Freedom Corridor Community Support: What Is Needed from Public and Private Policy?

THE FREEDOM CORRIDOR NEEDS SUPPORT from the private and public sectors. This is about the official policy of society. On the one hand, there is the structure of government: local, county, state, and federal agencies, both elected and appointed. On the other, there are private institutions and organizations: business, media, and civic groups. The Freedom Corridor has benefited from all of them but needs much more as we are at the very beginning of our twenty-first-century journey. How can we get stories from the Freedom Corridor into history curricula at all levels? How can we get tourism to legitimate the sites of the Freedom Corridor? How can we raise the funds we need? This panel sums up the conference and points us to the future.Gerald's question about tourism: How do we promote that? One of the groups that I've found most fascinating in answering this question are those that run and manage hotels and restaurants and run the tourism districts. They've been fascinating in informing me when people come, what they're looking for, where they're coming from. They've been very helpful throughout my career in helping adjust what programs and what we may offer at national parks with that in mind.But sometimes I find in those discussions what's lost is the education aspect of the National Park Service. What are the stories that are driving people to these places? I want to share with you four examples from my career. I want you to notice, in all four cases, these people knew about the story before they came. It was a story that inspired them to come.I worked on the National Mall in Washington, DC, for several years. One day I was looking at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and I saw this young father with his son. His son was maybe seven, eight years old. His father kept pointing to a step. He kept pointing to a step, desperately trying to inform his son of the significance of that. Then I figured it out. The step he was pointing to was one where King gave his “I Have a Dream” speech. That may be the only time those two were able to share that moment. He desperately wanted his son to know the importance of that step. It was a good education, not only for his son, but also for a park ranger that was looking on and watching the passion of that father.I worked at Lincoln Home in the 1990s, and one day early in the morning, there was a man walking quite frantically in front of the Lincoln Home before we even opened. As it turns out, I was giving the first tour of the day. He had a business trip to St. Louis, and he had been wanting to visit the Lincoln Home his whole life. He had just enough time to get up, take a tour, and get back to St. Louis for his trip. So it was just him and me. It was one of our slow times of the year. I took him to the parlor room. We went to the sitting room. Got up to Lincoln's bedroom, and he started to sob. He couldn't believe that he had actually made it. He had actually made it to Lincoln's home and Lincoln's bedroom. It was a good reminder to me of how important these tours are, what impact they can have, but also what people learn about Lincoln that causes them to come in the first place.Another time when I was working at the National Mall—I worked the late shift. It was a 4 p.m. to midnight shift. One night, I was just standing there by myself. It was just the memorial and me. I had my flat top on, my full uniform. A gentleman walked down—if you remember the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the steps, they slope down. He was walking down. He stopped before a panel, and then he called me over. He pointed to a name. He told me the story of the death of an American. I listened patiently. At the end, he shook my hand, and he started to walk away, but he stopped. He turned around, and he told me, “You know, that's the first time I've ever told that story.” I waved. He waved. He disappeared into the night. And, of course, we never met again. But, again, he knew about the memorial. He knew about the impact. I've been privileged to be with some Vietnam veterans who visited it, talking with ones that haven't, and strongly encouraging them to do so. Some of you may know Dr. McNeese. He was a legend in Springfield. He passed away recently. He was a Vietnam vet. And he said he went, had no idea how the experience would be. After looking at some names, he knew. He took about six steps and he just fell down sobbing. No idea he'd have that experience. But, again, he'd been encouraged to visit it, and went ahead and did so because of that.My fourth example comes from a person I knew that worked for the National Park Service for decades. He worked in legislative affairs in Washington, DC. Just a great guy. He said of all the Park Service sites that he visited—again, there are hundreds of them—of all the ones he visited, the one that impacted him the most was Manzanar. Manzanar is in California. It's a former Japanese internment camp.There were people in the Park Service then, when it came in, and still today that don't believe that it should be in the National Park Service, because there are no resources above ground. All the significant parts of Manzanar are below ground, archaeological. This person told me what made Manzanar so impactful to him is when he was standing there, seeing the mountains in the distance, in this incredibly desolate space, that made an impact on him, that these American citizens had been taken from their cities and towns and brought there. Why were they brought to such a desolate space? They had to live there for years. To this day, it's the most impactful experience he's ever had at a National Park Service site.Now, some of you know when the National Park Service completed its reconnaissance survey in New Philadelphia, it did not turn out positive. The Park Service did not think it had to be studied anymore, did not think it should be brought into the National Park Service. As you heard from Senator Dick Durbin, he had a slightly different opinion, and he pushed the legislation through, along with help from the House, and it became part of the National Park System. One of the issues for the National Park team studying New Philadelphia was that there are no above-ground resources. But I would suggest to you, you could take that same experience that person had at Manzanar, and you could have that same experience in New Philadelphia.But when you talk about the story of New Philadelphia—now, of course, I know Lincoln very well and studied him, and we do talk about the challenges that the Lincoln family had in Kentucky, just like the McWorters, the challenges they had in Indiana, the challenges they had here in Illinois—it's hard to compare the challenges the Lincoln family faced with those of the McWorters. I mean, they're literally earning money to buy for the and for their to the that when away, still money that they down to to buy even more to them their an an when we talk about what we can do to help people to New Philadelphia, don't that because I think that's to to people standing by at New Philadelphia, that in, because of what they knew about what brought the there and all the that there at New today at stories in a of Some these stories in the of this as part of our of you about the in a looking at of And at the as all the with of I would like to you to on the in and the Freedom Corridor are two great of stories in the are the stories about those people who their in the and for and then there are the stories of the people who to who the that came to be called the is that for the about years all of the stories were in the about the of the And all of them were by about The of stories about the just a part of the of came into and the we it all there are to be to sites where the of that became the were in That is to and were to who were What of is We a of with stories to and those that we know about the I think we to do is the and there are at to we to be very that the people who were in the as were so by and they were as a of We that but also we more to these as because we to their we talk about who were their we to be talking about who they are and not how they're we to very that were the What in was that people their into the all the they