Ohio Historical Society To Close Indian Exhibit

[Matthew S. Schweitzer]

Ohio exhibit on early cultures to be closed
Attendance off at museum

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Associated Press

COLUMBUS - Time is nearly up for an exhibit that honors people who lived 2,800 years ago in what became Ohio.

Despite objections from archaeologists and anthropologists, the Ohio Historical Center plans to dismantle its First Ohioans attraction that honors the Adena and Hopewell cultures.

The goal is to find new exhibits that could help turn around a 58 percent attendance drop the last five years. First Ohioans has been around for 20 years and is the center's longest-running exhibit.

"To some folks, First Ohioans remains as exciting as it was in 1986, when we put it up," museum spokeswoman Kathy Hoke said. "They can see it over and over again and be thrilled. To others, it's stale."

The museum plans to photograph, videotape and store the exhibit after a public farewell party March 26. The video will appear on the center's Web site, allowing a virtual tour of the old exhibit.

Robert Converse, of Plain City, said he and other members of the Archaeological Society of Ohio are organizing a lobbying campaign to force the center to maintain the exhibit.

Some have e-mailed legislators, who provide 70 percent of the Columbus center's $25 million annual operating budget.

"A lot of people don't know these artifacts at the Ohio Historical Center are the best in the world," Converse said.

First Ohioans also includes mannequins posed in an Indian village setting.

"It's a disgrace to dismantle it," said Olaf Prufer, a Kent State University anthropology and prehistory professor. "The material is first-rate. It's one of the better exhibits that's out there."

The Ohio Historical Center, which opened in 1970, has struggled to overcome competition from venues that offer more interactive exhibits. Cincinnati's historical society museum, for instance, which opened in 1990, has a street car where visitors listen to recorded histories, or they can help unload a 1792 river flatboat.

First Ohioans' departure will free up to 6,000 square feet to accommodate exhibits on tour from other museums until the museum develops its own Ohio-based historical exhibits.

"We need change now," Hoke said. "There are an enormous amount of leisure-time choices. We want to be at the top of the list. We want people to think of us, and not enough do."[/quote]

While I am disappointed that this wonderful exhibit on Early Ohio Indian Cultures will be closing, it would be nice to see some new marterial presented at the Museum Center. I would have preferred that the Society update the existing exhibit (the computers used in this installation date from 1986) and made it more engaging, but perhaps change will be good for a historical society that has had a lot of troubled times lately. I only hope that the fears of some that this will lead to the permanent loss of these archaeological artifacts are unfounded and that the Ohio Historical Museum will continue to display, in some capacity, these wonderful treasures.