An exhibit called "The Fight for Bluff: A
Community's Effort to Preserve Its Mountain" is on display in Mars Hill University's Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional
Studies. The exhibit looks at the history behind the proposed large scale
logging of Bluff Mountain in the late 1990s and the public response to the
National Forest Service’s proposal. It examines how the two sides were able to
come to an agreement that drastically reduced the size of the proposed timber
harvest. Bluff Mountain is located near Hot Springs, North Carolina, along the
North Carolina–Tennessee state line.
The exhibit was researched, written, and
designed by history students who are a part of the Public History Concentration
and were enrolled in the Archival Management/Museum Studies course in the fall
semester of 2016. “Having these students work on the exhibit gave them the
opportunity to see the work that goes into creating this type of piece while
also teaching them how to work in a team setting, how to research and write
with the public in mind, and what it will take to succeed in the field of
public history. It is the goal of the public history concentration to make
students aware of a growing field that they could potentially work in, while
also helping to broaden their understanding of what it means to be a
historian," said Patrick Cash, Public History Program Coordinator and
instructor of the course.
“Being able to participate in the creation of
the exhibit has truly been an eye opening to the importance of history and
public history," said Jennifer Cardona-Alfaro of Raleigh, North Carolina. "Beyond
providing me with wonderful hands-on experience, this exhibit has allowed me to
be a part of a larger project that I am proud of. This exhibit is a form of
preservation of knowledge, culture, and community and we hope it inspires
visitors to become involved in their own community," The other students
involved with the project are Digna Bermudez of Charlotte, North Carolina;
Brandon Cheek of Inman, South Carolina; Adrienne Enoch of Kernersville, North
Carolina; Clay Peregoy of Salem, Virginia; and Jamie Whitesides of Black
Mountain, North Carolina.
The exhibit will remain on display through
July 28, 2017. Hours are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1 to 4 p.m.; Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 9 to 11 a.m.; and by appointment. The Ramsey Center is located
on the main level of Renfro Library on the Mars Hill University campus. For
more information, contact Patrick Cash at (828) 689-1581 or pcash@mhu.edu.
The Liston B.
Ramsey Center for Regional Studies at Mars Hill University connects the campus
with the wider community to explore the history, culture, and environment of
the Southern Appalachian region. The Ramsey Center preserves and provides
access to resources for this study through its Southern Appalachian Archives.
The center shares Mars Hill University’s commitment to local and global
engagement, to service, and to experiential learning.
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