The Whitewater Historical Society will say “goodbye” to its first temporary exhibit at the newly renovated depot museum and say “hello” to the beginnings of the first permanent Whitewater history exhibit – the pre-1836 natural and cultural ecology of Whitewater next week.
The event, slated for 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20, is open to the public and will include a presentation and free reception at the depot museum on Whitewater Street.
The society’s first temporary exhibit, “Good Times Coming, Whitewater and the Railroad,” coincided with the reopening of the renovated historic Whitewater Passenger Depot, now used as a local history museum. This exhibit took a look at how the railroad first came to Whitewater and how the depot fit into the history of rail transportation in the city. The exhibit will be taken down in December and January and will be replaced with a new exhibit showcasing many of the museum’s household-related artifacts that will open in April of 2014.
The society has been working on planning the first permanent Whitewater history exhibit in the museum’s main gallery, the old passenger depot waiting room. Renae Prell-Mitchell Ph.D., a geographer and cultural ecologist, is doing the research and planning and will give a presentation on how the new exhibit which will show how both Native peoples and pioneer settlers adapted and interacted with the natural environment in the area.
Prell-Mitchell said community members, particularly artists, carpenters and others who may be able to assist in installing the exhibit, are encouraged to attend the Nov. 20 event.
Once the pre-1836 cultural history of Whitewater exhibit is installed, the society will begin to develop other permanent history exhibits, including the pioneer era, Whitewater and the Civil War, and Whitewater stories from the later 19th century and the early 20th century.
