It’s Day 109 of “365 Things to do in Cincinnati” and today I headed over to the AWESOME Cincinnati Museum Center to see the “America I Am” exhibit. If you are the least bit interested in American History you need to get to the Museum Center to see this fantastic display of items before the exhibit moves on to Washington, D.C.
I’ll admit right up front that I went to the Cincinnati Museum Center today thinking that I could cover the entire museum in one post. Boy was I wrong! This wonderful museum has so much to offer – from the Cincinnati History Museum to the Children’s Museum to special events to exhibits…. and that’s just part of the museum! I could go on and on. We actually looked at the number of events we could cover and decided we could not possibly fit them all in on one day! It may be tough to fit them into one month! So we decided to see their special exhibit “America I Am” today and will do some of the other adventures another day.
I was lucky enough to arrive just as the assistant curator for the exhibit, Carlton Farmer, was going in. He was leading a few of the other museum-goers through the exhibit so I tagged along. Carlton was THE MOST interesting young man and he really knew his stuff! What a wealth of knowledge he is. He’s a Cincinnati local but he is traveling with this exhibit while it goes from city to city within the U.S. The exhibit will hit ten cities before it’s done.
If you’re not lucky enough to find Carlton while you’re there, they do have audio recordings you can listen to as you go. And each display is well marked and includes an informational description too.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t take pictures while in the “America I Am” exhibit so my pics for this post will be light. The Cincinnati Museum Center staff was kind enough to email me a few pictures so I’m using those. I wish I could have taken pictures as this is a must-see exhibit (in my opinion). There are so many things in this exhibit that you will never get to see again.
Garrett Morgan's stop sign (circa 1923)
This exhibit is all about the tremendous impact that African Americans have made within the society in which we live today. It starts with pre-slavery history and goes all the way through the decades to modern day moments. The exhibit is incredibly well done and features numerous artifacts, works of art, momentos and documents.
One thing that really moved me were the “Doors of No Return” – actual “slave doors” that sat between the holding cells on land and the slave ships. These doors were the last thing these people saw before they were loaded on the ship and taken to another land. The dungeons (circa 1700-1800) held 1000 men and boys plus 500 women and girls while they awaited passage on the slave ship. Among so many other things, they also have a slave ship manifest on display (c. 1800).
Flag of the Cincinnati Black Brigade (Civil War)
Carlton told us that his favorite piece is a suit worn by Frederick Douglass. It’s his favorite piece because right in the next room there’s a “Free Pass” letter that he would have carried right in the pocket of that same suit. The “Free Pass” letter was signed by Abraham Lincoln and it allowed Mr. Douglass to be free to travel without being arrested.
A vellum copy (from 1865) of the 13th Amendment is also on display. It’s an exact replica that would have been made at the time of the signing of the amendment. What I didn’t know is that exact replicas of documents were made at the same time as the original so that the document could be distributed and seen by many people. It was a copy of sorts, allowing the word to be distributed to the masses.
And don’t miss the Declaration of Independence, arriving for display on Saturday, July 31. It’s one of the 200 copies that were originally printed on July 4, 1776. They printed multiple copies so they could distribute them all over – telling people about what they were declaring. This copy is actually owned by Norman Lear and is one of 24 known existing copies.
“America I Am” runs through January 2, 2011 at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Admission for “America I Am” is $12 for adults and $8 for children. Parking is an additional cost ($6?).
You can connect with the Cincinnati Museum Center on Facebook
And now for our Giveaway… The Cincinnati Museum Center has graciously given us 4 free passes for “America I Am” to give away.
To enter to win, simply leave a comment on this post and tell us why you want to go to see the “America I Am” exhibit. One winner will be randomly chosen (from the comments) on Thursday, July 29, 2010.
This giveaway has ended. Congrats to Patti M who was lucky comment #16! She won the tickets for “America I Am”!
Haven’t been to the museum center in years…
This sounds like a really interesting exhibit and one that should not be missed!
My son and I love the museum. This would be a great way for me to explore America’s history with him and teach him about our country.
Ohhh! This would be a perfect trip to take my son on! He is going to college in two weeks to start his freshman year and is going to major in History! He wants to be a History teacher and his favorite topic is US History! We are trying to get to as many fun trips as we can before he heads off.
I would love to take my cousins (16, 13, & 13) to this. It would be an incredible learning experience.
I’d really like to go.
I have not been to the Museum Center for a long time.
I’ve heard nothing but good things about the exhibit. This would be a great opportunity for my family and I to spend some time together before I move
Last chance before school resumes in two weeks to enjoy an amazing outing with the entire family! I would love to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence!
Because I hadn’t heard of the exhibit until I read your post… And would love to see it now!!!
I would love to go to the exhibit because money is tight and it would give myself and my roommate a chance to get out and expand our knowledge. Not to mention I would take my niece so she can learn more about our history.
I recently move to Cincinnati and my parents are coming to visit for the first time since I moved!!! It would be great to show them one of the wonderful things Cincinnati has to offer!
Been wanting to get to this exhibit. Looks great!
We totally LOVE the museum center!
I have been in love with the museum center from the first time my grandfather took me as a little girl and showed me how you can echo your voice using the dome! Now I am about to marry a man who loves history – even more than I do – and I can’t think of a better way to spend the little free time we get together.
The Museum Center is the best place to visit in Cincinnati. This exhibit sounds very interesting.
Wow! I love the detail that you shared. My husband and I are avid watchers of The History Channel and as a result, so are our kids! We enjoyed watching the recent series, “AMERICA – The Story of Us”, which gave a great dramatic depiction of the different eras of American history. This exhibit is a great opportunity to truly bring the many stories to life. I know my husband and I would enjoy it and the experience would open the eyes of my children to not just the “story” of history, but the reality of it and the people that actually lived it.
I fell in love with the Cincinnati Museum Center over ten years ago and make a point to visit at least twice a year. I would love to visit and see “America: I Am” because the African American story is not just the story of one group of people; it’s America’s Story.
I teach 5th grade American history in Cincinnati. I would love to be able to see the exhibit for myself and my students
Good way to get ideas to blend history and literature for my class!
Kids have been asking to go the “half way circle” building.lol
I would LOVE to surprise my husband with tickets. He is a HUGE American history buff and loves everything about it.
I love going to the Cincinnati Museum Center and haven’t been in awhile. This would be a fun exhibit to see.
I would love to take my four kids for an upclose glimpse at what it means to be an American. This sounds like a wonderful exhibit!
My grandchildren are coming from Indinapolis to explore Cincinnati next week. This would be a welcomed change from Kings Island and the Beach…
would love to go with granddaughter!
I have been wanting to go to this exhibit since I heard about it. We love the Museum Center.
I would love to go to this exhibit with my young daughter. I have a great fascination with American History and I try to share and read stories with her every day. She and I have yet to get a chance to go to the Museum together and I think that being able to experience this with her would be awesome!
I remember going to the Cincinnati Museum Center with my grandparents when I was young. Such good memories!
I would really like to see a copy of the Declaration of Independence.