Press Release
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“Voices of Drayton Hall” DVD Wins a 2009 AASLH Award
Photo caption: Shown left to right at the 2009 AASLH Awards Ceremony are David Donath, Chair of the AASLH Council; Craig Tuminaro, director of museum interpretation for Drayton Hall; Dr. George McDaniel, executive director of Drayton Hall; Terry L. Davis, president and CEO of AASLH.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Voices of Drayton Hall” DVD Wins a 2009 AASLH Award
Awards honor significant achievements in the field of state and local history.
Charleston, South Carolina, September 1, 2009 — Drayton Hall is the recipient of an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Awards for the DVD interactive landscape tour The Voices of Drayton Hall. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 64th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The Ceremony took place at the AASLH Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 29th. For more information about the DVD project, please contact Drayton Hall’s Director of Museum Interpretation Craig Tuminaro at 843-769-2609 or craig_tuminaro@draytonhall.org.
“The Drayton Hall staff has created an invaluable piece of history that paints a new, comprehensive story about plantation life before and after slavery,” said Fritz Hamer, Ph.D, chief curator of history for the South Carolina State Museum. “It is a path-breaking example for historic sites and museums alike to emulate and expand upon for years to come.”
“For decades historic house museums and historic sites have struggled with how to go beyond the standard tour to present their stories...and provide access to their rich archival, audio, and visual resources. Very few places have done it successfully,” said Candace Matelic, museum consultant. “The Voices of Drayton Hall DVD tour is a striking example of putting technology to good use, in a user-friendly format, to enhance the overall visitor experience at a historic site. It can serve as an exemplary model of what the field can do now, to strengthen preservation awareness, increase access to our rich historical resources, and provide visitors with choice and control over their experience. “
At the forefront of a ground-breaking National Trust for Historic Preservation initiative to improve interpretation at historic sites, the Voices of Drayton Hall is a self-guided companion piece to Drayton Hall's interpreter-led house tour. The first of its kind in the region, the DVD gives visitors the ability to chart their own course through four centuries of American history—they can visit stations in sequence, at random, or however their time and interests allow.
Archival images, including eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maps and drawings, historic and modern-day photographs, archaeological artifacts, and family possessions—many dating back to 1738 when the main house was first under construction—illustrate moments central to Drayton Hall’s development.
“Without a formal visitors’ center or exhibition space, Drayton Hall’s archives remain an untapped resource with extraordinary interpretive potential,” said Craig Tuminaro, Director of Museum Interpretation. “The DVD provides access to these resources that depict how Drayton Hall has changed over the centuries, so visitors will be able to better understand the impact of those changes as told through the varying perspectives of historic witnesses.”
Visitors to Drayton Hall can rent the DVD and a user-friendly, portable DVD player for only $7.00, which includes all-day access; one player will comfortably accommodate two adults or a family of four. Perfect for at-home viewing or gift giving, copies may also be purchased at Drayton Hall’s Museum Shop and online at www.draytonhall.org.
The Voices of Drayton Hall DVD project was made possible, in part, through an innovative grant agreement between Drayton Hall, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation through its Transportation Enhancements Program. SCDOT sees the project as a prototype for sites and communities along the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor interested in sharing their history and promoting heritage tourism and economic development. Additional funds were provided by A&E Television Networks and The Friends of Drayton Hall.
Photo caption: Shown left to right at the 2009 AASLH Awards Ceremony are David Donath, Chair of the AASLH Council; Craig Tuminaro, director of museum interpretation for Drayton Hall; Dr. George McDaniel, executive director of Drayton Hall; Terry L. Davis, president and CEO of AASLH.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“Voices of Drayton Hall” DVD Wins a 2009 AASLH Award
Awards honor significant achievements in the field of state and local history.
Charleston, South Carolina, September 1, 2009 — Drayton Hall is the recipient of an Award of Merit from the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) Leadership in History Awards for the DVD interactive landscape tour The Voices of Drayton Hall. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 64th year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The Ceremony took place at the AASLH Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 29th. For more information about the DVD project, please contact Drayton Hall’s Director of Museum Interpretation Craig Tuminaro at 843-769-2609 or craig_tuminaro@draytonhall.org.
“The Drayton Hall staff has created an invaluable piece of history that paints a new, comprehensive story about plantation life before and after slavery,” said Fritz Hamer, Ph.D, chief curator of history for the South Carolina State Museum. “It is a path-breaking example for historic sites and museums alike to emulate and expand upon for years to come.”
“For decades historic house museums and historic sites have struggled with how to go beyond the standard tour to present their stories...and provide access to their rich archival, audio, and visual resources. Very few places have done it successfully,” said Candace Matelic, museum consultant. “The Voices of Drayton Hall DVD tour is a striking example of putting technology to good use, in a user-friendly format, to enhance the overall visitor experience at a historic site. It can serve as an exemplary model of what the field can do now, to strengthen preservation awareness, increase access to our rich historical resources, and provide visitors with choice and control over their experience. “
At the forefront of a ground-breaking National Trust for Historic Preservation initiative to improve interpretation at historic sites, the Voices of Drayton Hall is a self-guided companion piece to Drayton Hall's interpreter-led house tour. The first of its kind in the region, the DVD gives visitors the ability to chart their own course through four centuries of American history—they can visit stations in sequence, at random, or however their time and interests allow.
Archival images, including eighteenth- and nineteenth-century maps and drawings, historic and modern-day photographs, archaeological artifacts, and family possessions—many dating back to 1738 when the main house was first under construction—illustrate moments central to Drayton Hall’s development.
“Without a formal visitors’ center or exhibition space, Drayton Hall’s archives remain an untapped resource with extraordinary interpretive potential,” said Craig Tuminaro, Director of Museum Interpretation. “The DVD provides access to these resources that depict how Drayton Hall has changed over the centuries, so visitors will be able to better understand the impact of those changes as told through the varying perspectives of historic witnesses.”
Visitors to Drayton Hall can rent the DVD and a user-friendly, portable DVD player for only $7.00, which includes all-day access; one player will comfortably accommodate two adults or a family of four. Perfect for at-home viewing or gift giving, copies may also be purchased at Drayton Hall’s Museum Shop and online at www.draytonhall.org.
The Voices of Drayton Hall DVD project was made possible, in part, through an innovative grant agreement between Drayton Hall, the South Carolina Department of Archives and History, and the South Carolina Department of Transportation through its Transportation Enhancements Program. SCDOT sees the project as a prototype for sites and communities along the South Carolina National Heritage Corridor interested in sharing their history and promoting heritage tourism and economic development. Additional funds were provided by A&E Television Networks and The Friends of Drayton Hall.