Rebirth: Creating the Museum of the Reconstruction Era and the Future of the House Museum

Reimagining both the House Museum and Reconstruction memory for the twenty-first century

In Rebirth, public historian Jennifer Whitmer Taylor provides a compelling account of how to reenvision the historic house museum. Anchored by oral history interviews with docents and using the Museum of the Reconstruction Era--formerly known as the Woodrow Wilson Family Home--as a case study, Rebirth offers best practices for interpreting issues of contested public memory, such as white supremacy and domestic political terrorism, for twenty-first-century audiences. Taylor challenges readers to contemplate how historic sites interact with and contribute to vital contemporary political conversations. Rebirth is a necessary book for public history practitioners, students of museum studies and historic site interpretation, and those interested in the history and memory of the Reconstruction era.