Smithsonian coming to town
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Wally Bromberg
and Graham Hadley
Submitted photos
Pete Rich pulled back the curtain of the bright-red photomat booth and stepped outside. His signature grin that seemingly stretches from ear to ear unmistakably revealed what had just happened.
He had told his story — the story of his family, of his life and of his work — to a camera lens inside the booth. And he was proud to tell it. He was prouder still that it will be shared for years to come.
It was an oral history that was recorded for a statewide video produced by Alabama Public Television for the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street program coming to Pell City in July.
Rich was among 25 Pell City citizens who shared their story in April that will be shown on the ‘big screen’ at CEPA — The Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts — during a five-week exhibition called The Way We Worked.
Made possible through a partnership of the Smithsonian Institution and Alabama Humanities Foundation with support from Alabama Power Foundation and Norfolk Southern Railroad, only six cities are chosen to host the traveling exhibit on its yearlong tour through the state.
It is part of the national Museum on Main Street program, which travels to smaller towns and cities to provide an opportunity for their citizens to tour a Smithsonian exhibit.
Pell City kicks off the exhibit tour, which will be held at CEPA July 19 through Aug. 23.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is an actual Smithsonian exhibit exploring how America worked over the past 150 years. It is a 600-square-foot display of old photographs, narratives and interactive elements that help tell that story.
Surrounding it will be local exhibits detailing the work and history from around St. Clair County, primarily the southern region. Artifacts and old photographs will tell the story of Avondale Mills, the building of Logan Martin Dam, the creation of Logan Martin Lake, constructing U.S. 231 and myriad other history-making events that comprise the region’s past.
“We are so proud to be hosting this exhibition,” said Pam Foote, project director. “We thank the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution for giving our citizens and our young people this rare opportunity — an opportunity they might not have otherwise — to see an actual Smithsonian exhibit.”
As an added benefit, “we get to put our signature on this event with our own local exhibits. Our committee of planners is busy gathering old photographs and artifacts from all sectors of the community to transform the grand lobby of CEPA into an impressive exploration into our past.”
Tour guides, or docents, will take individuals and groups on a visual journey of America and the region’s rich history of work. Free, special events will be held in conjunction with the exhibition, including an evening made possible by the Pell City Library with best-selling author and Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg in August. Bragg’s The Most They Ever Had, a compilation of real-life stories of America’s cotton mills, will be the focus of his talk.
Alabama’s master storyteller Dolores Hydock will present the life and work of Norman Rockwell.
Alabama’s mobile training lab, a robotics display that is a tractor-trailer-truck long, will be onsite for three days to give an impressive view of how the world works now and in the future.
And other events are being developed, like Denim Day, when everyone is encouraged to wear denim in remembrance of Avondale Mills, Pell City’s grandfather industry.
On the movie screen in CEPA’s theatre, the oral history project will play throughout the exhibition, providing opportunities to hear the stories told firsthand not only by Pell Citians but by Alabamians from around the state.
“This is truly a coming together of our whole community around our past, and the oral history project took on a life of its own,” said Deanna Lawley, who with husband, Barnett Lawley, coordinated it. “The stories were so touching, and they gave us a real glimpse into our community’s rich heritage of work.”
The “Red Box” will return at exhibition time, and additional oral histories will be recorded for posterity. “It is so important for us to preserve these memories. They are the stories and events that shaped us as a community,” Lawley said.
Dr. John Kvach is lead scholar on the Smithsonian project for Alabama Humanities, and he led a workshop for teachers and administrators from Pell City and St. Clair schools. Five video cameras were donated to the Pell City School System to record future oral histories, and Curriculum Coordinator Kim Williams said oral histories will now become part of the system’s curriculum from now on.
“Our teachers were so excited after Dr. Kvach’s workshop,” Williams said. There is a new enthusiasm among teachers from kindergarten all the way up to 12th-grade for incorporating oral histories in their teaching. “What a novel approach to connecting students with older generations and helping them not only learn but understand history from those who have lived it.”
The exhibit is open to the public, and school tours are being scheduled as well. In addition, if a group, club, church, senior center or other organizations would like to schedule a tour, they are asked to call 205-338-1974 to book their tour.
“We want this to be a region-wide event celebrating our history, and we encourage all who can to come and tour our museum on main street,” Foote said. “There will be plenty of opportunities to reminisce, to learn and to understand this thing we call history.”
Organizers hope that it will be an opportunity for the future, too. Pell City does not have a museum, and discussion is now centering on this event being a springboard for the establishment of a museum for the city.
“With every display, we have had our eye on the future and how elements of this exhibit can be used in a full-fledged museum,” she said. “People are getting excited, not only about the prospects of this event coming to town but what it can mean in coming years. This has been a great experience for our community, and we hope that the momentum continues.
For more information, visit the Pell City Works Website: www.pellcityworks.org
