Fostering heritage communities
Heritage communities are a cornerstone of the Council of Europe’s Faro Convention. But how do heritage sites actually become meaningful for everyone? What triggers volunteer engagement and what boosts someone’s sense of fulfilment?
Toronto, 2012: There is a session on experimental archaeology at the Society for Africanist Archaeologists’ biannual conference. While waiting to upload our presentations to the conference laptop, my colleague and I pass the time chatting. “I am sure we could fill a whole conference on experimental archaeology in Africa,” my colleague says. I nod, say that someone will probably initiate such a conference soon and turn to tell the student volunteer where to find my presentation on the USB stick.
The first highlight of the season is the Long Museum Night. Under the motto “For Those Who Know Nothing - Fantasy meets History”, visitors can expect an exciting supporting program from 6 pm until midnight. Did you know? Without archaeology no fantasy: The dragon glass from the series "Game of Thrones" goes back to flintstone, the "Lord of the Rings" is an Iron Age road movie.
Heritage Park Historical Village is a historical park in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. As Canada's largest living history museum, it is one of the city's most visited tourist attractions.
Exhibits span Western Canadian history from the 1860s to the 1950s. You will see Western Canada's iconic past not only preserved, but also presented alive and in great working condition. Many of the buildings are historical and were transported to the park to be placed on display, including the 1913 Little Synagogue on the Prairie from Sibbald, Alberta. Others are re-creations of actual buildings. Most of the structures are furnished and decorated with genuine artefacts. Staff dress in historic costume, and antique automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles service the site.
The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest reconstruction project in North America. The original settlement was founded in 1713 by the French and developed over several decades into a thriving center for fishing and trade.
Fortified against the threat of British invasion during the turbulent time of empire-building, Louisbourg was besieged twice before finally being destroyed in the 1760s. Its two sieges, especially that of 1758, were turning points in the Anglo-French struggle for what today is Canada. The site lay untouched until well into modern times, when archaeologists began to reconstruct the fortress as it was in the 18th century.
Fort William Historical Park is a Canadian historical site located in Thunder Bay, Ontario, that contains a reconstruction of the Fort William fur trade post as it existed in 1816. Fort William Historical Park is located on the banks of the Kaministiquia River at Point de Meuron. This point is a few kilometres upstream from the original fort's site, Fort Kaministiquia, which has been built over as part of the city of Thunder Bay.
Numerous historic buildings have been reconstructed to show the range of the post, and costumed historical interpreters recreate Fort William of the year 1816. Fort William was then not primarily a settlement, but a central transport depot within the now-defunct North West Company's network of fur trade outposts. Due to its central role, Fort William was much larger, with more facilities than the average fur trade post. Reflecting this, Fort William Historical Park contains 42 reconstructed buildings, a reconstructed Ojibwa village, and a small farm.
Fort Langley National Historic Site is a former trading post of the Hudson's Bay Company. Founded in 1827, it was well frequented over the years 1856-1886. This was due to its strategic location on the northern boundary of the Oregon Territory of the U.S. and in the path of the Fraser Canyon Gold Rush. It played a key role in the establishment of the 49th parallel as the international boundary with the U.S. In 1886, Fort Langley ceased to be a company post.
In 1923, the Canadian government designated Fort Langley as a National Historic Site. At this time, the site consisted only of the one original building, the storehouse, and 1-acre of land. From 1931 to 1956, the Native Sons and Daughters of British Columbia operated a museum out of the storehouse. Parks Canada took control of the site in 1955, and a joint Federal-Provincial program reconstructed three buildings in time for the centennial of the founding of British Columbia in 1958.
Fort Edmonton Park is a living history museum that focuses on Edmonton’s early years. After the old fort was torn down in 1915, citizens became interested in its history. The Fort Edmonton Foundation started 1969 with the execution of a masterplan with ten Eras. This plan was later amended and we can now see four distinct eras.
The four eras are:
# The Fur Trading Era as represented by the Hudson Bay Company Trading Fort (circa 1846)
# The Settlement Era as depicted on 1885 Street
# The Municipal Era (post railway) brought to life on 1905 Street
# The Metropolitan Era portrayed on 1920 Street and the Johnny J Jones Midway
The replica fort opened in 1974 and finally the 1920 Street was opened in the early 1990s.
Stichting Erfgoedpark Batavialand
att. EXARC
Postbus 119
8200 AC Lelystad
the Netherlands
Phone: +(31) 6 40263273
Website: EXARC.net
Email: info@exarc.net
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