Casemate Museum and Museum Campus Overview

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Casemate Museum and Museum Campus
Overview


FMFADA

16 July 2009
Dr. Charles H. Cureton

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Casemate Museum The Casemate Museum was
established in June 1951 to exhibit Jefferson
Davis cell. Museum staff includes 5 government
employees, 1 contract guard, and 30 volunteers.
Collection includes 23 guns and 383 objects on
exhibit. Visitation pre 9/11 was 62,000 and post
9/11 it averages 32,479.

• May 2005, Fort Monroe selected for closure.
• July 2006, Governor Kaine visits Fort Monroe
  and Casemate Museum.
• December 2006, Old Point Comfort Museum
  Working Group formed.
• March 2007, FMFADA established.
• January 2008, Casemate, Museum Campus, and
  African American story
• subject of symposium Fort Monroe Three
  Cultures of the Civil War.
• Sept 2008-April 2009, Museum Campus
  Interpretive Plan developed.
• July 2009, staffing Casemate Museum decision
  brief.
• Sept 2011, Casemate Museum scheduled to close.

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Casemate Museum
Whether the museum closes or remains is a CG
TRADOC decision. A decision brief is being
developed on the Army maintaining a museum
program at Fort Monroe. There are three
recommended courses of action

• Close Casemate Museum. Reopen collection as a
  gallery in the Transportation Museum at Fort
  Eustis.
• Operate collection as satellite collection of
  Transportation Museum Maintain coast artillery
  artifacts in a leased space and reduce collection
  to just objects on exhibit.
• Close the Casemate Museum.

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Museum Campus Overview

• From the beginning, the issue of the
  Casemate Museum has been intertwined with
  discussions on bringing in additional museums.
  The Museum Campus is the all important hook that
  distinguishes Fort Monroe from being just another
  coast artillery fort. The concept is all
  inclusive and not divisive, and it should be part
  of an overall plan to promote the economic
  sustainability of Fort Monroe and foster efforts
  to ensure the long-term preservation of a
  National Historic Landmark. The museum campus
  serves to define the site as of national and
  international significance. Developing the
  museum campus inside the fort will help define
  how the remainder of the outside of the moat
  can best be utilized for everyones benefit. As
  a focal point for eco, beach, and heritage
  tourism, the combined strengths of participating
  museums plus a wide variety of public programs
  will generate enough interest to make the fort a
  tourism destination site.

• Fort Monroe is a unique visitor attraction equal
  to other sites such as Harpers Ferry (average
  visitation is 254,000).
• Broad range of interpretive opportunities Fort
  Monroe and regional development, Contraband
  Decision and post-war social changes, military
  history, regional and natural history.
• Point of Museum Campus is that Fort Monroe is an
  American story.
• Casemate Museum was one of the first public
  issues that emerged after BRAC
  announcement of the forts closure.

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Interpretive Themes

• Interpretive themes are critical for
  achieving visitor understanding of the
  significance of Fort Monroe.

• Contraband decision, the end of slavery, race
  relations
• Army history and history of United States are
  intertwined
• Largest seacoast fort in the United States
• Battle of the Ironclads
• Resort and regional history
• Natural history of Tidewater region

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Visitor Experience
The goal is to gain a greater understanding of
the fort, the African American experience, and
the region through seamless mix of exhibits,
interpreters, and AV programs.

• Visit a conveniently located museum, resort, and
  cultural site
• Easy to find
• Dynamic and lasting educational experience
  through concentration of museums
• Appreciate the relationship between the sites
  natural and built environments
• Engage visitors about sensitive issues and topics
  relating to Fort Monroe that shaped the nation
• Understand the changing definitions for freedom,
  equality, and liberty
• Something for all types of visitors and depth of
  interests

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Exhibit Concept

• Effective interpretation comes about when
  visitors successfully connect concepts with the
  tangible costs of time, money, and effort and
  derive meaningful and lasting memories from the
  visit.
• Galleries are to be a personal and moving
  experience
• Tell all aspects of Fort Monroe, its history, and
  its impact on the nation
• Exhibits are multi-layered
• Immersive
• The visitor experience is controlled and
  choreographed
• Seamless flow from one gallery to another
• Mix of media

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Eco, Beach, and Heritage Tours

• Driving tour of Old Point Comfort site
• Walking tour of fort and surrounding sites
• Trails with interpretive signs that connect each
  site with the forts history, museum campus,
  historic houses, and natural history sites
• Wayside exhibits
• Interpreters
• Museum campus facility is orientation and
  starting point for eco, beach, and heritage tours

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Economic Impact

• Size and scope of museum campus makes Fort
  Monroe a visitor destination that would be part
  of a regional historical quadrangle. Tourism is
  second largest industry in Virginia and the
  Museum campus supports all forms of tourism eco,
  beach, and heritage tourists.

• Civil War site tourists put over 100 a day into
  local economies
• Estimated 100,000 to 275,000 visitors. Civil War
  Trust study discovered that sites having museums
  experienced visitor stays that were twice as
  long.
• Admissions at 12 per person results in 1.8 M
  for every 150,000 visitors
• Gift shop sales average 9 each would total sales
  at 1.4 M
• Guided tours at 12 would total 1.8 M for every
  150,000 patrons
• Educational programs at 10 each student would
  total 400,000

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Summary

• Casemate Museum is not enough on its own to
  make Fort Monroe self-sustaining. The museum
  campus must be an important part of the overall
  plan to promote the economic sustainability of
  Fort Monroe that will ensure the long-term
  preservation of the site. Museums are a
  business that brings business.

• Participating museum organizations include
  Hampton History Museum, Virginia Museum of
  Natural History, Museum of the Confederacy,
  Virginia War Museum, Casemate Museum, and the
  Company of Military Historians.
• Along with military history, regional history,
  and natural history, the Contraband story is
  unique to the sites importance and central to
  making Fort Monroe into a major site of national
  significance.

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Questions ?