School’s out, the days are getting warmer, and the coming weeks on the The Land are gearing up to be very productive. A large part of our summer goals revolve around enhancements to the museum, improving the interpretation of our collections. Much of this work is connected to our National Endowments for the Humanities Challenge Grant, but most of it is tied to a general need to improve the museum. To that end, we began in January to actively seek graduate-level interns matriculating in relevant fields of study. The first of these interns arrived on Monday.
Eleanor (Ellen) Boggs is a graduate student in public history at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (aka, Virginia Tech). She has just wrapped her first year of graduate study and comes to us highly recommended by her professors at VT. Originally form nearby Easley, SC, Ellen was raised mainly in Yorktown, VA, surrounded by the history of that tremendous place. Though, it was as a child in Easly that her parents first brought her to Foxfire. Additionally, her family keeps a mountain house right here in Rabun County in nearby Clayton, so she’s got familiar digs for the next six weeks that she will be working with us.
Our first summer intern, Ellen Boggs, already hard at work in the archives.
Ellen’s resume instantly got our attention with solid museum experience at the Montgomery Museum and Lewis Miller Regional Art Center and the Yorktown Victory Center. Additionally, she has worked as a research assistant at VT’s history department and served as an undergraduate editor for the Virginia Tech Undergraduate Historical Review. She received her Bachelor of Arts in History with a minor in Appalachian Studies from VT in 2015.
In this first week, Ellen’s work has been focused on researching information on Foxfire’s oldest structure, the 1820’s-era Savannah Cabin, which was relocated from the nearby Savannah Community in North Carolina. As part of her internship, Ellen is also allowed time to delve into the archives for her own research interests, which center around folk medicine, herbalism, and folk healing.
We’re looking forward to good work from Ellen in the coming weeks and are happy to have her with us.
~ T.J. Smith
I think it is a wonderful opportunity for Ellen to be working with you all. I wanted to share some memories with you all about our families experience with your museum. I wrote this to Ellen a while back so that in years to come she may share with others and it wont be forgotten:
Grandma annually, would never fail to take a school group of talented and gifted children to FOXFIRE Museum. Here the kids learned about Appalachian pioneers’ story to life in a thrilling, hands-on experience. It is just minutes from the Mtn House which has been in our family since 1955. It is never to be sold and must stay in the family.
Foxfire is a really cool simulation of how the pioneers lived and has recordings of elderly people recalling their lifestyles back then. The people there still live a different life than most. A more quiet one and closer to their land and ancestors.
The museum gives demos and translations of how the life was lived back then. You always came with us as a child on these field trips cause when we lived in Easley we were only one hour away so we went to the Mtn House very often. Even when we moved to Va we went to the Mtn House and stayed often. Especially during the summer months and anytime Gma and the TAG group went. One lil funny prank we would always do was have someone hide in the coffin in the Chapel. We would take the kids into it and have them set on the pews. As the interpreter was talking the person in the coffin would slowly rise out ot the coffin and scare the daylights outta the kids. The kids would scatter screaming!
I am truly delighted she is with your Museum. Thank you so much for having her as an intern.
Sincerely,
Ellen’s Momma – Mary Owens
You amaze me Ellen! Keeping reaching and achieving your goals.
PS. Loved the quilt you made too!