Dissertation Proposal

Historic buildings are integral to telling the story of a place. Yet, the prevailing conversation around house museums in recent years have centered around the idea that these structures are no longer relevant. While the traditional “roped-off” period room house museum may be a trend of the past, these sites remain useful to understand a deeper history of a place. This dissertation will focus on what historic house museums can mean for a community. Through adaptive reuse and community engagement, old homes can be powerful tools to educate the public and localize larger historical narratives.

My research revolves around the historic house museum and its place in the community. The five sites I will be using in my dissertation are located in two Southern states, Alabama and Tennessee. John Henry Carothers House, Burwell-Dinkins Historic House Museum, Sadie Ford Heritage Farm and Cultural Art Center, Two Rivers Mansion, and Cheekwood Estate and Gardens will serve as the case studies for my dissertation. Each of these historic buildings have survived numerous challenges for a hundred years or more. All of them have ceased their functions as private homes- some much more recently than others. But then what is to be done with them? Should every historic building be a historic house museum? Many scholars in the field would answer with a resounding “no.” I concur, with a caveat. Not all old buildings should be museums, certainly. However, many are still useful, even vital, in their individual communities.