterans and their uniforms. Oakley said it was important for the society to feature locals because it shows just how important veterans are to the community.
“We have a culmination of old timers and younger veterans,” Oakley said. “We wanted to represent each war and the different branches of the military. We hope that young students will come in here and look around and be inspired by what they see.”
Along with the new exhibits in the new museum, the historical society has outdoor exhibits full of native plants.
“We have three gardens outside,” Oakley said. “Several people are very interested in seeing and learning about the native plants of the area and we wanted to make sure that we had those for them.”
The Highlands Historical Society is open Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m., until 4 p.m.
For more information, contact the museum at 828-787-1050.