went, they were looking for their and people to to The the are the The in to their all of the talk about the has been about who a and then out of the not the We have to because the are the as I've we to be seeing the as a of not we to the were most of the history was by about in there were both and family that was there was a and a and the about they were to the The and had of but only a of and the to to we to be about the great in of the who were in these and to a of people think the was just on the what we in and and all that. there was a significant of here in the and we are and we to be talking about that. What do you know about in and the Freedom How of came What were their did they come did they you to be talking about the as a of sites are you to talk about the and these these that that their to come to their to That has to as part of the story in the in to how the here and where they came from. the of in was up the state, the and They went but most been looking at of their of and and more I would you, you and and to find about that came we were we to raise the How do we where We found all of where they found in and these sites could be but I them as Why I want to it to all of these were where for their walking for their found I've in are all of stories about the young and young who were in and two great that were has on and to some on two On the at the of where at their home on the that's a to Freedom And with the also a to Freedom We know some of the who came is about of trying to is that stories are and we all can get into and we all can find some of the that brought people to the we started to into where went from we first studied the from to and we know that along all of these and there have been sites on all of these we are what the to Freedom from to and then to in it's the same that talking about with the How do we the How do we all of these here in there be two of our National one in at the at a on the and at that in two at Indiana, and to the is on how and where and this to Freedom to those and to the they found about where found on their to what like to you all this with the Freedom a is that for those of you in and in and the hundreds and hundreds of people on their to walked How do you and how do you that? So that in we have both great of stories of the and stories of those who to their want to you a about our in and what we have been trying to do to this of I the because that is how I that is what I I buy I This is my I was up in New and went to in the I think we were in New for and we went to we are just like the of you at the that's what you and visit in New was the because I've I was It's just the I've ever I you all to has been working with our and and they have just been to They have us a and we have been able to our this day and you have to have a course, on our is about the same as the of people in this room. I still think an is To with we have a of young people the to do those with us and for The and has also been a of help in that in us to you at the on the Freedom Corridor you that is that top there to the on the We are the top Just below us is in They get about a in I a different of the of people who to some of them are people coming because of but are in has that come from all the We to those people to visit our I believe they would be in coming to we could get the to to an story in we have sites to and We a that in the Freedom and we to that it to people who come to our and encouraging them to visit the of the we don't people about these they don't know about and that's the is a for all of We about Dr. and it's not a very to it's They went a on it. They actually went and had made in and they had It is a The as you in is what the family actually It's the very of the you could people have some in their The in our is just the from the in I came on, there was no at all about the at the and We have taken steps to that. 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But what we said is that we to do this as the but then have this into as a That a whole different of and have this to we all know that history is and we can live a and we never be able to have all of our history we have to along with of the that I think is what I've heard I've been and even with this panel, we talk How do we people to these our you think about it, I up in I've there my whole and when I was up, history was not the that we are beginning to it had told me that there was an in I would have had a with are such a you just don't think when you think about that's not what you think you think about that's not what you think that's this is so because what it do is a for how we can all of these along this journey. We have New Philadelphia, that's a national park and then we have the National in has been working very hard on a national when you think about to do it, I don't what to it not that you would have national sites in one We do have a story to We have a story to that has impacted not only this but the that has in we have that story to this again, is a to all of these and that be to have a Then we how we all that how we it as an for our and to of that be some of there be the history there be the there be the tourism was a of and how we and how we with that tourism It's important because that's how you people to these how you get people to talking about I heard several people that people come to these sites because they know about them and they want to learn more about our the so that then it into the tourism Why is the tourism It's important because you just heard him that he money for his That tourism is the that a of this and all of those I don't want to get up, because people are at different of I don't want those to get up with the tourism to that you are in some that because that is the that's to all of this and it as as it can you that there be some from the state, but how of us are to be in the We have on the national and at a of these how when the people that are in those we want to that what we do is not sitting in those It's up on how good a the people who are sitting in those do in this so that it and to be very we first started talking about and it just I would before it was even a story before the legislation had been by people were talking about it I would It just is a great that it's that people are very we want to do we don't want this to be an We want to from and we want to as people in the as we can we have of of people that want to get in this I them at our some in and some and those of where people have a and be able to We get that out to The of is the that's working on you to their you on there about how you can get and be some out in a more to with think that we at where all of these sites are those that we know I know as we to do this and as we with that that of us in this know But by people those we and so be able to do those and a to all of the history that is here in I think that it for to learn what here in in the and how that the of then, but also how it the of because that's are all of our and sometimes we have to I think that when we have these for our it be an for They have a that may in their and they “You know, maybe I to think about this a in a different a more to this just what my may have told me what I saw on a of the history that people get is what they get from and that's very from the of as of the for One of the that we did was a It was It was for people who worked for the What I heard more and more was that people said that they never came in with that was different from them in they went to think about all of that that you have to because you have years in this and the only that you know about who like you is what you from of when you think about it. even in American we don't do a of the and and and talking that we should it's as you about only so much time in the day. up with trying to to trying to get trying to trying to do all of these that you to do just to that's just not that as we talking about the and all of these those are those that into the that I think help us along that of that I about at the very I think it's all that we all to because we we don't how all of these impact us and how they all we want to at how we our we on that this as a for all of us to along this and come out on the not only with a but we come out on the for the journey.