Those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it

Back in the summer of 2009 I had started working as one of five interns at Harper's Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia.  I was to work 3 days a week with Visitor Services and two with Education.  It was the start of something amazing. I remember arriving at 7:45 that morning, taking the park bus down into town after being told by a park ranger where to go and arrived at the Information Center in Lower Town were I met my supervisor, I will call him John, in honor of that year being the 150th anniversary of the John Brown raid.  I had arrived before anyone else, and training wasn't to start for another week so John and I talked. The first thing he asked me was if I had any interpretation experience. I said no I speak French very poorly and Spanish even worse. Secretly I was thinking "Oh crap, I just lost the internship". He laughed and said "No, I mean Historical Interpretation." I must have looked absolutely confused because he said, "I mean taking resources and talking about history with someone in a simpler way." My lesson and my tour guide career was born.

Items at a local museum done based on paintings, excavations, and descriptions.

I worked there for 4 summers/years, in 4 different branches, spoke to thousands of visitors and was told hundreds of times that I had helped them understand things they never had before. Now I do 1st as well as 3rd and have found it a whole new challenge.  Everyday I come home, my head swimming with information. I have found normalcy in the abnormal and am asked often not only were I learned all of this but how do we know what we know about history.

Two paintings done in the 1500s-1600s by the same Dutch artist. Note difference in clothing but both using a hand spinning wheel, the one on the left has a kniddy knoddy on the wall, the other a basket. Both are spinning flax attached to a distaff with a band of cloth.

Maybe I should begin with historians, they rely on books, both primary, written during or after by someone who was part of or witnessed the act, and secondary, written by someone who heard or read about the same act later. Next you have Archaeologists, who look at maps, choose dig sites, discover artifacts, and use it to piece together the area, events, and cultures.  Then there are Anthropologists, who look areas, artifact, and events to see how people move and cultures created. Then you have people like me Historical Interpreters who take all that information and try to give people the most accurate information we can from that mess.

Women sewing, the left done in 1600s, the right 1700s. Note the posture of the women, the clothes, furniture and accessories.  Even the baskets vary.

The problem is that dispite what people think,  history  isn't cut and dry. New discoveries are made every day that can change our interpretation.  We use primary and secondary sources, paintings/etchings, music, surviving artifacts, broken artifacts, educated guesses and so much more to tell the stories. One painting could be enough to change one belief while a book may contradict it entirely. The problem is that the job is made harder by myths.

My hardest time is being told I am wrong when I know they are stuck in a belief that was formed years ago by a historian who was making an educated guess that stuck. For example beds, Sleep tight is not referring to the fact bedsteads had ropes holding up your ticking, or mattress that occasionally needed to be "tightened" but more to tho origin of the word tight,  which meant snug or impervious, first used in the 14th century according to Mariam Webster. Tight/tighten, as to make taunt or remove slack dates to 1680, according to the same source. Also beds were not shorter because people were, but because the amount of bedding makes them look so.

The top left is 1700s while the other 3 are dutch done in the 1500s and 1600s. Showing typical life, we see food, clothing, hardship and tools.

So yes I know I am telling you that the story your elementary teacher told you is wrong but there are myths out there I just want to crush. After all those who don't learn their history are doomed to repeat it.

If you like the images, there is a link to all of them on my pintrest page Historic Stitcher. Find them on my paintings board and follow me.