In 2007, I helped organize the Forum on Historic Site Stewardship in the 21st Century, which resulted in an influential issue of Forum Journal that laid out the major challenges and opportunities, including the need for financial sustainability, a willingness to change in response to the needs of the community, and a balance between the needs of buildings, landscapes, collections, and the visiting public. It also recognized that museum standards may not be the best practices for historic sites and that the profession “must develop new measures, beyond attendance, that document the quality of visitor engagement at sites and the extent of community outreach beyond the bounds of historic sites.”

So what has happened in the 16 years that followed? We’ll find out this week as the American Association for State and Local History hosts a virtual summit on the Sustainability, Relevance, and the Future of Historic House Museums on July 11-12. Sessions will address measuring the impact of house museums, broadening interpretation, care of buildings and landscapes, and the evolution of mission statements.

I’ll be moderating the session on mission statements on Tuesday, July 11 at 2:00 pm Eastern. Mission statements seem to be a mundane and boring topic, but not with the panelists I’ve brought together:

• House of Seven Gables (Massachusetts): Dakota Russell, Executive Director, House of the Seven Gables Settlement Association. Dakota was previously with Heart Mountain, a WWII Japanese American Confinement Site in Wyoming.
• Woodlawn (Virginia): Shawn Halifax, Executive Director, Woodlawn and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, National Trust for Historic Preservation. Shawn was previously with McLeod Plantation Historic Site in South Carolina.
• Gamble House  (California): Alexandra Rasic, James N. Gamble Executive Director, Gamble House Conservancy. Alex was previously with the Homestead Museum in California.

These house museums are all actively working on making their sites more relevant to the local community and know that it starts with a clear statement about the organization’s purpose. They will NOT be presenting the typical “collect, preserve, and interpret” or “best in the world” mission statements.

Registration is $99; $85 for AASLH members. Sessions will be recorded, so you can return later to catch up on any sessions you missed. To register or for more details, visit AASLH.org.

PS: There’s hope that this Summit will be held annually to serve the large but specialized house museum and historic site community. Next year may be in person, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to become a member of AASLH.