Thirteen students enrolled in the class, but it was such a popular project that four others joined the group just for fun. “It was a fantastic experience and really did create an esprit de corps among the students. We had students with majors as diverse as history, music, art history, psychology, and biology. The experience brought them all together, and I think they’ll remember it for a long time,” Huber said. Several students have continued to interpret their decades this semester, even though they are no longer receiving credit for the class. Making their debut during Alumnae Weekend in April 2011, the living history students mingled with the crowd in full costume and provided visitors facts about Wesleyan from its founding in 1836 through the 1980s. As a result, one alumna donated a treasure trove of vintage clothing, and another alumna and employee of the historic Hay House in Macon invited two students to participate in a 1940s-themed event held there in September. The group has also been invited to cemetery walks and other events related to the 150th Anniversary of the Civil War. In September, October, and November, living history students guided walking tours of Wesleyan’s historic campus in conjunction with the Wesleyan Treasures exhibition and Open Saturday visits. Their costumes and the dresses on display in the exhibit provide special insight into the commonality and diversity of the Wesleyan experience during student days and
beyond. The dresses not only are beautiful but also narrate stories of the everyday lives of Wesleyan women and how they expressed themselves through fashion as students, graduates, and women who have made a difference in the world. According to Dr. Huber, there will be a project every time History 397 is offered, but it won’t be the living history project. Since the planning and research have been done, she said, the living history project can now exist as an extracurricular organization. In the future, Huber anticipates working with the Wesleyan Archives and community or alumnae groups, to find other types of public history projects that students can reasonably complete in the course of a semester.
Dr. Karen Huber and students from History 397 thank Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College Vivia Fowler, Director of Alumnae Affairs Cathy Coxey Snow ’71, and Director/Archivist of Willet Memorial Library Sybil McNeil for their enthusiastic help with the project. Thanks to Julia Winter, who generously invited the class to stay at her home during a class field trip to Tallahassee. Special thanks to mothers and grandmothers of the class who helped sew the costumes. Research and facts for the following section provided by living history students: Marissa Duhaime, Elizabeth Golden, Amy Denise Jackson, Libby Long, Crystal Osburn, Kelly Page ’11, Hannah Rawcliffe, Kaitlyn Rentz, Callie Rollins, Barbara Sandoval, Belle Thomas ’11, Kelsey Tinsman, and Rachael Webb ’11.
Wesleyan Magazine Winter 2011