Today's News is Tomorrow's History

In 2009, the Red Mill Museum Village in Clinton, New Jersey, found itself in the center of a controversy over the appropriateness of a site-sponsored Halloween fundraiser themed as a "Lunatic Asylum." Public outcry against this event was extensive, and it could have left a serious mark on the perception of the museum within the community.   When the Red Mill hired me to mediate this issue, they initially hoped I would find a way to sweep it under the rug, instead I suggested a path that would engage new community partners and address a growing regional issue--mental health advocacy.

This issue was trending because New Jersey was facing serious budget cuts and officials were considering closing a number of state-operated mental health hospitals. Articles appeared regularly in the papers expressing the heartfelt pros and cons of the institutional closures.  Advocate groups were making great strides for removing stigmatizing language from the State Constitution and other statutes. 

Open a Dialog

I convinced the Museum Board that this was an opportunity to show the community how history was relevant to contemporary issues. With their support, my next step was to open a dialog between regional and state mental health advocates.  The goal was to partner in an endeavor to make a difference in community perception, both of the museum and of mental health stigma. Included in the partnership were many of the mental health organizations that initially denounced the Museum's Halloween fundraiser--the Governor's Council on Mental Health Stigma, the Carrier Clinic, the County Mental Health Services, the New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Mental Health (NMAI NJ), and the Boggs Center for Development.

Clear the Air

A partnership is only as effective as the lines of communication created between the partners.  These lines were already tenuous because the underlying foundation of the partnership was based on controversy.  It was important that the group establish a clear purpose, guidelines, goals and objectives at the start of the project.  The museum was lucky to have a health care professional on the museum board who took on the role of moderator. 

A series of conference calls ensued to determine the scope of the project.  Several ideas were discussed, but eventually the committee decided to develop an exhibit entitled, "From Attics and Asylums to Advocacy: Three Centuries of the History of Mental Health in New Jersey."  The purpose of the exhibit would be to educate the community on the changing perceptions of mental illness and on the evolution of the care and treatment of the mentally ill over 300 years of history.

Set Roles and Responsibilities

Roles and responsibilities were set right away.  To that end, it was decided that I would lead the museum staff in determining the content and design for the exhibit, while the rest of the committee would serve as a advisors and editors throughout the process.  In addition we created subcommittees for marketing, programming, fundraising and artifact donations.

Navigate Controversy

The last stumbling block was crucial.  The early history of mental illness in the State was filled with the very things modern mental health advocacy groups were criticizing. Until the latter part of the nineteenth century, the mentally ill were called "lunatics" and "idiots."  Patients were chained, restrained and, for all intents and purposes, tortured as part of what was considered treatment.  How were we to present this information without creating further public dismay?

I found a solution to this problem during my early research. I had found several articles written by James Moran on the history of the mentally ill in antebellum New Jersey.  Moran had found 165 primary nineteenth century court records in the New Jersey State Archives offering firsthand accounts from family, friends and neighbors about the sanity of various Individuals. These resources inspired us to focus on primary documentation and to present, using direct quotations, the voices of real people-- doctors, patients, family, friends and advocates--whose pain and promise could be shared by people with similar experiences today.

Establish Process

Now that there was a plan, we need to establish the process.  The committee would meet monthly vis scheduled conference calls.  During our meeting, objectives with specific deadlines were set. Throughout the process, detailed minutes were recorded. These minutes were essential when working with so many different organizations; they proved to be the glue that held communications together.  The goal was to open the exhibit in May 2011, in honor of National Mental Health Month.

Secure Funding

Funding was a challenge. If this exhibit were to have an impact on a state level, it could not be done on a shoestring. However, a major setback came when the grant proposal to the State Historic Commission was rejected.  The exhibit was almost stopped before it started.  The partners, however, were determined not to let that happen. They went to the major players in the region's health network. With the help of the Hunterdon Medical Center, Saint Luke's Hospital and the Carrier Clinic, the museum was able to raise the $6000 we needed to produce the exhibit and its accompanying programming.

Be Prepared

Because there were still grave concerns about the community's reception of the controversial material to be featured in the exhibit, I worked with the committee to include educational language in our marketing materials. The press release discussed the project's inception. It also explained the use of antiquated and inappropriate terminology and discussed the controversial treatment from the earliest years of the state's history. All press materials included quotes of support from the mental health partners. Each organization sent out the press release to their elists as a show of their support of the exhibit, and to ensure we would reach the very people who would benefit most from the exhibit.

At the opening reception approached, we were standing room only. The attendees included the CEO's of the 3 state hospitals, two freeholders and several state representatives from the department of mental health. However, many RSVP's came from people who remembered the prior year's controversy. Out of concern for these guests who had initially expressed negativity, we planned to have a greeter at the door to welcome each visitor warmly, thanking him or her for coming and handing out the evening's program.

In Conclusion

The response to this exhibit proved to be overwhelmingly positive. One guest after another moved through the exhibit and then found a committee member to express how powerful the experience was. The politicians described this as a landmark project. NAMI NJ approached the museum about the possibility of creating a publication for print based on the panel content. The Carrier Clinic met with the museum staff to discuss the possibility of arranging for the exhibit to travel to hospitals, schools and conferences throughout the state. This exhibit drew people to the museum who had never visited before.

What started as a way to spin negative publicity into positive press resulted in an epiphany about the power of tapping into the emotions of contemporary issues. People often forget that today's news is tomorrow's history. Our job as historians is not only to educate the public about the past, but to show them how it connects to our present and future. If we can develop these connections in our exhibits and programming, we can attract more than the history buffs to our historic sites