KU News Release

LAWRENCE — An exhibition showcasing the work of University of Kansas graduate students transforms visitors into historical detectives who must uncover the truth about the Underground Railroad in Douglas County.

The exhibit is at the Watkins Community Museum of History, 1047 Massachusetts St.

“People will come away from the exhibit with an enhanced understanding not only of the inspiring story of the Underground Railroad in Douglas County but also of the challenge and excitement of historical research,” said Marjorie Swann, director of KU’s Museum Studies Program. “It’s not easy to research the history of a secret activity like the Underground Railroad. There are a lot of myths and red herrings lurking in old documents, books and newspapers.”

Students, instructors and museum staff collaborated across departments and beyond the university to research, design and fabricate “Hidden Slaves, Hidden History.” The students’ work in Jennifer Weber’s class on the history of slavery in America became the basis of their capstone project in Bruce Scherting’s museum exhibits course. Mike Wildgen, interim director of the Watkins museum, and Helen Krische, archivist and exhibits coordinator, offered the community museum as “lab space” to sift out the truth in historical records inhibited by silences and contradictions.

“This project was an amazing learning experience,” said Terry Wickstrum, one of the students who participated in the exhibit. “As our classes broke down the process of exhibit development for us, the project gave us the opportunity to put what we learned into practice and see how it all fit together. The project also got us out into the professional community to talk with historians and museum professionals about their work. Having a physical product at the end to show everyone is really rewarding.”

The project tells the story of a tumultuous time in the history of the state and provides starting points for visitors’ own research into the rich field of Kansas history.

“We did not want to just tell people what happened. We wanted to get them involved with the exhibit,” Wickstrum said. “We tried to show them how to think about the evidence and encourage them to draw their own conclusions.”

The Underground Railroad exhibit will appeal to those 10 and older. It is on display on the third floor of the Watkins museum during regular opening hours: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursdays. The museum is closed Sundays, Mondays and holidays. Admission is free.

Student participants are listed below by hometown, level in school, major, parents’ names and previous schools attended.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Olathe 66062
Brittany J. Keegan, master’s student in museum studies, daughter of Thomas Keegan; bachelor’s in history from KU, summer 2008; Olathe South High School.

CALIFORNIA
From Placentia 92870
Rachel M. Harris, master’s student in museum studies; bachelor’s from Sterling College, 2007.

VIRGINIA
From Chesapeake 23321
Teresa (Terry) L. Wickstrum, master’s student in museum studies; bachelor’s from Longwood College, Farmville, Va., 2006.